ABSTRACT
In the German regions of Saarland and the southern Ruhr area in particular one can find surface openings which are in part centuries old and relicts of past hard-coal underground mining activities. In order to minimise possible risks and hazards which may result from those openings, RAG AG has been monitoring around 7,300 of those openings and is currently restoring at least 35 of them. In addition, an innovative monitoring system is to be developed and established that will allow for an improved monitoring of this huge legacy. In close collaboration with RAG AG, the Research Institute of Post-Mining and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology and Industrial Engineering at THGA University of Applied Sciences have been designing and implementing suitable and continually working monitoring systems that use state-of-the-art sensor and transmission technology and will be developed further.
