1. Converged Technologies Improve Operator Awareness, Leading to Increased Performance and Safety Using Situational Awareness Theories in the Design of Fleet Management System Onboard Interfaces
This presentation is based on a paper I wrote with Glen Trainor for SME in Salt Lake City in February. Our goal in the paper is to outline Wenco’s long-standing interest in the ideas around situational awareness, and to bring attention to the GMSG and the Situational Awareness Working Group.
The SAWG is focusing on the shovel interface, but as an FMS provider, we need to focus on all types of equipment, so I’ll be using examples from both shovels and haul trucks.

2. Shovel Operator Responsibilities
Production Monitoring
Payload Monitoring
Track Elevation
Bucket Positioning
Equipment Health
Missing Tooth Detection
Proximity Awareness
Blind Area Viewing …
Mining equipment operators – increased responsibilities
As responsibilities grow, so do the number of technologies they’re required to interact with

3. Convergence
Smart phones today handles tasks that required 8 or more devices 20 years ago
Getting used to converging various technologies onto one device or screen

4. Convergence 256 Tons Camera Elevation Payload Proximity Tooth Detect
Happening in mining too
Instead of camcorder or Walkman, it’s proximity warnings and tooth detection systems
AGS
Machine Health
Cut/Fill

5. Convergence
256 Tons
We’d like to see all these systems presented on a single screen.
But why, and what’s the best way to do it?

6. Situational Awareness
Situational Awareness (SA) is being aware of what is happening around you and understanding how information, events, and your own actions will impact your goals and objectives, both now and in the near future. Lack of SA is one of the primary factors in accidents attributed to Human Error.
- If we can reduce screens in cab, we should be able to improve situational awareness
Nullmeyer, Stella, Montijo, & Harden, 2005

7. Global Mining Standards
Asset Management
Mobile Mining Equipment Onboard Data and Access
MME Onboard Technology and Connectivity
Situational Awareness
Underground Mining
Operational Safety and Risk Management
Global Mining Standards Group has a Situational Awareness Working Group that Wenco is actively participating in
Wenco has been involved with the Global Mining Standards Group since its inception, and prior to that was involved with the SMART initiative
GMSG is a multi-stakeholder group to advance availability and and use of standards and guidelines in mining
SAWG is looking to achieve agreement on how to present information from multiple systems effectively
We believe in openness and cooperation with our industry partners, and the GMSG is a great way to foster productive communication
Six active working groups

8. Situational Awareness
Increased technology does not necessarily improve SA, in fact the effect can be quite the opposite
What happens when we just keep adding technology?
Worst case scenario, something like this.

9. It’s Happening in Mining
Fleet Management Systems - loading efficiencies, KPI’s
Machine Guidance - floor elevation
Arm Geometry Systems - precision bucket placement
Payload Monitoring - maximize tonnage in truck, avoid warranty violations
PLCs - monitoring machine performance
Proximity Detection - equipment proximity warnings
Fatigue Monitoring - evaluating the wakefulness of the operator
Cameras views to observe surroundings
Shovel Tooth Detection - monitor and alert for possible missing teeth …
The same overloading of technology is happening in mining in equipment cabs today
For shovel operators, they potentially need to deal with fleet management, machine guidance, arm geometry, payload monitoring, equipment health, proximity detection and cameras, shovel tooth detection, fatigue monitoring, and many more…

10. SAWG Situational Awareness Working Group Display Manager
Display Manager is a proof-of-concept solution for providing a common interface for up to four on-board system providers to share a single screen
Explain interface
Latest version adds the ability for the participating systems to send alerts and alarms to the display manager to be shown in a unified display at the bottom left.
Alarms of sufficient priority can cause the app delivering it to be pulled into focus in the main
This reduces the need for the operator to manually switch between systems; priorities will determine which system should be in front
Determining how to handle those priorities for multiple disparate systems is the next challenge facing the Situational Awareness Working Group

11. Microsoft - Pocket PC 2000 - Stylus
Wenco - Windows CE – Touch Screen
Current situational awareness problem stems from a proliferation of touch-screen interfaces in the equipment cab
Wenco started building touch-screen interfaces in 2000, around the same time as Microsoft’s Pocket PC devices started to become popular
Assumed stylus, however we had to focus on a true hand-operated touch screen solution

12. Pioneers of TouchScreen
No Standards – Entirely Custom UI
Hired UI Specialist
Tester and User Experience
- BFB
- Not all info at same time
- Screen changes based on state
Simple concept made difficult with addition of multiple technologies from ourselves and third parties
Wenco MDT3 RaMP Circa 2000
No real guidelines or standards to follow for finger-based touch interfaces until the iPhone’s release in 2006
To solve this problem, Wenco hired a UI specialist
We did extensive user testing with prototypes to determine how best approach the problem
Lessons learned:
Big fat buttons
Show only needed info (the temptation when moving to a display like this is to show them everything we can at once)
make sure that the screen shows the appropriate information based on the state or status the equipment is in

13. Current Integration- Wenco
Fleet Management
Incremental truck loading payload, material types, dump locations, eta of next truck, delays, downs, and operating statuses, messaging, shift production KPIs
Machine Guidance
Track elevation, design elevation, cut/fill recommendations, pitch and roll, load blend calculations, automated dig block reconciliation…
Bucket Positioning
Arm geometry calculations, graphical depiction, cut/fill recommendations, automated dig block reconciliation
Proximity Awareness
Position, status, and direction of other equipment, proximity alerts, hazards and exclusion zones
- Currently, the Wenco MDT needs to show data from a whole host of data sources provided by our fleet management system. For example (see screen)

14. BenchManager
Example of BenchManager, Wenco’s high-precision GNSS solution for loading equipment and dozers
Only showing the information the operator needs
No interaction required during regular operation
(Explain interface)

15. Information from other industry suppliers
Numerous Data Sources
Information from other industry suppliers
Motion Metrics Shovel Tooth Detection
PressurePro Tire Monitoring
In addition to the data Wenco’s system generates, we need to handle data from 3rd party vendors
Display it to operators and dispatchers, and logging it to the database
3rd party systems can be anything from tire or fuel sensors to slope monitoring – endless possibilities
MSR Reutech Slope Monitoring
Omnicomm Fuel Sensors
Guardvant Fatigue Monitoring

16. Unified Alarm System Time: 5/16/2013 3:22:02 PM
System: Tire Monitoring
High Temp RF
Unified alarm system allows us to generate alarms from any system
Displayed to operator, optionally dispatcher, logged to database

17. Tabbed Access
Additional tabs in MDT user interface for additional detail from 3rd party system

18. Key Situational Concepts
Making Sure Operator Doesn’t feel “Out-of-the-Loop”
Must know the state of the software, that it is up to date and displaying correct information
Mode Awareness – Understanding
Ensuring the operator understands why the system is doing what it’s doing
Decision Support
Ensuring the operator is using the system for adequate decision making. System should boost decision making effectiveness by providing necessary information

19. Out of The Loop Colour coded signals for core inputs and outputs
Opacity to indicate confidence of data
BenchManager indicator lights
Position data aging

20. Mode Awareness Current Mode (Status) One-touch next Status
Mode or state (“status” in Wenco) is a critical system concept
Big bright button, also next status
At a glance operator knows system is up-to-date

21. Decision Support Automated Switching
Automatically switch between PitNav and standard MDT screen
Switch based on status and/or GPS speed
Example of Decision Support for a truck operator
Screen shows map while moving, full MDT interface while stopped
Only critical context-relevant data shown, supporting quick decisions

22. Conclusion
Wenco designs GUIs to support the ability of shovel operators to handle complex and rapidly changing situations in which informed decisions need to be made under tight time constraints
This involves far more than merely being aware of numerous pieces of data
Operators must understand integrated meaning of what they are perceiving in light of their goals
Situational Awareness empowers operators to safely and efficiently move material within the mine’s operating guidelines and towards the goals of the company.
To learn more about SA and GMSG please visit
In conclusion, Wenco’s current graphical user interfaces are influenced by situational awareness concepts, and have built on the intuitive work we did in this area in the early days of mobile touch screen equipment. Our focus is to support equipment operators to help them understand the context they are operating in, and make quick and informed decisions when needed. I hope that in showing the lessons we’ve learned along the way, we’ve helped to illustrate both the importance of situational awareness for mining equipment operators, and some examples of how we can achieve these goals. For more information about Situational Awareness in mining and the Global Mining Standards Group, please visit the GMSG’s website listed on screen, and consider joining us.

23. Wenco Fleet Management
Plan and Forecast for Shifts, Monitor and Control Production, Optimize Payload, Deliver Required Blend to Plant, Optimize Refuelling, Minimize Consequence of Delays and Downs, Improve Operator Efficiency.
Operations
Prevent Warranty Violations (Payload …), Immediate Notification and Action on Issues (Alarms and Pre-Start Checks), Analysis and Trending of Machine Health, Equipment Downtime Accountability and Management.
Maintenance
Build to Design on First Pass, Reduce Need for Surveying, Evaluate Road Networks, Use As-Built (Dug) Data in Mine Plan Updates, Environmental Accountability.
Engineering
Track Personnel Hours, Track On-Vehicle Training, Verify Qualifications on Shift Start, Instant Notification of Safety Issues (speed violation, checklists, exclusion zones, proximity alarms), Accident Investigation.
Human Resources
Identify Performance Indicators and Set Targets, Compare Actual vs Target, Review - Adjust – Plan, Activity Based Costing, Notification of Priority Data on Mobile Devices, Export Data to ERP.
Management