Phase-X Mine Design Challenge 2016, $50,000 up for Grabs

BHP Billiton has collaborated with Unearthed on this challenge as part of its innovation agenda, aimed at improving safe productivity and maintaining competitiveness through the development of innovative approaches to real-life business challenges.
In the Phase-X Mine Design Challenge, Unearthed has partnered with one of the world’s largest resources companies, BHP Billiton, to offer an online challenge drawn from the company’s real life operational data and mine planning scenarios.
Teams from universities and research organisations across the globe will compete to create the best algorithm for optimising open pit mining phases, drawing from gigabytes of BHP Billiton’s operational data.  No mining experience required.
Open pit mining for minerals such as iron ore and nickel requires complex and informed planning. The order in which specific areas of the pit are mined is dependent on a number of critical factors, such as the processing capacity at the mine, the grade (quality) of the mineral and the maximum slope of the pit walls. With thousands of options available, choosing which area of the pit to mine and in what order is an important and valuable challenge.
The winner of the competition could receive up to $50,000 AUD.
BHP Billiton has collaborated with Unearthed on this challenge as part of its innovation agenda, aimed at improving safe productivity and maintaining competitiveness through the development of innovative approaches to real-life business challenges.
Key Dates

• 24th March- Competition Announced
• 30th March- Submissions Open
• 30th September – Submissions Close
• 14th October – Winners Announced (tenative)

Registration
Once you have registered you will received a link to download the block model data, additional challenge description, and access to a forum to post questions.
Submissions
Submissions will open on the 24th of March and close on the 30th of September.  Register and we’ll let you know as soon as submissions open. In the meantime once you register you’ll be able to download the full dataset and get a head start!
Note that submissions are ranked based on score and the date of submission, so you should submit as soon as possible. You can make multiple submissions if you improve your algorithm later.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the competition, please post them on the community discussion forum.  If you have a private question, feel free to email us at support@unearthed.solutions

Data