Russia Launches Unified Digital System for Mining Operations
Mining operations bring together specialists with different responsibilities. Geologists study rock formations, mine surveyors measure excavations, and engineers plan extraction. In the past, each specialist kept data in separate software programs and files, so information had to be transferred manually, wasting time and creating opportunities for errors.
Tsifrovoy Gorizont addressed this problem by introducing its MAGMA software suite at the MINEX forum. The products operate within a shared digital environment. Now, when a geologist enters a deposit model into the system, it becomes immediately available to mine planners. Data no longer needs to be duplicated or risks being lost as it moves between departments.
One Platform for Multiple Tasks
A mining operation involves a series of interconnected tasks. Geologists first study the deposit and build a geological model showing where different rock types are located, how much mineral they contain, and how the ore bodies are distributed. Mine planners then use that model to develop an extraction plan. Production teams organize the work, and mine surveyors measure the results. Yet these specialists often rely on separate IT systems with incompatible data formats, forcing them to transfer figures manually from one system to another. Information can be lost, and decisions may be based on outdated or inconsistent data.
This is where MAGMA comes in. It creates a unified digital workflow in which the geological model informs mine planning, while actual production results provide the basis for adjusting decisions. The system consists of several modules.
The first, MAGMA Mineral, collects and stores geological and mining data, including drilling results, sampling data and rock descriptions. It serves as the foundation for raw information about the deposit. The second, MAGMA Geo, uses those data to build a geological model and calculate mineral reserves. The third, MAGMA Plan, uses the model to develop an extraction plan, specifying what to mine, where and when, in what sequence, and with which resources. The fourth and fifth modules, MAGMA Open-Pit Operations Control and MAGMA Underground Operations Control, support the management of mining activities in surface mines and underground mines, respectively. They store actual production data showing how extraction is progressing.
A dedicated AI assistant is also part of the system. It handles routine configuration tasks that can consume up to one-third of an engineer’s working time. For example, it can analyze a deposit model and suggest alternative mine plans.
Mining Technology Is Gaining Ground
Russian mining companies are increasingly adopting digital tools that bring specialists’ data together in a shared environment. Nornickel, for example, is developing MinePRO, an automated system for processing and analyzing mining and geological data. The platform covers mineral exploration, drilling, sampling, core management, mine planning and tracking changes in mineral reserves. It has brought together geological and mine-surveying records for more than 100,000 mine workings. The company has also launched modern operations control centers at all mines in its Polar Division. These centers allow staff to plan and monitor work, track activities both underground and on the surface in real time, and respond more quickly to changing conditions.
Meanwhile, the Metallurgy Industrial Competence Center is coordinating the development of several Russian software products, including a mining and geological information system, mine-planning software and dispatch systems for underground operations. MAGMA is part of the same program.
Russia is also developing more specialized products, including dispatch systems for underground mining and short-term operational planning tools. Although these do not cover the entire process from geology through extraction, as MAGMA does, they address the same core challenge: connecting production data and improving coordination across mining operations.
Toward Industrial Deployment
The MAGMA suite is already moving into operating mines. Its base version has undergone trials at mines belonging to participants in the Metallurgy Industrial Competence Center. Companies testing the modules include Nornickel, ALROSA, Polyus, UMMC, EuroChem and PhosAgro. The initiative reflects a broader effort to replace specialized engineering software from foreign suppliers with domestic alternatives.
Developing homegrown alternatives to foreign geological modeling and mine-planning systems, such as Hexagon MinePlan, reduces risks associated with software license availability and access to technical support.
Over the next few years, pilot deployments will continue, and the modules will be adapted to the requirements of individual mining companies. In the longer term, MAGMA could become the foundation for a comprehensive digital model of a mining operation, bringing together geological constraints, production plans and actual results.
