Value from legacy data

Abstract

In the mining industry, legacy hardcopy and digital exploration data are central to due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, and are the basis for planning future exploration programmes. Alpha-numeric data may be checked algorithmically for consistency and obvious errors. This is essential, but misses the critical understanding and confirmation that comes from field validation, the re-collection of data and their rigorous use in (re)interpreting deposit geology. Data rescue and validation are precursors to data up-cycling with the over-arching aim being the construction of a 3D model matching geology and grades. This paper comments on todays’ trends in data management, using a recent case study where digital and non-digital data were used in combination with new techniques and technologies to identify the fourth-largest tungsten Resource (with JORC-code compliant announcement). This was achieved without direct drilling costs, making it perhaps one of the cheapest Resource announcements ever. Importantly, none of this could have been achieved by office-bound data inspection or translation.