MERLIN, the Queensland Department of Minerals and Energy's
corporate geographic information system, provides ready access to all
georeferenced data held by the department. Its aim is to provide a
consistent, current, statewide coverage of timely information to assist in
tenures management, exploration targeting and competing land use
decision-making. Initially developed in 1988 and under continual
enhancement since then, its functionality is the result of on-going close
consultation with a wide range of departmental clients and potential users. A true geographic information system, MERLIN maintains both
graphical data with linked textual information on a wide range of features
of interest. The proprietary software products Arclnfo and Oracle are
used to hold the graphics and attribute information respectively. Access
to information is provided by a specially designed graphical user interface
programed in-house. Hardcopy output of graphics displays including
related attribute data as well as detailed reports of textual information can
be retrieved at any departmental office. MERLIN is a network of computer systems which link each of the
Department's regional offices and head office in Brisbane. The current
state of exploration and mining is maintained by departmental officers
processing tenure applications, transactions and dealings directly into the
system. Data entered at regional offices are transferred overnight to head
office to up-date central records and maintain a currency of data statewide
as at the close of business the previous day. Through MERLIN the Department of Minerals and Energy now offers
a much streamlined tenures management service as well as access to
information about past exploration and mining, Queensland's mineral and
energy occurrences and resources, and up-to-date information on the
state's geology including maps, boreholes, geophysical surveys and field
observations. In the future, this Geographic Information system will be
invaluable to the mining industry in the development of mining projects.