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154 Advances in Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining

can be utilized for any size tracking system. While communication and tracking systems
are a significant cost to any mining operation, with the proper maintenance and planning
they can pay for themselves in productivity gains.

Acknowledgments

A major portion of this chapter is based on research funded by NIOSH under Contract No. BAA-
2010-N-12081 and detailed in the analytical methodology report titled, “Development of a Uni-
form Methodology for Evaluating Coal Mine Tracking Systems.” Research partners include
Virginia Tech, Innovative Wireless Technologies, and SkyMark. The author would like to
acknowledge discussions with and suggestions from David Snyder (NIOSH), Joseph Waynert
(NIOSH), Michael Karmis (Virginia Tech), and Ryan McMahan (University of Texas—Dallas).
Appreciation is also given to coal companies that were part of the project and provided facilities
and support during the mine testing phase. Tables, figures, and portions of the discussion used in
this chapter are also available in Schafrik, S.J., Snyder, D. and Karmis, M., “Baseline Analysis
of Predicted Tracking System Performance,” Bandopadhyay, S. (ed.), Proceedings, 37th Inter-
national Symposium on Application of Computers and Operations Research in the Mineral
Industry: APCOM 2015, Englewood, CO, USA, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Explora-
tion, Inc. and Schafrik, S.J., 2013, “Evaluation and Simulation of Wireless Communication and
Tracking in Underground Mining Applications,” Ph.D. Dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Insti-
tute and State University.