Transcript Slide 1

N.MLAMBO BSc, FSIZ, L.S. (Zim)
&
T.P. MASARIRA MSc, MBA, BSc, MSIZ,
L.S.(Zim)
INTRODUCTION
 A well designed, implemented, and supported GIS
management structure is critical in the success of any
mining operation.
 Sophisticated technology is required to find, extract,
and manage the resources in the earth's crust.
 Since mining is inherently spatial, requiring accurate
knowledge of areas of the earth's surface and
subsurface, geospatial technology is best suited to
intelligently oversee all phases of the mine operation.
 GIS gives mining companies the tools they need to
operate mines responsibly and at optimum efficiency.
INTRODUCTION
 GIS can be used by mining companies to target
mineral exploration, evaluate mining conditions,
model mine construction, and display data such as
geochemical or hydrological.
 GIS can also be employed in applying for mining
permits, assessing environmental impact, and
designing closure and reclamation plans.
 This presentation tries to give an overview of the
different uses of GIS in the mining industry.
INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY
 How can Geographical Information Systems (GIS) be
used in the mining industry:
 mine and ore body exploration,
 development and production,
 Closure, and
 reclamation.
WHAT IS GIS
 GIS technology provides a computerized mechanism
for capturing, verifying, storing, manipulating,
querying, analyzing, and displaying geospatial data
referenced to their location on earth.
 The basic components of a GIS are: (1) the software
(including application software and DBMS software),
(2) the computer platform (i.e., hardware and
operating system), (3) the data, (4) the people who
use, operate, and maintain the GIS, and (5)
procedures.
GIS IN MINING
 With the advent of Geographical Information System
(GIS), many mining activities (from exploration to
stope development, and production to mine
rehabilitation) evolved from pure luck to science.
 Gone were the days when operations would rely on
linen and paper maps and old surveys and drawings
and superimposing transparencies to create layers and
composite images.
 GIS replaced old map-analysis processes, traditional
drawing tools, and drafting and database technologies.
EXPLORATION
 GIS is ideal for integrating various exploration datasets such as
geophysical images, geochemistry, geologic maps, radiometric
surveys, boreholes, and mineral deposits.
 GIS gives the explorationist tools to manage, display, and
analyze data, resulting in successful, cost-effective discovery of
new mineral deposits.
 Mapping of mineral potential using GIS is conducted to
delineate areas with different probabilities of hosting certain
types of mineralization. The main steps in generating mineral
potential maps are:
 establishing the exploration conceptual model
 building a spatial database
 spatial data analysis (extraction of evidence maps and assigning of
weights); and
 combination of evidence maps to predict mineral potential
EXPLORATION
DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION
 GIS can be used during the development phases of a mining operation,
 Reserve estimates, annual planned production, or cost-per-ton statistics can
be linked to complementary geospatial technology, such as GPS.
 GIS can be applied to both short-term and long-term scheduling to help
optimize production at operations.
 GIS is used by mine planners to establish the optimal location for
exploration drifts, crosscuts, sublevels, manways, and ventilation shafts.
 For service and ancillary systems, mine planners and engineers use GIS to:
 find the lowest-cost path to route delivery of supplies to working areas, find
the closest facility, establish which areas are within service range, assign
proximity, model inaccessible areas, and model mine ventilation networks.
 In production planning, GIS can help to:
 site and query the location of service facilities relative to the main
production centers. Are the orepass, drawpoints, ramps, shaft, winze, raises,
haulways within a certain distance of production centers (stopes) and
meeting production criteria? Are production stopes affected by unstable
ground conditions, hazardous gas, refractory ore, etc.
MINING CLOSURE AND
RECLAMATION
 GIS systems are playing a role in abandoned mine land
reclamation, from the initial inventory of abandoned mine
features through the closure of mines and mills, GPS data can be
overlaid onto GIS maps to provide precise routes to, and
locations of, abandoned mine sites.
 GIS mapping allows rapid sizing and plotting of mine openings,
waste piles and cultural features for accurate drawing and
quantity computations during office design of the closures. Tied
to coordinate systems, the maps are accurate with respect to
orientation and provide precise information for the preparation
of construction documents.
 The GIS database provides streamlined storage of all pertinent
information regarding the mine features including location,
access routes, photographs and tabular summaries of
dimensions, land ownership and notes regarding each location.
MINING CLOSURE AND
RECLAMATION
 Three-dimensional views generated by the GIS system
can be used to illustrate the pre- and post-reclamation
design features.
 In the final phase of reclamation, the GIS systems can
similarly be used to locate the site, monitor closure
and provide as-built dimensions and documentation
of closure within the database.
MINE TITLE APPLICATION
 The Government of British Columbia in Canada uses GIS to
enhance mineral title administration by adopting an ecommerce, GIS-based map selection system.
 By setting up a GIS database, government regulators and
potential investors get a first-hand look at a particular
location, its mining feasibility, and possible effects of the
operations on the environment - resulting in a broader
understanding of the project.
 A useful website for potential mining investors or anyone
looking to obtain information on geological or past mining
operations is MINFILE. MINFILE contains geological,
location and economic information on over 12,500 metallic,
industrial mineral and coal mines, deposits and
occurrences in B.C.
N.MLAMBO BSc, FSIZ, L.S. (Zim)
+263 772 367910 [email protected]
&
T.P. MASARIRA MSc, MBA, BSc, MSIZ, L.S.(Zim)
+263 712 875773 [email protected]