WAMEX Data Integration

Your next discovery!

by Jeremy Lykke, February 2024

What is WAMEX?

The Western Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulations and Safety (DMIRS) and the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) provide extensive online resources, including services such as GeoVIEW and the Company Mineral Drillhole Database (MDHDB).

These offerings, or open-file reports, are all part of the Western Australian Mineral Exploration (WAMEX) data repository. GeoVIEW is an interactive, geological mapping system, allowing users to incorporate and visualise mineral and petroleum exploration datasets.The MDHDB is a digital repository of open-file reports, containing almost 3 million historic drillholes and more than 8 million surface samples. Under the Mining Act 1978 companies must submit annual exploration reports, and the drillhole and surface sampling data stored in the MDHDB is made available to the public, generally after a five year confidentiality period.

Can this WAMEX data benefit your organisation?

Historically, maxgeo have completed numerous WAMEX data compilations and have an extensive number of clients with WAMEX data in their exploration databases. Historical databases often represent millions of dollars of investment and there’s clearly no doubt that this historical information can add value, helping to improve drilling and sampling results, and investor confidence. Even if just a starting point, to provide some context and direction, if it can be done cost effectively then there is little to lose and much to gain.

Having the ability to review what previous companies and geologists have observed in your areas of interest, can be critical in guiding your decisions related to your current and future exploration ventures. The information gathered from these data sources can reduce risk and guesswork often associated with these early stages of mineral exploration. Validation drilling and sampling can then confirm, improve or negate historical datasets, and can be invaluable in determining the future course of exploration activities.

maxgeo 2.0

At maxgeo we are committed to helping our clients leverage historical data, such as WAMEX, to improve the effectiveness of their exploration campaigns, whilst also reducing associated costs and risks. A recent initiative, to improve the return on investment (ROI) for our clients, is the adoption of a staged approach to WAMEX data compilation. Due to the quantity and complexity of the data, previous compilations were often time-consuming and costly, with often unknown results. A staged approach allows our clients to review the data at a high level, before completing a detailed analysis of any specific areas of interest. This means that our clients can get the information they need faster and with less cost.

Standardising, streamlining and staging the WAMEX data extraction and compilation process meant that it was quicker to complete, with more consistent results. Utilising the consistent data schema of the WAMEX database, and applying more rigour to the process, maxgeo could produce results in a smarter, more efficient manner that would benefit both maxgeo and our clients.

WAMEX Stage 1

Our stage 1 WAMEX extraction is great for new clients who are onboarding, ensuring you have data from the get-go, or as an excellent kickstart for existing clients with new projects. Generally, stage 1 projects are completed within two days, providing our clients with tens of thousands of drill hole and surface sample data points in DataShed5, visible either via the integrated map view system for spatial analysis or in a tabular, exportable datasheet format.

Four map views of the WAMEX data are included in DataShed5, including Drillhole by Hole Type, Drillhole by Max Au ppm (or primary commodity), Point Sample by Sample Type and Point Sample by Max Au ppm. The tabular data includes maximum assays for various elements of interest, while a comprehensive summary outlines all associated data stored in the MDHDB.

This fast and cost-efficient integration of WAMEX data into DataShed5 empowers maxgeo clients to rapidly filter, analyse and export alongside their existing geological information.

WAMEX Stage 2

The use of the stage 1 WAMEX compilation allows for a more focused stage 2 data integration. There is no need to compile data for areas that show no promise, and stage 1 can help to identify those areas. maxgeo clients can review the results of stage 1 and select discrete regions to form the basis of any stage 2 WAMEX compilation work.

Stage 2 is a full data compilation, analysis, interpretation and migration of WAMEX data into the standard downhole and point sample tables in DataShed5. Data is available in all standard collar, downhole, point and assay tables, alongside existing operational data. maxgeo recommends using a specific WAMEX DataSet to ensure that this historical data is well delineated from any operational data.

WAMEX Data Quality Challenges

Due to the historical nature of the data, and that the data is often submitted by different companies, WAMEX does have some inherent data quality challenges.

At maxgeo, we are actively working to identify these issues and either flag or remediate them during the migration, to ensure the highest quality output for our clients.

Streamlining the extraction, compilation and interpretation process has allowed maxgeo to delve deeper into the data, finding and resolving issues such as incorrect unit codes, logging code conflicts and duplicated/overlapping data. Use of existing data quality systems within the MDS (maxwell data schema), such as the assay ranking and priority systems, ensure that the best possible results are surfaced to our clients via DataShed5.

WAMEX Next Steps

At maxgeo we are always seeking ways to improve the efficiency and accuracy of our historical data compilations. We are actively working with clients to improve the compilation process, whilst also reviewing the use of technology such as machine learning to assist with data validation and remediation. We are looking at Data Science and statistical analysis to further identify and eliminate data quality issues, whilst also optimising our data extraction, interpretation and import processes into our client databases.

If you’re interested in working with maxgeo to leverage historical data to improve your business, reach out to any of our team members or submit a request via our service desk portal.