Abstract

GIS: Tool for betterment in Underground Mining

Dr. Lalan Kumar Scientist
Central Mining Research Institute,
India
Email: lalan_seminar@yahoo.co.in

J K Viswakarma
Project Officer
Bharat Coaking Coal Limited (BCCL)

Vijay Singh
Sr. Under Manager
Nothern Coal Fields Limited

This paper attempts to provide general information about the types and uses of data for the particular phases of a mining project from exploration, through development and restoration. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a powerful tool to analyze and display data is gathering momentum in the mining industry. Of particular interest is the capability of GIS to link spatial features and tabular data. This capability is here applied to a series of layers and associating a table of attributes to the various features of the drawing in an effort to consolidate both components into a useful tool for management.This application of GIS in underground mining concentrates mainly in five technical areas: land ownership and mineral claims, exploration management, production, mine safety & mine environment. The benefits of consolidating and archiving claim data and the ability to geo-reference property maps defined in local coordinates into state coordinate system is of paramount importance to a land and exploration manager. In the production area, GIS facilitates the optimal siting and querying of service installations relative to production centers to meet the production parameters. In mine safety, the siting of refuge chambers relative to production centers is optimized and areas of potential safety concern are identified utilizing GIS’s proximity analysis. The same applies to finding the shortest route to emergency exits and preparation of maps to facilitate the prompt evacuation of mine personnel.GIS offers multiple applications in the mining industry with tools to gather, compile, process, display, analyze, and archive extensive volumes of data. GIS’s analytical features facilitate the integration of communications across departmental boundaries in a modern mining organization. The posting of geographic data in an intranet/Internet system allows the dissemination of mine data in a client-server configuration for review by remote users. A well designed, implemented, and supported GIS department will be instrumental in the success of a mining operation.
Keywords: Geosciences, GIS, CAD, underground mining, mineral claims, exploration, production, mine safety & mine environment.