From Siloed Data to Continuous Insight: Real-Time Monitoring Transforms Tailings Management (Part 2)

In Part 1, we explored how siloed data can undermine tailings storage facility (TSF) monitoring, and how platforms like Cambio are enabling continuous insight through integrated, geo-referenced digital twins. Now in Part 2, we focus on implementation—what it takes to modernize your monitoring workflows, and the real-world results that follow.

DIY vs. Purpose-Built: Why Tailings Teams Choose Cambio

Yes, you can cobble together a monitoring system from general-purpose GIS tools, custom code, and cloud folders. But as Katie Burkell pointed out at the EAGCG Workshop, these DIY stacks often hit a fault line: limited integration, limited collaboration, and slower insights due to not being able to visualize multiple datasets together.

Cambio was designed to close that gap. Developed with geotechnical experts and top industry partners, it’s grounded in geotechnical best practices, with the flexibility to scale as sites grow or regulations evolve—transforming disconnected inputs into a structured, intelligent knowledge base. With Cambio, mine owners, operators, and EoRs manage real-time TSF data across the lifecycle—from pre-feasibility to construction and closure.

Here’s how Cambio accelerates digital tailings management:

• Field-First Workflows: Standardized mobile forms and automated ingestion eliminate delays and manual transcription.
• Shared Visibility: Owners, engineers, and field teams collaborate in real time—reviewing inspections, design files, and instrument trends in one shared workspace.
• Automated Intelligence: Real-time dashboards, TARP-triggered alerts, and change detection help prioritize response and streamline reporting.

As Katie framed it: Why spend time reinventing the wheel when a purpose-built TSF solution already exists? Cambio lets teams focus on tailings safety and performance—not software development.

1. Faster Response and Proactive Risk Mitigation

At the EAGCG workshop, Katie Burkell shared an example of how continuous insight helped prevent unnecessary downtime. A slope inclinometer at one of the tailings dams triggered an alert, showing signs of deformation. With Cambio:

• Engineers reviewed the instrument data in real time, layered with topography, construction records, and foundation models.
• They compared the sensor’s behavior with known geotechnical conditions and recent fill activities.
• They determined the signal was likely due to an installation issue—not actual ground movement.

Impact: The alert was resolved without escalation. Construction continued safely, and costly delays were avoided. This is the power of a tight feedback loop—linking field data, analytics, and expert interpretation into timely, confident decisions.

2. Efficiency Gains Through Automation and Standardization

Tailings monitoring involves a flood of field data—samples, inspections, sensor readings. Historically, managing it meant clipboards, spreadsheets, and double entry. Cambio replaces that with a streamlined field to office workflow.

Key upgrades:

• GPS-tagged, mobile inspection forms tied to design specifications
• Real-time syncing of field observations, test results, and photos—no transcription required
• Automated ingestion of instrument and remote sensing data into live dashboards

The result? Engineers spend more time analyzing trends and less time tracking files. Operators using Cambio report:

• Reduced manual data handling
• Improved data quality through validation and standardization
• Easier correlation of current observations with historical context

When data flows, so do workflows.

3. Enhanced Compliance and Governance

When regulators come knocking—or when it’s time to produce an annual performance report—structured, auditable data isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s critical. Cambio centralizes TSF monitoring records into one geo-referenced, searchable knowledge base that includes:

• Instrumentation with thresholds, alarms, and time-series plots
• As-builts, inspection logs, and TARP response records
• Annotated imagery, field photos, and supporting documents—all timestamped and traceable

This level of organization not only supports conformance with GISTM and other global standards—it also gives operators the confidence that nothing gets missed. Everything is traceable. Everything has context. Instead of sifting through files and emails, reviewers get a transparent view of TSF performance—and the decisions made in response to changing conditions. Think of it as version control for your dam—not just your software.

4. Stronger Collaboration Between Owners and EoRs

A monitoring platform isn’t just a tool—it’s a transformational communication shift. When both mine operators and Engineers of Record can see the same data at the same time—field observations, alarm status, construction progress—the relationship shifts from reactive oversight to proactive partnership.

At one major mining site, Cambio enabled:

• Shared alert protocols: EoRs and operators received simultaneous notifications based on joint TARP thresholds
• Weekly drone survey integration: Fill placement and construction progress were visualized with real-time overlays
• Unified digital workspaces: As-builts, deposition plans, CQA/QC inspection results, and instrument behavior were reviewed in sync

As Katie put it: “When both the engineer of record and the mine operator can see the same thing at the same time, it fundamentally shifts the dynamic—from checking each other’s work to solving problems together.”

5. Continuity Across the Tailings Lifecycle

TSFs operate over decades. But institutional memory often doesn’t last that long. Cambio preserves and contextualizes historical data so that teams can build on it—not lose it. With Cambio:

• Historical designs, logs, and inspections remain accessible and geo-referenced
• New team members ramp up quickly with a visual timeline of site evolution
• Closure planning is grounded in operational history—no need to start from scratch

Instead of restarting analysis every year, teams can build on decades of recorded insight. This long-term continuity of insight helps avoid repeating past mistakes and supports a safer, more sustainable approach to tailings management. 

Because your data shouldn’t be buried deeper than your SAAs.

Final Word: Insight That Doesn’t Sleep

Monitoring tailings isn’t about adding more sensors—it’s about creating a system that helps you interpret and act on what they reveal. Cambio connects surface and subsurface conditions, integrates automated surveillance, and delivers insight where it matters most: in the field, in the office, and in the boardroom.

As Katie put it: “Continuous insight isn’t just a buzzword—it’s how modern tailings facilities stay ahead of risk.”

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