In 2018, with collaboration from industry partners, Standards Australia published the Roadmap for Standards and Grid Cyber Security.  The roadmap included an action for the energy sector: to submit an international participation case for International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) technical committee TC 184, Automation and Integration Systems.

ISO/TC 184, Automation and Integration Systems, covers a broad remit, touching on all sectors of the economy from mining, to energy, data management systems, advanced manufacturing, and ICT. The far-reaching relevance of the committee provides a key pathway for a diversified Australian economy as well as increased innovation in the energy and natural resources sector.

Standards Australia worked with key industry stakeholders to develop a proposal for Australia to actively participate on ISO/TC 184. With far-reaching potential benefits, participation was an active interest for stakeholders working with Industry 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data and analytics, and cybersecurity technology. Now approved, Australia has a formalised seat at the international technical committee and will now have a voice in the development of international standards in this space.

“For a technical committee with such a wide-ranging scope, the benefits for Australia are vast. Notably, engagement with ISO/TC 184 will provide early insight opportunity for Australia on emerging technology trends and their adoption. The uptake of these technologies will also help to modernise Australia’s energy and natural resources industries and support international alignment and interoperability for Australian businesses” said Kara Chan, Standards Australia’s Engagement Manager responsible for the Energy & Natural Resources portfolio.

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Putting the spotlight on mining

Whilst ISO/TC 184 has a wide remit, Australia’s mining sector is well placed to reap significant benefits from Australia’s participation in automation and systems integration international standards.

Identified in the Government’s Australia 2030 Prosperity through Innovation Report in 2017 and the National Resources Statement in 2019, the mining sector’s major investment in innovation and automation during the resources investment boom is expected to produce significant rewards as Australia’s voice is heard for international standard development in this area.

Australia is a global leader in technical expertise and engineering capability associated with on-site mining automated technologies, particularly in transport such as automated trucks and vehicles. As such, the industry has signalled it is open to greater standardisation to assist these emerging technologies. While automation is not new to mining, the automated systems employed in mines are generally limited to the control of motors and certain parts of the mining process. The total integration of data and work processes from real-time systems will not only enhance software and safety outcomes, but will allow Australia’s mining sector to capture the full value chain of production through integrated data and automated technologies.

The Resources 2030 Taskforce Report highlights how the use of AI, big data and analytics and automation, along with sophisticated extraction methods will grow further through user uptake, and have the possibility to enhance efficiency, safety and effectiveness of the Australian mining sector well in to the future^[1].

“Australia’s involvement in ISO/TC 184 is an exciting opportunity to help Australia capitalise on our potential as a global leader in the natural resources space. Australia’s participation will add significant value nationally through the sharing of ideas across sectors, and on the international stage through its leadership with on-site mining automated technologies” said Roland Terry-Lloyd, Head of Standards Development at Standards Australia.

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Full scale automation

Australia’s engagement with the opportunities offered by standards for automated and integrated processes is a promising launching pad for future innovation. Participation on ISO/TC 184 is establishing the architecture to facilitate increasing synergies between multiple rapidly changing sectors in Australia.

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^[1] https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/resources-2030-taskforce-report

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