The mineral exploration and extraction industries have gained
major cost and efficiency benefits from the use of computers.
However these industries are now at a cross-roads with two
seemingly disparate developments - that of an increasing
number of complex geoscience databases and, at the same time,
the merging of all known data for the particular regions at
minimal cost. These two developments can be managed by the
development and
of an industry accepted geoscience
data model and dictionary. This will provide a common basis of
understanding for geoscience data through a common language
and a common structure for geoscience information. Integration
of specialist systems and databases can then proceed efficiently. The development of a data model is going ahead with
consensus from the mining industry. This is a joint government
and industry funded project and managed through the Australian
Mineral Industries Research Association, AMIRA. AMIRA is a
well known research broker to the Australian mining industry
obtaining sponsorship for projects both from private and
government groups. The AMIRA project, P431, called the
Geoscience Data Model, is to be the Australian standard data
model for geoscience disciplines. The requirement for a standard geoscience data model has been
recognised in Australia for some time. In October 1991, the
Australian Government Geoscience Database Policy Advisory
Committee (GGDPAC) established a Geoscience Data Standards
Working Group which drafted a comprehensive list of data
categories of the geoscience area. An AMIRA project called AMDEX was established to develop
a transfer standard for the mining industry data at about the same
time as this committee was in operation. The first AMDEX
sponsors meeting was held in May 1991. It was proposed to use
the US Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) as the basis to
transfer mining data in AMDEX. A limited data model of mining
data to be transferred was developed for the AMDEX standard
under SDTS. The Australian Geological Survey Organisation
(AGSO) saw the need to extend this and develop a complete data
model for the geosciences and proposed this as a new project to
AMIRA. This was strongly supported by GGDPAC which lead
to sponsorship of the project from most state geological surveys. The Geoscience Data Model can be broken down into separate
data models for a number of geoscience themes and sponsorship
obtained so far will enable models to be developed for a
comprehensive set of themes selected by the project sponsors.
Further sponsorship is required to enable a more complete
coverage of the geoscience area to be developed. Sponsorship for the Geoscience Data Model has been strong
from the geological surveys and there was some effort by
GGDPAC to promote the project in these organisations. An
Australian geoscience data model is of immediate use to the
geological surveys in assisting the standardising of huge
quantities of geoscience data held by government agencies and it
is preferable that this be an Australia-wide standard.