A start-up founded by two University of Queensland Sustainable Minerals Institute PhD students could help make environmental monitoring and reporting cheaper and more efficient for miners and government agencies.
Co-founders Roger Tang and Imam Purwadi started Envirometrics.io two years ago and launched its flagship product Mine-R shortly after.
Tang told InvestMETS.com the company’s cloud-based platform employed advanced analytics to assess satellite imagery focused on specific site areas and report on the progress of environmental programs. It had the potential to reshape industry data collection and reporting.
“A client told me that ESG is where safety was in the 80s. It’s something you just have to do, even if you don’t make money doing it,” Tang said.
“Given the current global focus on ESG issues, it’s clear that mining companies must take action to ensure their operations are sustainable and responsible.”
Tang is aiming to implement at least four major trials, grow to 10 staff and raise A$2 million for further software development by the end of this year. He’ll look to expand internationally in 2024.
A trial with Rio Tinto last year “went very well”.
“Making good software is pretty resource-intensive, especially if we want to be compliant with enterprise standards,” he said.
“That means we need to manage scalability and security to work with major mining companies.
“But one thing I’m really passionate about is making sure the user experience is spot on.
“I come from an academic background, so I know how much of a pain complicated analytical software can be.
“We don’t want our users to have to do a degree just to figure out how to use it.”
Tang said the goal was not to replace traditional mine rehabilitation planning, monitoring and reporting, but enhance it.
“Traditional methods can be inefficient and prone to errors, which contributes to the rising costs and changing legal requirements for rehab projects,” he said.
“Typically, consultants only survey around 1% of a site during visits, with high data quality only available for that small portion.
“Our approach aims to provide a macro perspective to complement the micro.
“By identifying areas of risk, such as outbreaks of invasive species, erosion, or dieback, we can help clients prioritise where to focus their resources and efforts.”