Geosoft - Exploring With Data

Preparing for PDAC 2012

Geosoft is at the ASEG in Queensland, Australia this week, and we’re preparing for PDAC 2012, which starts Sunday. If you’re planning to attend PDAC, take a look at our events page for a list of Geosoft presentations during the show, and training sessions after PDAC. You’ll also find a short list of what’s new and interesting at PDAC 2012 on Earth Explorer.

Some Geosoft highlights:

• Saturday’s KEGS Symposium: At 9:40am, Robert Ellis, Geosoft is presenting on the Inversion of Magnetic Data from Remanent and Induced Sources.

• Tuesday’s PDAC Geophysics Session: At 4:05 pm, Ian MacLeod, Geosoft is presenting on the VOXI Cloud Approach to Earth Modelling for Exploration.

• Monday and Tuesday: From 11:30-4pm daily, presentations on using Geosoft software and technology for exploring in ArcGIS; managing your mapping projects and exploration data; and visualizing your geology drillhole and borehole data at the Geosoft Booth #931.

• Sunday to Tuesday: At 4PM, introduction of VOXI Earth Modelling at the Geosoft Booth #931.

• Training after PDAC: Software training courses are available March 8-9, following PDAC, for Target for ArcGIS, Target and Oasis montaj. View the schedule.

The Geosoft team is looking forward to showing you what’s new, and what’s coming in this year’s software release, which is scheduled for April. We’ll be posting more on the topic of the 2012 software release next month. 

Updating Target Plan and Section Maps

Updating section maps is a common task for Target users.  This topic came up more than once at the Roundup and I have written about it before.  There are three main ways that you can update your Target maps. The first two have been outlined in earlier posts.

1. Recreate Target Section or Plan Map - This option is available by right clicking on the Target map and will open the plotting tool with all the parameters from the current map.  If you don't change anything, then your map will be overwritten with updated data from the drillhole project.  This was described in Recreating plots and replotting holes in Target

2. Replot Holes on Target Section or Plan Map - This is useful when you have a map with annotations or interpretations but need to update the map with new holes or new downhole data.  The map is not overwritten, so any custom layers you have added are maintained but the hole traces and downhole data groups are updated with the most recent data.  This was also described in an earlier post: Replot Holes on Existing Plan or Section.

3. Map Tag Names or Save Map As - The third option allows for a little more freedom, especially when you have additional groups such as images, interpretations, or other imported data in your plan or section map.  The first step is to use different names for the original and updated maps. One way to do this is to change the "Tag Name" when recreating the section or plan (as described in #1).  I often forget to change the tag name when recreating the section or plan so I like to use Map > Save Map As to save the original map with another name.  Appending the date at the end of the file name works well.  Then the additional groups in the original map can be added to the updated plan or section by selecting them (use Ctrl to select multiple groups) in the Map View/Group Manager and dragging and dropping them into the section view.

Displaying Drill Hole Data More Effectively in 3D

For my first Roundup-inspired post, I picked a topic that every explorer I meet is interested in – working more effectively in 3D.

Displaying drill holes in 3D using DH-Plot > 3D Map is a convenient way to create a 3D map, complete with a legend, showing selected holes, topography, and two types of data.  Here, as may often be done in a 2D section, lithology has been plotted as a Rock pattern and gold assays are displayed as a Bar plot.  It is easy for this to become cluttered, making it hard to see significant characteristics in your data.

 
In order to start from a cleaner, less cluttered view of your data, try this instead:

1. Use DH-Plot > 3D Map to create the 3D map of the selected holes in the drillhole project, but leave the Data tab blank. For an even cleaner starting point, try turning off the "Depth Ticks".

2. In the 3D Viewer, select the Add to 3D > Drillholes menu option.  Instead of plotting the geology as a Rock pattern, display only important geological intervals using discrete values in a Text band.

 
Discrete intervals in the Number bands option is also a good way to display significant ranges from assay results.

3. In order to display other types of data using the Add to 3D > Drillholes menu option, first rename the existing group.  Then you can toggle this layer on and off as you build your 3D data groups.

 
Now use the Add to 3D > Drillholes menu option to add more geology intervals or other downhole data.

4. Finally, add the Topography grid to help orient your 3D view relative to the surface.

GIS and generative geology insights

Mining IQ assembled their top GIS in Mining and Exploration content in a recent blog post. The perspectives are varied, and make for a good read.

Included in the mix are GIS and Generative Geology Insights from Brian Cellura, Generative Manager for B.C.-based Miranda Gold. Cellura’s job is to be on the front end of finding new ideas and potential new areas that might turn into projects for Miranda, and integration factors strongly in his approach described in this article, Cutting Edge Prospects. 

In the interview with Mining IQ, Cellura said the mining industry would become increasingly dependent on combining historical data with newly collected data. “Integrating those data sets will be imperative to prospecting around new areas,” he said. “A task easier said than done.” 

To make the hunt for gold more effective, Cellura combines different types of data with historical data to arrive at a 3D visualization that can point to new drill targets. Their integration of data and technologies, including Geosoft Target for ArcGIS and Esri ArcGIS, has led to success in generating new targets and attracting joint venture partners to Miranda’s projects in Nevada, Alaska and Columbia.