Computer programmers go it alone with new venture: minalitix to provide data management services for mining companies.

• Author: Migneault, Jonathan

After more than a decade working for information technology companies in the mining sector, Robert Patterson and Dave Peres decided it was time to start their own company.

The two friends first started working together right after university, for a company called Century Systems.

Century Systems developed geological data management systems for the mining sector.

Technology company CAE later bought Century Systems, and created its CAE Mining arm.

Patterson and Peres later joined Sudbury-based BESTECH, a company that covers a wide array of mining technology from air quality monitoring to automation.

After a few years at BESTECH it was time for the long-time co-workers to become business partners.

"We just decided it was our time," said Patterson.

They were inspired, in part, by the owners of the two companies they worked for since graduation.

"They came up with a good idea, thought they could make a good go at it, and they were both very successful," Patterson said.

In August 2013 they both resigned from BESTECH and started a company called Minalytix with the goal to simplify how mining companies manage complex data sets.

The company's name combines the words "mining" and "analytics."

Patterson, who is now the company's vice-president, said Minalytix is currently developing a platform that will revolutionize who mining companies manage certain parts of their data sets.

"In mining there are a lot of legacy systems, there's a lot of software that seems to be dated," he said. "There's a big gap between where mining technology is at, and where it could be."

Patterson said the consumer electronics and software space has been much more open to new technologies - such as smart phones and tablets - and innovative software.

"Why can't we have that in mining?" he asked.

Part of the problem with mining software systems, he said, is that different programs and solutions have historically operated within silos.

Companies created software to solve specific problems, but their solutions did not integrate with other programs.

"We want to focus a lot more on integration, as opposed to just developing custom solutions from the ground up," Patterson said.

Patterson said one of the biggest challenges they face is providing a "one-size-fits-all" data management solution...