How to test exploration software on your own permits
A demo on sample data proves little. How a two to three week trial on your real permits works, what to test in it and what a standard go-live involves.
Every demo goes well. The sample permit has tidy boundaries, the sample data has no gaps, and the coordinates sit in a neat column. The director sees a good slide, and the chief geologist stays quiet, having watched the last piece of software die during its first mission.
The question that matters cannot be answered on sample data. Will this hold your permits, with their overlaps and their history? Will your lab’s report go in? Will your geologists still be using it at the end of a hard week in the field?
First, check that you are the right size
Software built for a particular kind of company should say so. FlexiMining, from FlexiGlob, fits exploration companies with roughly 2 to 50 active permits and between 5 and 50 people running field missions, typically juggling an ERP, spreadsheets, Drive and WhatsApp. Any commodity works: base, precious, industrial or critical minerals. Quarry operators with the same permits and field work fit as well.
It is not the right fit for operators focused only on production, holders of a single small permit, oil and gas, large majors with their own data teams, or consultancies that bill by deliverable. If that describes you, you can skip the trial and save everyone some time.
What the trial looks like
After a 30-minute call, a trial space is set up for two to three weeks, loaded with your real permits. You see your data, your coordinates and your field workflow on screen. There is no free tier, and this trial takes its place.
FlexiMining is also a young product, and it does not offer reference customers it cannot give. A trial on your own permits is the proof on offer, and it happens to tell you more than somebody else’s logo would.
What to test while you have it
Three weeks pass quickly, so go in with a list and name someone responsible for each line.
- Permit files: do the boundaries, overlaps and administrative steps match what your permit manager knows to be true?
- Coordinates: take points whose official Lambert coordinates you already know, and compare.
- A day without signal: record points, photos and samples in flight mode, then reconnect and see what arrives.
- Conflicts: edit one record in two places and see what you are asked.
- A real lab report: import one with its messy rows, then read the list of unmatched lines.
- Roles: sign in as a geologist, a chief geologist and a finance manager, and check what each one cannot see.
- Export: pull your data out and open the files.
Put a geologist from the field in charge of the phone tests. Their opinion will decide whether the tool gets used.
What comes after the trial
A standard setup goes live in under 60 days. Standard means one to five permits, up to about 30 users, in a country already covered. Larger projects are planned with you, and coordinate systems outside Morocco are added as custom work.
Setup covers installation, loading your permits and cadastre, and training your team. The price follows the size of your operation, meaning how many permits you manage and how many people use the platform. There are no per-user fees and no public price list, because prices depend on region and scope. The cost has four parts: a fixed licence for your scope, yearly maintenance, one-time setup, and custom work quoted in days if you need any.
