BME software product manager Christiaan Lienbenberg said phase one of the Blastmap Underground application would cater for tunnelling and shaft designs.

It is an extension of BME's Blastmap blast planning software that has been available for surface applications for the past decade.

BME Blastmap senior software developer Tinus Strauss said Blastmap Underground allowed the blaster to interact with two-dimensional and three-dimensional views of complex designs to manage the hole position, drilling angle and dimensional compliance.

"The hole layout design, which includes body, perimeter, cut, lifter and relief holes, together with timing tools, analysis simulation and prediction, allows engineers to achieve the desired fragmentation, clear sufficient space for extraction, and reduce extra breakage by controlling ground vibrations," Strauss said.

Users can design any block shape and create the required cut design, including the perimeter hole design. They can also add costs and quantities to predict blast expense.

The software also creates technical reports, hole timing analysis and contouring, and helps users predict aspects of the blast such as vibration and fragmentation.

There is also a Direction of Rock Movement feature, which shows which way the earth will move according to the firing times and initiation points.

"The blast timing and connecting sequence can be displayed and simulated before the blast, helping to ensure the expected outcomes are achieved," Strauss said.

"The software also plans and tracks the precise volumes of explosive mass to be used per hole, giving the user the ability to improve their management of stock and make each blast more cost-effective."

Liebenberg said using Blastmap Underground to designing blasts what used to take two days to could be done in three to four hours.

He said it could also lead to more predictable blast results.