## 4 Discussion
### Future Trends
The conception of a smart mining business model that manages the safety of mine tailings must revolve around the integration of its entire value chain and implies migration to a production model associated with Industry 4.0, in which technologies and tools such as the IoT, advanced data analytics such as big data, DT approaches, CC, robotics, ML, and the use of AI are essential to achieving better products and more efficient processes in addition to generating new business opportunities [40; 115; 123]. Considering the digitalization of information, data visualization is expected to occur in dashboards through applications for mobile phones, tablets, computers, and laptops that deliver documents, photos, and text information in different formats and languages. Many of these tools are known and available at low cost for academic and research use, so their incorporation into industrial monitoring systems is feasible for experienced users [32]. In this context, developing an online TSF monitoring system that makes the monitored information available through a web information platform and permits different levels of users (e.g., companies mining companies, authorities, and communities) to have different access to information for editing, visualization, etc., is crucial. Such a system will be powered by instrumentation and sensors that allow parameters related to the physical and chemical stability of the TSF to be measured, as well as, for example, being supported by the installation of video and closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) to visualize the dam, the reservoir, and other ancillary infrastructure online, allowing the community, authorities, and the mining company to access these data. Data processing on the platform will not only allow the system to support decision-making and operations management but also support an alert system for parameters that threaten the stability of the TSFs (Figure 25). At the same time, to maintain the physical stability of TSFs, it is advisable for monitoring systems to incorporate (i) signal sensors that are not available on the market; (ii) sensors that process images captured by cameras or satellite images corresponding to study areas; and (iii) virtual sensors that use software to replace measurement with physical devices. The current technology for measuring TSFs' physical stability is based on instruments that transform deformations or temperature readings into electrical signals; these tools include strain gauges, vibrating ropes, extensometers, inclinometers, and the deformation of a coaxial cable or optical fiber. These measurements must be complemented with new tools, such as laser distance meters and local radar used in topography, which must be adapted to measure displacements and large deformations in TSFs. The TSF monitoring system should have at least the following tools:  
* A tool for monitoring critical parameters with different instrumentation systems via sensors, the verification of threshold values, and the simulation of the most common failure scenarios. * A tool to periodically verify the status of the TSF that considers elements of vulnerability and deviations from the design and analyzes the occurrence of adverse triggering events. * An integrative and predictive tool that relates the information from the monitoring system and the verification system through fault trees and predictive models that use AI and ML approaches. Figure 25: Examples of online monitoring systems for TSFs. Many mining countries around the world have begun to implement risk assessments for the TSFs in their territories regarding socio-environmental issues, but more efforts are needed, as well as strategies to disclose risks to society [125; 126; 127]. A sustainable alternative future technological trend of the Industry 4.0 paradigm could involve the application of smart sensor monitoring systems to monitor mine tailings and help reduce the risk of failures as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).