by Darren Palmer, Senior Product Manager—Orebody Intelligence,
Axis, Orica Digital Solutions
Launched by Orica Digital Solutions in 2024, AXIS Connect™ is transforming how geologists and drillers manage surveys, saving time and delivering immediate insights. The open, cloud-based platform bridges the long-standing gap between drillers and geologists by delivering real-time downhole survey data and immediate trajectory compliance from field operations to decision-makers. By connecting drillers and geologists on a single platform, AXIS Connect™ makes exploration drilling operations safer, faster, and data-driven.
The platform is device-agnostic and accelerates drilling decisions by unifying data from multiple drilling contractors, rigs and survey tools into one trusted source. Geologists gain instant 3D visualization of drill hole trajectories versus plan, enabling course corrections much earlier than traditional methods. By reducing survey processing time from hours to minutes, AXIS Connect™ significantly decreases costly drilling downtime and improves overall productivity.
AXIS Connect™ introduces several features that set it apart from traditional survey systems:
- Seamless data integration: move data seamlessly between your drilling and data management systems. Connect to CorePlan, maxgeo and BlackFox to streamline hole names, survey transmission and further optimize the driller’s field operations by eliminating hole ID entry altogether.
- Multi-company coordination: support for complex projects involving multiple drilling companies and rigs within one digital campaign. Geologists can assign holes across teams, with all survey data consolidated in real-time, ensuring consistent, up-to-date information from the field team through to the office.
- 3D visualization: survey data is instantly rendered in an interactive 3D view, allowing geologists to compare the actual trajectory of the holes versus the plan, and detect anomalies or sensor errors.
- Inbuilt QA/QC workflows: quality control tools allow geologists to approve or reject incoming surveys and designate the definitive survey for each hole. Notifications and time-stamped histories ensure data integrity and provide a reliable audit trail for resource modeling.
- Hardware-agnostic integration: compatible with any downhole survey tool, AXIS Connect™ allows drillers to use their preferred equipment while feeding data into a single, unified system. Seamless integration with geological modeling platforms enable one-click data transfer, eliminating double-handing and re-entry.
AXIS Connect™ has delivered impressive results that continue to underscore its value. Within days of launch, the platform was in use across six continents, demonstrating its global relevance and ease of adoption by exploration teams worldwide.
Exploration teams praised the ease of setup, intuitive workflows, and speed of the platform. Crucially, customers reported that the time from collecting a survey to having it approved and ready for geological modeling had dropped from hours (or even overnight) to under five minutes—a massive productivity boost for exploration projects.
‘The AXIS Connect™ software has changed the way our team collaborates and manages projects. The user-friendly interface simplifies drilling operations, minimizing disruptions while ensuring accurate and efficient data collection from the field.
‘Some of its many features are the management of hole assignments to multiple drill companies and rigs, the ability to receive and visualize trajectory in 3D, and approve all surveys in one place in real time,’ says Richard Ilunga, Superintendent II Geology at Kamoa Copper SA.
AXIS Connect™ is more than a software platform—it’s a catalyst for industry-wide change and collaboration that is transforming the future of mineral exploration. By streamlining workflows, enhancing data integrity, and enabling real-time collaboration, it sets a new benchmark for exploration excellence. As the mining industry continues to seek smarter, faster, and more sustainable solutions, AXIS Connect™ stands out as an innovative industry leader.
Orica Digital Solutions is heading to PDAC 2026
Visit us at the MTCC, 1–4 March, to explore how we’re driving innovation to transform the future of mining, or visit orica.com/axisconnect
