1. A system for controlling a mining machine, the system comprising: an image sensor for capturing an image of a cutting face of a mine; an interface sensing and control system for obtaining the image, identifying an anomaly in the image by comparing the image to a plurality of images of known anomalies, calculating a distance between the anomaly and a reference, and using the distance to automatically instruct a mining machine control system to keep a cutter head of the mining machine within a seam.