Internet of Everything use cases: Dundee Precious Metals and Council Rock School District

The Internet of Everything is changing everything, and has already altered digital world. One of its numerous advantages is its ability to help different businesses save millions in energy costs, while at the same time, optimising their operations.

Dundee Precious Metals (DPM) is an example of one company that has understood the value of the Internet of Everything. The manufacturing is capitalising on the connections between people, data and processes the Internet of Everything is making possible. DPM is one of the first companies in its field which uses this technology to connect the unconnected. Its mission is to identify, acquire, finance, develop, and operate low-cost, long-life mining operations.

A couple of years ago DPM set itself the goal of increasing production by 30% so its IT team had to find a way to achieve this and improve safety without incurring extra costs by increasing manpower or resources.

Communication has always been a challeng in mines, as Wi-Fi infrastructure is difficult to implement underground. However, DPM used Cisco's unified wireless network to provide coverage along 50 kilometres of tunnel, helping workers communicate more efficiently via calls and instant messaging. At the same time, it was able to track the location of miners and vehicles, keeping everyone synced up with location tracking in order to improve safety, monitor vehicle status and automate building controls.

All these changes had a huge impact on the company. Production increased about 400%; substantially more than their originally forecast, while safety clearly improved thanks to the 3D tracking system which allowed workers to know where everyone was at all times. Vehicle utilisation also improved thanks to data which identifies whether a repair is required. Energy and communications costs have also significantly decreased as a result of the ability to share real-time video, saving almost $2 million in long-distance charges. Further energy cost reductions were achieved due to installing a central application to control fans, lights and power over the network.

This is just the beginning for DPM, as the company is planning to extend the use of the Internet of Everything to include health monitoring by using connected environmental health sensors.

Learn more about the Dundee Precious Metals case in this video:

Another example of the impact of the Internet of Everything is the Council Rock School District (CRSD) use case. Council Rock School District is the ninth largest school district in Pennsylvania, USA, responsible for more than 12,400 students and employing more than 1,400 staff. With the school facing budget cuts which were constantly escalating, staff reducing energy costs whist improving communications and information-sharing by implementing best practise across the operational areas.

Their problematic network was inefficient and couldn't share any information across the different school units so the IT team suggested a complete redesign of the district's network infrastructure. CRSD was offered a reliable and high performance but also low-maintenance infrastructure making it easier for facilities engineers to maintain from anywhere. The telephone systems were also improved by installing Cisco Unified Communications Manager and IP phones, providing teachers and administration with dedicated extensions and voicemails.

The results have been immense. Today, the District's "Go Green" program has gone beyond initial expectations, cutting consumption by 42% and saving more than $3 million in District budget. Replacing the school telephone system with IP phones has saved $75,000 in its first year, given the teachers the chance to take greater advantage of technology, e.g. by taking virtual trips to exotic countries.

By combining IT practices and energy management, the school believes its program can be an example to other schools dealing with financial challenges or environmental initiatives. In the future, CRSD wants to be energy efficient in every aspect of its IT operations by monitoring and optimising the energy usage of the network itself.

Learn more about Council Rock School District case in this video:

Dundee Precious Metals has succeeded in transforming centuries-old mining processes, thanks to the Internet of Everything. Council Rock School District has reduced its energy costs while at the same time improving its communications system by connecting the unconnected.

The Internet of Everything is not just the technology of tomorrow; it is here today and the networked connections it provides can have a significant impact on all industries.