It still takes a great deal of field work. Dozens, sometimes hundreds, of drill holes still have to be sunk. But, more and more, exploration work is being simplified, thanks to computer software. At least one expert in the field of computer software for the exploration industry says junior mining firms are turning to keyboards and monitors to compile and analyze data.
According to Jim Richard, president of Infoterra Digital Inc., an exploration consulting firm, most junior mining companies do not have enough money to run their own in-house computer system.
The companies that do have the money, says Richard, usually go to outside sources like Infoterra.
“Most juniors have a computer program that will do mundane things like housekeeping and bookkeeping,” Richard explains.
Richard says those companies that are using exploration software are realizing a big impact. A computer provides efficient processing of huge amounts of information accumulated in an exploration program.
“You can interact with that information and analyze it further with other programs to analyze data and extract more information out of it,” he says.
“Drill-hole information and geochemical data can be compiled more easily and again you can perform very sophisticated statistical analysis on broader data sets to give you a more complete picture of what’s there.”
The biggest advancement has been the introduction of GIS systems. GIS systems allow users to merge non-graphic data bases with graphic representations.
“With a map and a data base, you can pinpoint a picture on screen — an area of drill holes for instance — tell the system to display all the drill holes greater than 100 ft. in depth that had an intersection of perhaps 10 grams gold per tonne,” Richard says.
The beauty of computerized information is it allows users to perform specific analytical work in a quick fashion.
Richard notes a company’s overall efficiency improves with the introduction of computer software programs. Keying into a program gives quick access to important and timely information that can be reproduced on paper in seconds.
The most important factor in computerized exploration data, according to Richard, is that it reduces the risk of missing something. It also allows users to define much more subtle patterns that exist in the respective orebodies.
“Before, if you had a guy sitting down trying to analyze something, he might recognize something that would hit him square in the eyes. He might not be able to pick out the subtle relations between different information sets,” he says.
Pamorex Minerals’ (TSE) senior geologist Hayden Brown echoes Richard’s praise of computers.
Pamorex utilizes the Lynx Geosystem developed in Vancouver. Brown says modern 3-dimensional computer images eliminate manual plotting and tedious interpretations.
“In the old days you would have a set of sections on paper that you would have to sift through by hand,” Brown said. “With our computer, we can speed up that process at least 10-100 times faster.”
Brown points to Pamorex’ Nighthawk Lake project near Timmins. The recent decision to bring the property into production was expedited, thanks to the company’s computer system.
“We analyzed one set of drill- hole samples as others were being completed,” said Brown. “We based our successive drill hole sites on computerized analyzation of the completed holes. We did in three weeks what normally would have taken us 2-to-4 months to do manually.”
Brown also points to the company’s Beaver House property near Kirkland Lake as an example of modern computer applications.
“There were more than 500 drill holes on that property and miles of underground workings,” he says. “We simply double-checked all the old data, plugged it into our computer, and made the decision based on the results to do further exploration on the site.”
Computer programs can also take complicated number systems and turn them into a visual entity on the screen.
Most major mining companies are basing their ongoing exploration and development decisions on computerized information systems.
There are programs companies can buy off the shelf for about $500 that will analyze data bases. If you’re talking about programs that will take information and turn it into 3-dimensional images, then you’re looking at a price tag in the tens of thousands, as high as $28,000.
But the systems are only as good as the operators. “If you sit someone down in front of a computer that has a $28,000 GIS system plugged into it and that person doesn’t know how to use it, then the program is worthless,” Richard says.
“You need a computer geologist. Someone who knows how to manipulate the program and the machine and knows how to analyze the data.”
Richard says computer geologists are growing in number as computers become the standard in the exploration industry. Some companies still do their work in the field, while others are using the computers to do most of the leg work. It depends on the philosophical bent of the individual company.
Most companies see the benefits of using computers but many are reluctant to utilize it. Juniors run by older individuals understandably are hesitant to venture into a piece of office equipment that doesn’t necessarily mean the end result will be any different.006 Kevin Vincent is a freelance writer based in Timmins, Ont.
It still takes a great deal of field work. Dozens, sometimes hundreds, of drill holes still have to be sunk. But, more and more, exploration work is being simplified, thanks to computer software. At least one expert in the field of computer software for the exploration industry says junior mining firms are turning to keyboards and monitors to compile and analyze data.
According to Jim Richard, president of Infoterra Digital Inc., an exploration consulting firm, most junior mining companies do not have enough money to run their own in-house computer system.
The companies that do have the money, says Richard, usually go to outside sources like Infoterra.
“Most juniors have a computer program that will do mundane things like housekeeping and bookkeeping,” Richard explains.
Richard says those companies that are using exploration software are realizing a big impact. A computer provides efficient processing of huge amounts of information accumulated in an exploration program.
“You can interact with that information and analyze it further with other programs to analyze data and extract more information out of it,” he says.
“Drill-hole information and geochemical data can be compiled more easily and again you can perform very sophisticated statistical analysis on broader data sets to give you a more complete picture of what’s there.”
The biggest advancement has been the introduction of GIS systems. GIS systems allow users to merge non-graphic data bases with graphic representations.
“With a map and a data base, you can pinpoint a picture on screen — an area of drill holes for instance — tell the system to display all the drill holes greater than 100 ft. in depth that had an intersection of perhaps 10 grams gold per tonne,” Richard says.
The beauty of computerized information is it allows users to perform specific analytical work in a quick fashion.
Richard notes a company’s overall efficiency improves with the introduction of computer software programs. Keying into a program gives quick access to important and timely information that can be reproduced on paper in seconds.
The most important factor in computerized exploration data, according to Richard, is that it reduces the risk of missing something. It also allows users to define much more subtle patterns that exist in the respective orebodies.
“Before, if you had a guy sitting down trying to analyze something, he might recognize something that would hit him square in the eyes. He might not be able to pick out the subtle relations between different information sets,” he says.
Pamorex Minerals’ (TSE) senior geologist Hayden Brown echoes Richard’s praise of computers.
Pamorex utilizes the Lynx Geosystem developed in Vancouver. Brown says modern 3-dimensional computer images eliminate manual plotting and tedious interpretations.
“In the old days you would have a set of sections on paper that you would have to sift through by hand,” Brown said. “With our computer, we can speed up that process at least 10-100 times faster.”
Brown points to Pamorex’ Nighthawk Lake project near Timmins. The recent decision to bring the property into production was expedited, thanks to the company’s computer system.
“We analyzed one set of drill- hole samples as others were being completed,” said Brown. “We based our successive drill hole sites on computerized analyzation of the completed holes. We did in three weeks what normally would have taken us 2-to-4 months to do manually.”
Brown also points to the company’s Beaver House property near Kirkland Lake as an example of modern computer applications.
“There were more than 500 drill holes on that property and miles of underground workings,” he says. “We simply double-checked all the old data, plugged it into our computer, and made the decision based on the results to do further exploration on the site.”
Computer programs can also take complicated number systems and turn them into a visual entity on the screen.
Most major mining companies are basing their ongoing exploration and development decisions on computerized information systems.
There are programs companies can buy off the shelf for about $500 that will analyze data bases. If you’re talking about programs that will take information and turn it into 3-dimensional images, then you’re looking at a price tag in the tens of thousands, as high as $28,000.
But the systems are only as good as the operators. “If you sit someone down in front of a computer that has a $28,000 GIS system plugged into it and that person doesn’t know how to use it, then the program is worthless,” Richard says.
“You need a computer geologist. Someone who knows how to manipulate the program and the machine and knows how to analyze the data.”
Richard says computer geologists are growing in number as computers become the standard in the exploration industry. Some companies still do their work in the field, while others are using the computers to do most of the leg work. It depends on the philosophical bent of the individual company.
Most companies see the benefits of using computers but many are reluctant to utilize it. Juniors run by older individuals understandably are hesitant to venture into a piece of office equipment that doesn’t necessarily mean the end result will be any different.006 Kevin Vincent is a freelance writer based in Timmins, Ont.
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