The concept of estimation domains has long been a fundamental part of mineral resource estimation. The ‘domain’ is a primary grouping of the data – thus it affects every aspect of the estimate.  Use different domains and the outcome can be markedly different. 

Like many foundations, however, the meaning of ‘domain’ is not well constrained and is often context specific. This leads to misunderstanding and confusion when the same term is used in different ways in different but closely related specialities, for example, structural geology, economic geology and resource estimation. Many of the ideas behind estimation domains are a function of the estimation method (e.g., kriging) or arise from historical, manual (pre-computer) approaches to modelling. 

 With the lessons from the last 50 years, the advent of new technologies and the changing nature of our economic mineral deposits, are estimation domains still relevant or are there alternatives?