Good data management is considered essential for mineral exploration to be effective and to optimise the likelihood of its success. It is an indisputable fact that in any project very important decisions are made using the available data. However, in many cases data are not managed as well as they should be. This can unfortunately mean that they are under utilised and, as a consequence, result in poorly-informed decisions being made.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) represent an established means of effectively managing exploration data, enabling their capture, storage, integration, visualisation and modelling. GIS enables real-world objects to be represented spatially in association with numeric and text-based attributes. Whether they are sample locations, the position of faults or lithological units, all can be represented as individual datasets referenced to a common coordinate system. The availability of airborne remote sensing data has also increased the analytical and interpretational capabilities of a GIS, as well as allowing large geographical areas to be assessed at relatively low cost.

Some of the common uses of GIS and remote sensing in mineral exploration include:

exploration programme designGIS can enable exploration programmes to be efficiently designed and executed. Incorporated datasets can be used to aid the design of surveys, facilitate the interpretation of results and allow logistical considerations to be made.

area selectionThe identification of prospective targets represents a fundamental requirement for any exploration programme. GIS provides the ability to integrate diverse datasets in order to select areas with the greatest likelihood of hosting mineralisation.

project promotionGIS can greatly facilitate the presentation of information, allowing datasets to be combined and enhanced to create conventional hardcopy maps or digital images that can be inserted into reports, presentations, or web-pages as required.

In summary, whether you are trying to evaluate a new property, promote a project to potential investors, or run an exploration programme, it is considered imperative that the associated data are managed properly. With the discovery of new mineral deposits becoming increasingly challenging, it is essential that every effort is made to maximise the use of the available data. The use of GIS technology in combination with remote sensing data is considered to represent the next generation of tools to optimise exploration efforts.

SRKES has extensive experience in the application of GIS and remote sensing in mineral exploration and can provide a range of specialist services to ensure that your data are used to their full potential. Services include:

+ Data collection, sourcing and acquisition + Data integration, analysis and modelling

+ Digital data capture + Data presentation

+ Data validation + GIS and data management training

GIS, remote sensing & data management services

SRK Exploration Services Ltd.16 Park GroveCardiffCF10 3BN UK

T: +44 (0)29 2023 3233F: +44 (0)29 2023 3211E: enquiries@srkexploration.comwww.srkexploration.com