Mining company BHP and the Council of Geosciences of South Africa (CGS) have signed a strategic partnership agreement. Its goal is to connect and digitize vast geological datato find new deposits using modern technologies, including artificial intelligence.
The agreement creates the basis for joint work in the field of geological research and subsoil exploration. The partners intend to systematize historical data archives and make them available for analysis using new digital tools.
As Tom O’Connor, head of BHP’s exploration division, noted, in the era of development of computing technologies reanalysis old data is one of the most promising areas for discovering new deposits. South Africa, with its rich mining history, has a huge amount of geological information that has not yet been fully studied.
As part of the collaboration, BHP will share expertise and technology to help digitize CGS data. Once processed, this information will become publicly available, opening up new opportunities for researchers and start-up mining companies in the country.
The project is also associated with the BHP Xplor program, which supports startups in the exploration of critical minerals such as copper and nickel. The program’s current intake involves South African company Orion Minerals.
This partnership marks a transition to a new exploration model based on open access to data and its in-depth analysis. Together, BHP and CGS hope to turn data into actionable results to support the development of South Africa’s minerals sector.
Source: Mining Weekly
Image: Mining Weekly
