Digitization of subsoil use technologies
Introduction. Economy digitalization trends show that industries involved in mineral extraction and processing will sooner or later have to face the challenges of introducing new management technologies. Expected innovations deal with large amounts of data both in terms of object initial state characteristics and in tracking changes in its parameters at all stages of raw material transformation into a marketable product. Research methodology includes assessing factors determining industry digitalization, as well as studying production area readiness for new management technologies introduction. The difficulty is that mineral raw material extraction and processing is represented by a set of technologies. Exploration, deposit 78 "Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedenii. Gornyi zhurnal". No. 2. 2021 ISSN 0536-1028 description, reserves assessment, processing technologies, utilization and storage of tailings, dumps, reclamation, etc. – all these processes belong to different branches of science and are not always linked into a single technological cycle. Results. The paper provides a detailed analysis of the structure and sources of information flows required to form a unified digital model of mineral processing. It is shown that the data unit responsible for the “ore processing procedures databases” is the least ready to be embedded in a single digital model. Conclusions. Despite the many problems associated with the use of digital technologies, there are no fundamental obstacles to mineral raw material processing simulation models creation, including deposit identification, rock mass formation and all stages of obtaining a commercial product.