Underground Mine RFID Personnel Tracker
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
Design and Implementation of a Non-WiFi Underground Miner Personnel Tracking & Emergency Rescue System (RFID-Based RTLS)
PROJECT OVERVIEW
We are seeking experienced mine-grade real-time location system (RTLS) / RFID solution designer and integrator to design a non-WiFi personnel tracking and emergency rescue system for underground mining operations.
The objective is to implement a robust, intrinsically safe, real-time personnel tracking solution that enables the mine to locate miners in real time or last-known underground positions for emergency response, rescue operations, evacuation management, and compliance, without using Wi-Fi infrastructure.
This project is currently at design and solution-architecture stage, with potential to progress into detailed engineering, pilot deployment, and full rollout.
1. PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The selected consultant/vendor must design a system that:
Tracks all underground personnel in real time or near real time
Identifies last-known and current underground locations during emergencies
Enables rapid mustering, evacuation, and rescue decision-making
Operates without Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi is explicitly excluded)
Is intrinsically safe and suitable for underground mining environments
Integrates hardware, software, and communications backhaul
2. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
2.1 Tracking Technology
Active RFID-based RTLS or equivalent non-WiFi location technology
Must function in underground mining conditions (dust, vibration, humidity, confined spaces)
Location accuracy:
Minimum: Zone / chokepoint-level accuracy
Preferable: Improved granularity where infrastructure density allows
System must reliably identify:
Shaft stations
Levels
Intersections
Refuge bays
Waiting places
Key travel routes
2.2 Wearable Personnel Devices (Tags)
Each miner shall be equipped with an intrinsically safe wearable tracking tag, preferably:
Integrated into cap lamp or belt-mounted device
Minimum features:
Unique personnel ID
Long-life battery with battery health monitoring
SOS / Panic button
Man-down detection (tilt and inactivity)
Visual indicators (LED)
Tamper detection (preferred)
2.3 Underground Infrastructure (Readers / Beacons)
Fixed RFID readers / exciters installed at strategic underground locations
Direction-of-travel detection where possible
Must support:
Time-stamped location events
Buffered data storage during backhaul outages
Designed for:
Shaft stations
Main intersections
Level access points
Refuge bays
Critical safety zones
2.4 Communications Backhaul (Non-WiFi)
Wi-Fi is strictly prohibited.
Acceptable backhaul technologies include:
Fibre optic Ethernet
Copper Ethernet
Leaky feeder communication systems
Licensed VHF/UHF data transport
Any other proven underground non-WiFi data transport
The designer must specify:
Network topology
Redundancy strategy
Data latency expectations
2.5 Software Platform Requirements
The solution must include a centralised control room software platform with:
Core Features
Real-time digital tagboard
Live personnel visibility dashboard
Underground map-based visualisation (2D/3D)
Personnel count per zone and per level
Shift-based personnel tracking
Emergency & Safety Features
Missing person identification
Last-known location reporting
Panic and man-down alarm escalation
Refuge bay roll-call and time-in-refuge tracking
Evacuation and mustering management
Geofencing and restricted zone alerts
System & Compliance
Role-based access control
Event logs and incident replay
Battery health monitoring
API capability for future integration (lamp room, HR, safety systems)
3. DESIGN & ENGINEERING SCOPE
The consultant/vendor will be required to deliver:
Conceptual System Architecture
End-to-end system diagram
Technology selection rationale
Scalability considerations
Underground Location Strategy
Zone/chokepoint design methodology
Reader placement logic
Accuracy assumptions and limitations
Hardware Specification
Tag specifications
Reader/exciter specifications
Certification requirements (IS, mining compliance)
Software Architecture
Platform components
Data flow and event processing
Alarm and escalation logic
Deployment Strategy
Pilot deployment approach
Phased rollout plan
Commissioning and acceptance testing approach
Operational & Maintenance Model
Battery lifecycle management
System monitoring and diagnostics
Redundancy and failover strategy
4. DELIVERABLES
The final submission must include:
Detailed technical design document
System architecture diagrams
Functional specifications
Bill of materials (high-level)
Assumptions and constraints
Optional: indicative cost ranges
Optional: timeline and implementation phases
PROJECT OVERVIEW
We are seeking experienced mine-grade real-time location system (RTLS) / RFID solution designer and integrator to design a non-WiFi personnel tracking and emergency rescue system for underground mining operations.
The objective is to implement a robust, intrinsically safe, real-time personnel tracking solution that enables the mine to locate miners in real time or last-known underground positions for emergency response, rescue operations, evacuation management, and compliance, without using Wi-Fi infrastructure.
This project is currently at design and solution-architecture stage, with potential to progress into detailed engineering, pilot deployment, and full rollout.
1. PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The selected consultant/vendor must design a system that:
Tracks all underground personnel in real time or near real time
Identifies last-known and current underground locations during emergencies
Enables rapid mustering, evacuation, and rescue decision-making
Operates without Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi is explicitly excluded)
Is intrinsically safe and suitable for underground mining environments
Integrates hardware, software, and communications backhaul
2. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
2.1 Tracking Technology
Active RFID-based RTLS or equivalent non-WiFi location technology
Must function in underground mining conditions (dust, vibration, humidity, confined spaces)
Location accuracy:
Minimum: Zone / chokepoint-level accuracy
Preferable: Improved granularity where infrastructure density allows
System must reliably identify:
Shaft stations
Levels
Intersections
Refuge bays
Waiting places
Key travel routes
2.2 Wearable Personnel Devices (Tags)
Each miner shall be equipped with an intrinsically safe wearable tracking tag, preferably:
Integrated into cap lamp or belt-mounted device
Minimum features:
Unique personnel ID
Long-life battery with battery health monitoring
SOS / Panic button
Man-down detection (tilt and inactivity)
Visual indicators (LED)
Tamper detection (preferred)
2.3 Underground Infrastructure (Readers / Beacons)
Fixed RFID readers / exciters installed at strategic underground locations
Direction-of-travel detection where possible
Must support:
Time-stamped location events
Buffered data storage during backhaul outages
Designed for:
Shaft stations
Main intersections
Level access points
Refuge bays
Critical safety zones
2.4 Communications Backhaul (Non-WiFi)
Wi-Fi is strictly prohibited.
Acceptable backhaul technologies include:
Fibre optic Ethernet
Copper Ethernet
Leaky feeder communication systems
Licensed VHF/UHF data transport
Any other proven underground non-WiFi data transport
The designer must specify:
Network topology
Redundancy strategy
Data latency expectations
2.5 Software Platform Requirements
The solution must include a centralised control room software platform with:
Core Features
Real-time digital tagboard
Live personnel visibility dashboard
Underground map-based visualisation (2D/3D)
Personnel count per zone and per level
Shift-based personnel tracking
Emergency & Safety Features
Missing person identification
Last-known location reporting
Panic and man-down alarm escalation
Refuge bay roll-call and time-in-refuge tracking
Evacuation and mustering management
Geofencing and restricted zone alerts
System & Compliance
Role-based access control
Event logs and incident replay
Battery health monitoring
API capability for future integration (lamp room, HR, safety systems)
3. DESIGN & ENGINEERING SCOPE
The consultant/vendor will be required to deliver:
Conceptual System Architecture
End-to-end system diagram
Technology selection rationale
Scalability considerations
Underground Location Strategy
Zone/chokepoint design methodology
Reader placement logic
Accuracy assumptions and limitations
Hardware Specification
Tag specifications
Reader/exciter specifications
Certification requirements (IS, mining compliance)
Software Architecture
Platform components
Data flow and event processing
Alarm and escalation logic
Deployment Strategy
Pilot deployment approach
Phased rollout plan
Commissioning and acceptance testing approach
Operational & Maintenance Model
Battery lifecycle management
System monitoring and diagnostics
Redundancy and failover strategy
4. DELIVERABLES
The final submission must include:
Detailed technical design document
System architecture diagrams
Functional specifications
Bill of materials (high-level)
Assumptions and constraints
Optional: indicative cost ranges
Optional: timeline and implementation phases