IoT Based information and communication system for enhancing underground mines safety and productivity: Genesis, taxonomy and open issues

Underground mining operations require robust and efficient communication like other industrial enterprises. Communication in the mining industry is the most critical factor to ensure the safety and security of the underground working environment. A robust IT communication infrastructure in underground mining will enhance safety and provide information in real-time which can result in a quick response to some fatal situation. Communication technologies that are capable of bearing the rough terrain and extreme environment inside a mine and between the surface and underground workstations is a critical factor for the monitoring of various underground mining operations remotely. Internet of Things (IoT) can play a massive role in the mining operations to improve the safety of the workers with enhanced productivity. Wireless communication, which is a part of IoT setup, is already playing a vital role in underground mine communication (UMC). Recently, IoT with its building blocks has been introduced to deploy and automate the operation of 'self-advancing goaf edge support (SAGES)' systems in an attempt to explore the possibility of the technology for real-time performance monitoring of support system including the behaviour of overlying roof strata in underground coal mines. The machine helps in supporting the roof of the mines during mining the coal. This paper presents a conceptual framework for implementation of IoT to make this underground support system smarter i.e. Smart-SAGES. The taxonomy of security challenges in UMC IoT combination has been described in detail in order to identify clear security goals. The blockchain based system seems to be a promising technology for the mining industry as it may help in curbing the penetration and disruption of cyber-attacks due to heterogeneous devices and distributed network. Various open issues in UMC have also been outlined. Vulnerabilities like information disclosure and Denial-of-Service attack (DoS attack) were discovered during the threat and risk analysis on the SAGES data logger. The SAGES falls into information generation block of IoT ecosystem. Therefore, it is advisable to incorporate the security by design approach from the initial phase of the development. Thus, the data transmission and storage can be made secure.