Background Water hazards in coal mines frequently cause heavy casualties, severely affecting the safe mining of coal mines.

Methods With the continuous advancements in both the construction of real scene 3D views and coal mine intelligentization, this study examined the development of the intelligent geological guarantee system for the Tangjiahui Coal Mine in Inner Mongolia, as well as the prevention and control of water hazards in the Ordovician limestones in the coal mine floor. Accordingly, this study elaborated on enhancing the prevention and control capacity against water hazards in coal mines during the mining cycle of a mining face using a transparent geological model under empowerment based on spatiotemporal information fusion. This study initially elucidated the fundamental concepts of spatiotemporal information and intelligence involved in the prevention and control process of water hazards in coal mines. The prevention and control process was divided into four stages: advance prediction and forecasting, pre-mining investigation of hidden hazards, water hazard control during mining, and post-control real-time monitoring. This study introduced the spatiotemporal detection methods for water hazards at various stages, spatiotemporal registration and synchronization, and spatiotemporal information-based empowerment modes. Accordingly, a comprehensive prevention and control system for water hazards in coal mines was established based on a transparent geological model. Specifically, based on the construction and dynamic updating of a transparent geological model, the frequency and accuracy of prediction and forecasting were improved using technologies including microseismic monitoring and seismic surveys while mining. The boundaries of anomalous zones in the mining face floor were delineated using directional drilling and 3D seismic exploration. Then, cyclic grouting was conducted for anomalous zones with hidden hazards through targeted control using directional long boreholes in wells, along with inter-borehole transient electromagnetic and inter-borehole resistivity methods. Afterward, as the mining face advanced, the hydraulically conductive fractures and changes in the water-yielding capacities in the mining face floor were dynamically monitored using microseismic monitoring combined with the inter-borehole resistivity method.

Results and Conclusions  The results of this study demonstrate that a 2D/3D integrated transparent prevention and control system for water hazards in coal mines can be developed by integrating the spatiotemporal information of water hazards in various stages with a transparent geological model. This study will provide effective support for the prevention and control of water hazards in the Ordovician limestones in the floor of the Tangjiahui Coal Mine.