# Improvements in Rock Mass Description for Stope Design by Geophysical and Geochemical Methods
## 3 Industry Survey on Stope Design
### Survey Results and Discussion  
The survey began by inquiring about the mining method employed, as shown in Figure 1. The results indicate that sublevel stoping was the most used method (46%), with cut and fill as the second most popular method (22%) followed by the room-and-pillar method (9%). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Research Area**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Advantages and Disadvantages**} \\ \hline Novel mining methods and facilitated & + Very inclusive approach not limited to mining method-related optimizations \\ optimization methods [18] & – Considerably experimental \\ \hline Big data analytics in mining geomechanics [19] & + Good potential and opportunity to benefit from big data research \\ – Considerable computing capacity and data needed \\ \hline Machine and deep learning for stope & + Potential decrease in human workload \\ designs [20; 21] & – Experimental \\ \hline Stope-sequencing optimization [22] & + Optimization potential in the execution stage \\ – Not grasping the full optimization potential by focusing on one small factor \\ \hline Efficiency of stope optimization algorithms [23] & + Good potential for cooperation with big data and machine learning \\ – Considerable computing capacity and data needed \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: _Cont._  
Figure 1: Applied mining methods according to the survey of mining industry professionals. See details in [8]. Additionally, respondents were asked whether their currently applied mining method had been used since the start of the mining operation or whether changes had been made due to economic, geological, technical, or geotechnical factors. About 69% of respondents reported changes. Regarding stope design methods, the survey assessed which methods were most frequently utilized. Personal expertise (38%) and numerical methods (37%) were found to be more popular than empirical methods (25%). Personal expertise is employed by stope design professionals, and it is typically used to assess the size and geometry of the stope. Professionals involved in stope design encompass a diverse range of mining specialists. This group includes mine planners, drill and blast engineers, geologists, and experts in geotechnical and rock mechanics. These experts often depend on their individual experiences in particular geological contexts, an approach that can be considered to be empirically driven and based on personal expertise. Although frequently used, personal expertise is not a scientific or standardized stope design method. The primary use of empirical methods was predominantly focused on utilizing [PERSON]'s stability graph (28%) and its modified version (48%), along with other techniques, such as the rock mass rating (RMR) (24%). A variety of computational tools for stope design are available and were applied in 37% of the studied mines. Commonly employed software comprised Maptek Vulcan, Surpac, Micromine, Deswik (Microstation), Map3D, Gantt Scheduler, Auto Stope Designer, and Stope Optimizer, along with Roccience tools (including Slide, Phase2 and RS2, Examine, DIPS, Unwedge, and CPillar) and Recursos Mineros. When asked about the timing of stope design, 45% of respondents reported that they design stopes during mine planning before excavation, whereas 34% reported that they design stops during production. An iterative approach with multiple stages and feedback loops accounted for 21% of responses. More than half (52%) of respondents stated that stope design takes less than a week, whereas some reported that they design stopes in minutes and others reported taking several weeks. Stope size and geological complexity were identified as key factors affecting the time needed for stope design. The average number of people involved in the stope design process was 3, with some reporting as few as 1 person and a maximum of 15. The number of people involved varied based on how much previous planning work was included in the stope design process.