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1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 1
September 2006
http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 3
20 YEARS 4 Tim Dobush: Welcome to Geosoft’s Earth Explorer
5 Ian MacLeod: 20 Years of Software Innovation in the Geosciences
INTERNATIONAL SCENE 7 International initiatives and growth
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS 8 International $100,000 Software Contest Geosoft and NGA team
up to meet needs of Oil & Gas Potential Field projects Release of subsurface 3D viewer in Target for ArcGIS New Education Program Launch of Enterprise Solutions Group
DATA CONNECTIONS How are you connecting with your data?
9 Data Management Solutions and Global Data Explorers help Geoscientists Connect with their Data
10 Developing an exploration data management strategy
11 New view on geoscientific data with Dapple
POWER HUNGRY What’s driving the need for more power, precision and productivity?
12 Louis Racic: Power mapping goes mainstream Under the hood: Geosoft Technical Strengths
13 Oasis montaj in the field: Geosoft’s original power mapping system for the geosciences
Geosoft Earth Explorer September 2006
http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
PURPOSE-BUILTSimple, multi-disciplinary workflows get the job done faster and better
16 Target speeds up exploration geology, from target selection to mine development
17 Simplifying advanced geochemical analysis SEMPlot workflow a solution for diamond geochemistry
SUBSURFACESeeing beneath the earth’s surface in GIS has become fast and easy
18 Mapping the subsurface in ArcGIS: New technology and techniques extend subsurface viewing capabilities
19 Subsurface mapping in Mining, Oil & Gas and Environmental New subsurface 3D viewer in ArcGIS
PRODUCT REVIEWGeosoft Software
20 Oasis montaj mapping and processing system Oasis montaj Extensions
21 GM-SYS Modeling for Oasis montaj Praga3 Radiometrics for Oasis montaj Gridknit
22 Target exploration geology software Target for ArcGIS subsurface geology software Target Extensions
Exploration site in Mongolia. Photographed by Natalie Green,
Geosoft Technical Analyst, while delivering onsite software training.
c o n t e n t s
Geosoft earth data mapping software delivers more power, precision
and productivity to support your geoscience exploration projects. Our
data management solutions connect you with all your data, removing
the barriers that stand in the way of knowledge development. We
simplify your data experience so you can focus on discovery.
Geosoft. Delivering a data experience that empowers discovery.
E a r t h E x p l o r at i o nwithout Limits
� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 3
20 YEARS 4 Tim Dobush: Welcome to Geosoft’s Earth Explorer
5 Ian MacLeod: 20 Years of Software Innovation in the Geosciences
INTERNATIONAL SCENE 7 International initiatives and growth
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS 8 International $100,000 Software Contest Geosoft and NGA team
up to meet needs of Oil & Gas Potential Field projects Release of subsurface 3D viewer in Target for ArcGIS New Education Program Launch of Enterprise Solutions Group
DATA CONNECTIONS How are you connecting with your data?
9 Data Management Solutions and Global Data Explorers help Geoscientists Connect with their Data
10 Developing an exploration data management strategy
11 New view on geoscientific data with Dapple
POWER HUNGRY What’s driving the need for more power, precision and productivity?
12 Louis Racic: Power mapping goes mainstream Under the hood: Geosoft Technical Strengths
13 Oasis montaj in the field: Geosoft’s original power mapping system for the geosciences
Geosoft Earth Explorer September 2006
http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
PURPOSE-BUILTSimple, multi-disciplinary workflows get the job done faster and better
16 Target speeds up exploration geology, from target selection to mine development
17 Simplifying advanced geochemical analysis SEMPlot workflow a solution for diamond geochemistry
SUBSURFACESeeing beneath the earth’s surface in GIS has become fast and easy
18 Mapping the subsurface in ArcGIS: New technology and techniques extend subsurface viewing capabilities
19 Subsurface mapping in Mining, Oil & Gas and Environmental New subsurface 3D viewer in ArcGIS
PRODUCT REVIEWGeosoft Software
20 Oasis montaj mapping and processing system Oasis montaj Extensions
21 GM-SYS Modeling for Oasis montaj Praga3 Radiometrics for Oasis montaj Gridknit
22 Target exploration geology software Target for ArcGIS subsurface geology software Target Extensions
Exploration site in Mongolia. Photographed by Natalie Green,
Geosoft Technical Analyst, while delivering onsite software training.
c o n t e n t s
Geosoft earth data mapping software delivers more power, precision
and productivity to support your geoscience exploration projects. Our
data management solutions connect you with all your data, removing
the barriers that stand in the way of knowledge development. We
simplify your data experience so you can focus on discovery.
Geosoft. Delivering a data experience that empowers discovery.
E a r t h E x p l o r at i o nwithout Limits
� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section �
20 YEARS OF SOFTWARE INNOVATION FOR THE GEOSCIENCES
Welcome to Geosoft’s Earth Explorer
Tim Dobush
CEO,Geosoft
Welcome to Geosoft’s Earth Explorer, a special publication marking our �0th year as a software
solutions innovator for the geosciences.
In this anniversary edition, we provide some perspective on Geosoft’s �0 years as a software
company, our international initiatives and growth; and we highlight new solutions and technologies
that are helping to improve the Data Experience for geoscientists, enhancing their ability to extract
knowledge from data to support successful discovery.
Over the past two decades, Geosoft has partnered with customers and leaders in the geoscience
community. With their support, we have extended the limits of earth data discovery and exploration
through technology, software and service innovation, and a continuous investment in research,
development and understanding customer needs.
Geosoft’s comprehensive suite of earth data mapping software supports critical decision-making
within exploration companies, government and geoscience organizations worldwide.
In recent years Geosoft has extended its technology and service offerings to address the growing
challenge of earth data delivery and distribution via data management solutions built on its Geosoft
DAP, Metech acQuire and ESRI technologies.
Most recently, we released Dapple, our open-source contribution to the geoscience community.
Dapple is a globe data explorer designed to provide an optimal environment for visualizing,
presenting and sharing massive quantities of geoscientific data on desktop computers. Derived
from NASA’s World Wind’s open source technology, Dapple is purpose-built to support the data
needs and workflow of the geoscience community.
You can read more about all these initiatives in this magazine. We hope you’ll find Earth Explorer
speaks to your experience and needs as geoscientists.
We’re excited about what the future brings, and look forward to addressing your data needs and
contributing to productive, professional earth exploration and discovery for many more years to come.
Tim Dobush,
CEO, Geosoft
Get Earth Explorer Online
Visit http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com for your free, online copy of Earth Explorer, and see more,
online-only articles and resources.
Earth Explorer is a �0th Anniversary publication of Geosoft Inc. Geosoft’s commitment to software innovation for the geosciences dates back to the company’s inception in December 1986. The company has grown from a small start-up business to a global software company and Geosciences industry leader, with 80 employees working out of five offices worldwide. Geosoft ranks among the top 1�0 software companies in Canada, providing software and services in over 100 countries around the world.
Geosoft Earth Explorer
Tim Dobush, CEO [email protected]
EDITORIALCarmela Burns, Editor [email protected]
Helen Kohl, Writer [email protected]
CONTRIBUTORSIan MacLeod, Chief Technologist [email protected]
Troy Wilson, Vice President, Marketing [email protected]
Louis Racic, Director, Product Management [email protected]
Ash Johnson, Managing Director, Geosoft Europe [email protected]
Ana Cristina, Managing Director, Geosoft Latinoamerica [email protected]
Ria Tinnion, Managing Director, Geosoft Africa [email protected]
Adam Martin, Regional Business Manager, Geosoft Australia [email protected]
OUR SpECIAL ThANkS TO CASE STUDy CONTRIBUTORSTim Millis, Senior Geologist, Rio Doce Australia, CVRD Group
Mark Parker, Managing Director, African Eagle Resources plc
Dr. Michael Ruder, Principal of Wintermoon Geotechnologies Inc
Scott Millhouse, US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville Center
Jay Hodny, Ph.D., Product Specialist, Gore Survey Products Group
Dr. Dennis Harry, Associate Professor of Geophysics, Colorado State University
Warner Miles, Regional Geophysics Section, Geological Survey of Canada
Peter Thurston, Data Administrator, Kennecott Exploration Company, Rio Tinto
Andy Lloyd, Project Geologist in South Africa, Rio Tinto Exploration
Dr. Chris Smith, Diamond Consultant to Rio Tinto
phOTOGRAphS AND MApSBrian Summers, Ash Johnson, Natalie GreenSara Deschamps, Christopher BishopJose Luis AndoBartira Carvalho, Chris Musselman
DESIGNERSRebellium, [email protected] Artbase, [email protected]
GEOSOFT INC.Corporate Headquarters8th Floor, 8� Richmond Street WestToronto, ON, Canada, M�H �C9Phone: +1 (�16) 369-0111 Toll-free: 1-800-363-MAPS Fax: +1 (�16) 369-9�99 Email: [email protected] Support: [email protected]
International OfficesGeosoft Africa Ltd.Geosoft Australia Pty. Ltd.Geosoft Europe Ltd.Geosoft Latinoamerica Ltda
www.geosoft.com
Geosoft Inc. is 20, but the Geosoft name is actually 24 years old. In 1982, my colleague Colin Reeves and I purchased a new IBM PC while employed at Paterson Grant and Watson Ltd in Toronto. At the time, most of our ‘computer’ work was done on mainframe and mini-computers. Colin and I believed that microcomputers would become important to geophysics, so we bought one, cracked open the manual and got to work figuring out how to make it do something useful for us. A little company from Redmond wrote the operating system and called themselves Microsoft, and we intended to write software for geophysicists and geologists, so we called ourselves Geosoft. That’s where it really began.
Now, 20 years on as an incorporated company, the technology landscape has changed a lot. It is interesting to contrast Geosoft today with Geosoft 20 years ago. Here are some of the changes we’ve seen.
Geoscientists20 years ago, a geologist had a hammer and a map. Geophysicists had a calculator and computer with a stack of floppies; and they had to be software developers, as well, just to get the job done. Today a geologist has a computer with huge disk drive, GPS, SAT phone, a hammer and a map - in digital and hard-copy. A geophysicist also has a computer with a large disk drive containing massive amounts of geophysical data. They don’t have to dig into the software code anymore, the workflows have been developed, tested and optimized over time.
SupportA support call used to sound like this: “Help, over.” “What’s the problem, over.” “I bought a new Ginka 5000 colour printer, brought it into the bush with me and it only prints garbage, over.” “Well, we haven’t written the driver yet for the Ginka 5000. I’ll write it this weekend and send it to you on Monday, over.” Back in 1986, we took 3 calls like that a week. Now, we get an e-mail asking “How do I make an analytic signal map?” On average we now receive and answer 100 support requests a day.
Geosoft Inc.Geosoft, the company, started out as a business developing geophysical software tools for geophysicists. The original Geosoft developer was a geophysicist handy with Fortran. Today we are focused on developing productivity technologies, and streamlining workflow processes, to support the success of geoscientists and their earth exploration projects. We have 16 developers on our R&D team, working alongside marketers, documenters and testers. In total, Geosoft has 80 people in 5 offices around the world. And we are hiring.
Everyone is looking for easier solutions to their daily data challenges, and Geosoft’s vision is to remove the barriers that stand in the way of earth science knowledge discovery and development. Over the years, our efforts have been rewarded with consistent revenue growth, profitability and many, satisfied users. We’re really proud of that.
Ian MacLeod:20 Years of software InnovatIon In the GeoscIences
Ian MacLeod,
Founder and Chief Technologist, Geosoft
� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section �
20 YEARS OF SOFTWARE INNOVATION FOR THE GEOSCIENCES
Welcome to Geosoft’s Earth Explorer
Tim Dobush
CEO,Geosoft
Welcome to Geosoft’s Earth Explorer, a special publication marking our �0th year as a software
solutions innovator for the geosciences.
In this anniversary edition, we provide some perspective on Geosoft’s �0 years as a software
company, our international initiatives and growth; and we highlight new solutions and technologies
that are helping to improve the Data Experience for geoscientists, enhancing their ability to extract
knowledge from data to support successful discovery.
Over the past two decades, Geosoft has partnered with customers and leaders in the geoscience
community. With their support, we have extended the limits of earth data discovery and exploration
through technology, software and service innovation, and a continuous investment in research,
development and understanding customer needs.
Geosoft’s comprehensive suite of earth data mapping software supports critical decision-making
within exploration companies, government and geoscience organizations worldwide.
In recent years Geosoft has extended its technology and service offerings to address the growing
challenge of earth data delivery and distribution via data management solutions built on its Geosoft
DAP, Metech acQuire and ESRI technologies.
Most recently, we released Dapple, our open-source contribution to the geoscience community.
Dapple is a globe data explorer designed to provide an optimal environment for visualizing,
presenting and sharing massive quantities of geoscientific data on desktop computers. Derived
from NASA’s World Wind’s open source technology, Dapple is purpose-built to support the data
needs and workflow of the geoscience community.
You can read more about all these initiatives in this magazine. We hope you’ll find Earth Explorer
speaks to your experience and needs as geoscientists.
We’re excited about what the future brings, and look forward to addressing your data needs and
contributing to productive, professional earth exploration and discovery for many more years to come.
Tim Dobush,
CEO, Geosoft
Get Earth Explorer Online
Visit http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com for your free, online copy of Earth Explorer, and see more,
online-only articles and resources.
Earth Explorer is a �0th Anniversary publication of Geosoft Inc. Geosoft’s commitment to software innovation for the geosciences dates back to the company’s inception in December 1986. The company has grown from a small start-up business to a global software company and Geosciences industry leader, with 80 employees working out of five offices worldwide. Geosoft ranks among the top 1�0 software companies in Canada, providing software and services in over 100 countries around the world.
Geosoft Earth Explorer
Tim Dobush, CEO [email protected]
EDITORIALCarmela Burns, Editor [email protected]
Helen Kohl, Writer [email protected]
CONTRIBUTORSIan MacLeod, Chief Technologist [email protected]
Troy Wilson, Vice President, Marketing [email protected]
Louis Racic, Director, Product Management [email protected]
Ash Johnson, Managing Director, Geosoft Europe [email protected]
Ana Cristina, Managing Director, Geosoft Latinoamerica [email protected]
Ria Tinnion, Managing Director, Geosoft Africa [email protected]
Adam Martin, Regional Business Manager, Geosoft Australia [email protected]
OUR SpECIAL ThANkS TO CASE STUDy CONTRIBUTORSTim Millis, Senior Geologist, Rio Doce Australia, CVRD Group
Mark Parker, Managing Director, African Eagle Resources plc
Dr. Michael Ruder, Principal of Wintermoon Geotechnologies Inc
Scott Millhouse, US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville Center
Jay Hodny, Ph.D., Product Specialist, Gore Survey Products Group
Dr. Dennis Harry, Associate Professor of Geophysics, Colorado State University
Warner Miles, Regional Geophysics Section, Geological Survey of Canada
Peter Thurston, Data Administrator, Kennecott Exploration Company, Rio Tinto
Andy Lloyd, Project Geologist in South Africa, Rio Tinto Exploration
Dr. Chris Smith, Diamond Consultant to Rio Tinto
phOTOGRAphS AND MApSBrian Summers, Ash Johnson, Natalie GreenSara Deschamps, Christopher BishopJose Luis AndoBartira Carvalho, Chris Musselman
DESIGNERSRebellium, [email protected] Artbase, [email protected]
GEOSOFT INC.Corporate Headquarters8th Floor, 8� Richmond Street WestToronto, ON, Canada, M�H �C9Phone: +1 (�16) 369-0111 Toll-free: 1-800-363-MAPS Fax: +1 (�16) 369-9�99 Email: [email protected] Support: [email protected]
International OfficesGeosoft Africa Ltd.Geosoft Australia Pty. Ltd.Geosoft Europe Ltd.Geosoft Latinoamerica Ltda
www.geosoft.com
Geosoft Inc. is 20, but the Geosoft name is actually 24 years old. In 1982, my colleague Colin Reeves and I purchased a new IBM PC while employed at Paterson Grant and Watson Ltd in Toronto. At the time, most of our ‘computer’ work was done on mainframe and mini-computers. Colin and I believed that microcomputers would become important to geophysics, so we bought one, cracked open the manual and got to work figuring out how to make it do something useful for us. A little company from Redmond wrote the operating system and called themselves Microsoft, and we intended to write software for geophysicists and geologists, so we called ourselves Geosoft. That’s where it really began.
Now, 20 years on as an incorporated company, the technology landscape has changed a lot. It is interesting to contrast Geosoft today with Geosoft 20 years ago. Here are some of the changes we’ve seen.
Geoscientists20 years ago, a geologist had a hammer and a map. Geophysicists had a calculator and computer with a stack of floppies; and they had to be software developers, as well, just to get the job done. Today a geologist has a computer with huge disk drive, GPS, SAT phone, a hammer and a map - in digital and hard-copy. A geophysicist also has a computer with a large disk drive containing massive amounts of geophysical data. They don’t have to dig into the software code anymore, the workflows have been developed, tested and optimized over time.
SupportA support call used to sound like this: “Help, over.” “What’s the problem, over.” “I bought a new Ginka 5000 colour printer, brought it into the bush with me and it only prints garbage, over.” “Well, we haven’t written the driver yet for the Ginka 5000. I’ll write it this weekend and send it to you on Monday, over.” Back in 1986, we took 3 calls like that a week. Now, we get an e-mail asking “How do I make an analytic signal map?” On average we now receive and answer 100 support requests a day.
Geosoft Inc.Geosoft, the company, started out as a business developing geophysical software tools for geophysicists. The original Geosoft developer was a geophysicist handy with Fortran. Today we are focused on developing productivity technologies, and streamlining workflow processes, to support the success of geoscientists and their earth exploration projects. We have 16 developers on our R&D team, working alongside marketers, documenters and testers. In total, Geosoft has 80 people in 5 offices around the world. And we are hiring.
Everyone is looking for easier solutions to their daily data challenges, and Geosoft’s vision is to remove the barriers that stand in the way of earth science knowledge discovery and development. Over the years, our efforts have been rewarded with consistent revenue growth, profitability and many, satisfied users. We’re really proud of that.
Ian MacLeod:20 Years of software InnovatIon In the GeoscIences
Ian MacLeod,
Founder and Chief Technologist, Geosoft
6 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section �
1. Going global. We have been global right from the beginning, selling software into Brazil, Africa, Australia, North America and England in our first year. We grew to have offices in each continent, backing up product sales with local support, training and other services. With international operations in all five continents, and common IT, Customer management and processes across our offices, we’ve been able to plan and support our growth together with our customers.
2. Enjoy your work. We’ve enjoyed what we do, and working in the geosciences. We like travelling all over the world, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures, and having an international presence. After 20 years, it’s still enjoyable and full of challenge.
3. Surround yourself with good people. We’re continually complimented on the calibre of people who choose to work at Geosoft. One customer commented that he ‘treasured’ using Geosoft software – not because of the software itself - but because of the Geosoft people he’d dealt with over the years, who were the ’finest of the finest’ professionals in the industry. It is very motivating to be included with such a team.
4. Focus on delivering value to customers. We are not a public company, nor do we have external investors. We have never relied on outside funding to support our research and development. Our focus is, without distraction, our customers, and how we can create value in the work that they do. We deliver value through our software and service solutions, and also through our relationships with customers. Good communication, understanding business needs and delivering on those needs is core to Geosoft. It’s why we are in this business, and how we stay in business, year after year.
5. Continually examine how technology affects your customers. Software and service develop-ment is a long term process that requires ongoing investment in research, business process analysis, technical life cycle management, go-to-market and sales support. We recognize how critical it is that our strategies and technologies fit with the geoscience market directions, and most importantly, meet customers’ current and future challenges. We are continually looking for opportunities to deliver more value.
13 years in EuropeAsh Johnson, Managing Director of Geosoft EuropeFounded in 1993, Geosoft Europe has grown to seven people who speak a variety of languages. Together with Geosoft Africa, we provide software and services to more than 55 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Customers value Geosoft Europe’s knowledgeable sales and technical staff, and appreciate that they’re buying solutions from a global company. With the assistance of Moscow-based AGT Systems our presence in Russia has grown to include local support, translated manuals and high-quality sales service. Growth in India has been supported by Geosoft’s local partner, Datacode. Over the past nine years, India’s major geological and geophysical institutes have all become Geosoft customers.
11 years in South AmericaAna Cristina, Managing Director of Geosoft LatinoamericaWhile the office officially opened in 1995, Geosoft’s presence in Brazil dates back to 1985. Since then, we’ve built strong relationships and are proud to include South America’s leading mineral exploration and petroleum companies, as well as government and academic institutions among our international customers. Our growth has resulted from understanding clients’ needs and unique differences. This year, we’ve increased our presence in Mexico to respond to growing interest in Geosoft’s software solutions for geology, geochemistry and geophysics. With an established customer base, South America has also seen strong growth in the demand for software training and Enterprise solutions.
9 years in AustralasiaAdam Martin, Regional Business Manager for Geosoft AustraliaLocated in Perth, Geosoft Australia maintains strong relationships and growth within a geoscience user base of major and junior mining companies. An increased interest in Uranium exploration and our capabilities for processing and viewing uranium radiometric data has been a recent focus. In China, Geosoft Australia is providing software solutions for government institutions and state-owned institutes such as oil companies and survey groups. Our new affiliation with agent Kong Xiangchun, in Beijing, has strengthened our ability to provide on-the-ground technical support to end users in this important market.
6 years in AfricaRia Tinnion, Managing Director of Geosoft AfricaGeosoft Africa opened in 2000, and since then, we’ve seen strong growth within the mineral exploration market. We’ve also had good success with internationally-funded government projects, most recently in Mozambique and Madagascar, Niger and Ghana. Designed to assist less developed countries build their mineral exploration capabilities and attract external investment, these projects are particularly satisfying, because Geosoft software solutions can play a part in attracting investment, and longer term make a direct impact on the quality of life of ordinary Africans.
Photos from top to bottom: Geosoft around the World - Workshops in Moscow; Visits with market leaders and government officials in India; Training in Lima, Peru; and new growth in China.
SCENEINTERNATIONAL
Five Lessons LearnedFive lessons that have contributed to Geosoft’s success as a software company.
International initiatives and growthThe future Where is the future taking us? Just as it is today, your work will be based on your data experience. This experience will start with your information device – the equivalent of today’s computer and disk drives. You and your device will find and use data that relates to what you are doing in a natural way, and you will visualize and apply tools that create value and knowledge from that data and information. Your device will let you share and collaborate with others on your team, and in your community – anywhere in the world. You’ll be connected, whether in the field, your office or on the road. And some of you will still have your hammers, and you may even have more field time to use them.
At Geosoft, we look forward to being there with you, to help make this world work for you, and make your data experience a great one. We’ll continue to look for new ways to connect you with your data, and to help make your projects a success. We will help you build knowledge from data. Learn more about our 20th Celebration at www.geosoft.com/20
Photos from top to bottom: The Geosoft ‘Spare Parts’
cycling team; a visit with the Geosoft Latinoamerica
team in Brasil; Cycling in South Africa’s ‘Cape Epic’; and
a 20th Celebration with our customers at the PDAC.
6 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section �
1. Going global. We have been global right from the beginning, selling software into Brazil, Africa, Australia, North America and England in our first year. We grew to have offices in each continent, backing up product sales with local support, training and other services. With international operations in all five continents, and common IT, Customer management and processes across our offices, we’ve been able to plan and support our growth together with our customers.
2. Enjoy your work. We’ve enjoyed what we do, and working in the geosciences. We like travelling all over the world, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures, and having an international presence. After 20 years, it’s still enjoyable and full of challenge.
3. Surround yourself with good people. We’re continually complimented on the calibre of people who choose to work at Geosoft. One customer commented that he ‘treasured’ using Geosoft software – not because of the software itself - but because of the Geosoft people he’d dealt with over the years, who were the ’finest of the finest’ professionals in the industry. It is very motivating to be included with such a team.
4. Focus on delivering value to customers. We are not a public company, nor do we have external investors. We have never relied on outside funding to support our research and development. Our focus is, without distraction, our customers, and how we can create value in the work that they do. We deliver value through our software and service solutions, and also through our relationships with customers. Good communication, understanding business needs and delivering on those needs is core to Geosoft. It’s why we are in this business, and how we stay in business, year after year.
5. Continually examine how technology affects your customers. Software and service develop-ment is a long term process that requires ongoing investment in research, business process analysis, technical life cycle management, go-to-market and sales support. We recognize how critical it is that our strategies and technologies fit with the geoscience market directions, and most importantly, meet customers’ current and future challenges. We are continually looking for opportunities to deliver more value.
13 years in EuropeAsh Johnson, Managing Director of Geosoft EuropeFounded in 1993, Geosoft Europe has grown to seven people who speak a variety of languages. Together with Geosoft Africa, we provide software and services to more than 55 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Customers value Geosoft Europe’s knowledgeable sales and technical staff, and appreciate that they’re buying solutions from a global company. With the assistance of Moscow-based AGT Systems our presence in Russia has grown to include local support, translated manuals and high-quality sales service. Growth in India has been supported by Geosoft’s local partner, Datacode. Over the past nine years, India’s major geological and geophysical institutes have all become Geosoft customers.
11 years in South AmericaAna Cristina, Managing Director of Geosoft LatinoamericaWhile the office officially opened in 1995, Geosoft’s presence in Brazil dates back to 1985. Since then, we’ve built strong relationships and are proud to include South America’s leading mineral exploration and petroleum companies, as well as government and academic institutions among our international customers. Our growth has resulted from understanding clients’ needs and unique differences. This year, we’ve increased our presence in Mexico to respond to growing interest in Geosoft’s software solutions for geology, geochemistry and geophysics. With an established customer base, South America has also seen strong growth in the demand for software training and Enterprise solutions.
9 years in AustralasiaAdam Martin, Regional Business Manager for Geosoft AustraliaLocated in Perth, Geosoft Australia maintains strong relationships and growth within a geoscience user base of major and junior mining companies. An increased interest in Uranium exploration and our capabilities for processing and viewing uranium radiometric data has been a recent focus. In China, Geosoft Australia is providing software solutions for government institutions and state-owned institutes such as oil companies and survey groups. Our new affiliation with agent Kong Xiangchun, in Beijing, has strengthened our ability to provide on-the-ground technical support to end users in this important market.
6 years in AfricaRia Tinnion, Managing Director of Geosoft AfricaGeosoft Africa opened in 2000, and since then, we’ve seen strong growth within the mineral exploration market. We’ve also had good success with internationally-funded government projects, most recently in Mozambique and Madagascar, Niger and Ghana. Designed to assist less developed countries build their mineral exploration capabilities and attract external investment, these projects are particularly satisfying, because Geosoft software solutions can play a part in attracting investment, and longer term make a direct impact on the quality of life of ordinary Africans.
Photos from top to bottom: Geosoft around the World - Workshops in Moscow; Visits with market leaders and government officials in India; Training in Lima, Peru; and new growth in China.
SCENEINTERNATIONAL
Five Lessons LearnedFive lessons that have contributed to Geosoft’s success as a software company.
International initiatives and growthThe future Where is the future taking us? Just as it is today, your work will be based on your data experience. This experience will start with your information device – the equivalent of today’s computer and disk drives. You and your device will find and use data that relates to what you are doing in a natural way, and you will visualize and apply tools that create value and knowledge from that data and information. Your device will let you share and collaborate with others on your team, and in your community – anywhere in the world. You’ll be connected, whether in the field, your office or on the road. And some of you will still have your hammers, and you may even have more field time to use them.
At Geosoft, we look forward to being there with you, to help make this world work for you, and make your data experience a great one. We’ll continue to look for new ways to connect you with your data, and to help make your projects a success. We will help you build knowledge from data. Learn more about our 20th Celebration at www.geosoft.com/20
Photos from top to bottom: The Geosoft ‘Spare Parts’
cycling team; a visit with the Geosoft Latinoamerica
team in Brasil; Cycling in South Africa’s ‘Cape Epic’; and
a 20th Celebration with our customers at the PDAC.
8 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 9
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS NECTIONSDATA CON
There was a time when the biggest data problem within the geosciences was the dearth of data, not enough data to support discovery and exploration projects. As more of the world’s earth data is collected, digitized and stored in private, corporate and public databases, the problem has quickly become how to deal with the digital geoscientific data explosion.
There are now vast amounts of available data, and the challenge is how to help geoscientists connect with it to solve their discovery puzzle – whether that’s pinpointing where to explore for minerals, oil, or understanding the characteristics of an environmental site for remediation.
Geoscientists need to be able to find data, evaluate it based on information about the data (metadata), retrieve it, either in native file formats or by translating the data directly into the context of their applications. Once found, verified and converted into a usable format, the data is analyzed, visualized, interpreted and used to support conclusions, and arrive at decisions that lead to action, which can be both critical and costly. We call this the Data Experience. It is through the Data Experience that geoscientists build knowledge from their data. In this article we take a look at how data management solutions and new technologies are helping to improve the data experience, thereby contributing to reduced risk and better results for exploration companies and geoscience organizations.
The ultimate data experienceWhat is the ideal data experience? For many geoscientist end users, it’s about being able to find, connect and extract value from their data faster and easier. This means having easy access to all available data, and the applications needed to work with the data, via a single interface on their desktop. It’s the ability to quickly search and query from local databases and data servers, as well as public servers available on the Internet. It’s being able to count on the data’s quality and completeness. Finally, geoscientific discovery is an iterative and intuitive process, and the seamless flow of data - often multidisciplinary and available in different projections and formats - across applications is important. As is the ability to quickly add new data as it becomes available to continually evolve our understanding of a changing picture.
International $100,000 Software ContestCelebrating twenty years of growth and success, Geosoft has launched an international $100,000 Software Contest. The contest runs from February to December, 2006. It provides monthly opportunities to win one license of Geosoft’s industry standard software, choosing from Oasis montaj, Target or Target for ArcGIS geology software products.
New Geoscience Education programGeosoft announced a new Education Program for its Oasis montaj and Target for ArcGIS earth data mapping and processing software. Developed in partnership with Northwest Geophysical Associates (NGA), this new program includes NGA’s leading GM-SYS and GM-SYS 3D gravity and magnetics modeling software. The Education Program offers a variety of licensing options to meet the needs of educational institutions including: Education License Kits for classroom teaching and Research Licenses for both basic and advanced academic research projects.
Release of subsurface 3D viewer in Target for ArcGISGeosoft released an important update to its Target for ArcGIS software – a powerful, easy-to-use 3D subsurface viewer. This major enhancement enables geologists to quickly visualize surfaces, drill holes, sections, grids, geophysical models and voxels – in 3D – within ESRI’s ArcView environment.
Geosoft and NGA team up to meet needs of Oil and Gas potential Field projects New features and improvements to GM-SYS Profile Modeling and GM-SYS-3D Modeling enable integration of gravity/magnetic and seismic data, enhancing the potential for successful petroleum discoveries. GM-SYS includes a new SEG-Y Reader which enables geoscientists to integrate seismic data in SEG-Y format with Oasis montaj geospatial data and GM-SYS Profile and GMSYS-3D gravity and magnetic models. GM-SYS 3D has also added capabilities to build time-based models and easily convert them to depth models. GM-SYS gravity and magnetic applications are licensed as montaj plus™ extensions to Oasis montaj.
Full announcements available online http://earthexplorer.geosoft.comTo enter Geosoft’s Software Contest visit www.geosoft.com/20
Launch of Enterprise Solutions Group Geosoft’s new Enterprise Solutions group focuses on the design and delivery of Exploration Data Management (EDM) solutions that meet the needs of global mining companies and Government Surveys with large data assets. Drawing on Geosoft’s 20 years of data lifecycle expertise and experience in handling and managing large volume exploration data, Enterprise Solutions brings together the right technology, services and people to address these concerns. The EDM solutions provide companies with core business advantage by enabling them to simply secure, catalogue, access and use their vast quantities of data, regardless of their format, size or location.
troy wilson:Data ManaGeMent
soLutIons anD GLobaL Data expLorers
heLp GeoscIentIsts connect wIth theIr Data
How are you connecting with your data?
troy wilson is Geosoft’s vice president of Marketing.
8 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 9
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS NECTIONSDATA CON
There was a time when the biggest data problem within the geosciences was the dearth of data, not enough data to support discovery and exploration projects. As more of the world’s earth data is collected, digitized and stored in private, corporate and public databases, the problem has quickly become how to deal with the digital geoscientific data explosion.
There are now vast amounts of available data, and the challenge is how to help geoscientists connect with it to solve their discovery puzzle – whether that’s pinpointing where to explore for minerals, oil, or understanding the characteristics of an environmental site for remediation.
Geoscientists need to be able to find data, evaluate it based on information about the data (metadata), retrieve it, either in native file formats or by translating the data directly into the context of their applications. Once found, verified and converted into a usable format, the data is analyzed, visualized, interpreted and used to support conclusions, and arrive at decisions that lead to action, which can be both critical and costly. We call this the Data Experience. It is through the Data Experience that geoscientists build knowledge from their data. In this article we take a look at how data management solutions and new technologies are helping to improve the data experience, thereby contributing to reduced risk and better results for exploration companies and geoscience organizations.
The ultimate data experienceWhat is the ideal data experience? For many geoscientist end users, it’s about being able to find, connect and extract value from their data faster and easier. This means having easy access to all available data, and the applications needed to work with the data, via a single interface on their desktop. It’s the ability to quickly search and query from local databases and data servers, as well as public servers available on the Internet. It’s being able to count on the data’s quality and completeness. Finally, geoscientific discovery is an iterative and intuitive process, and the seamless flow of data - often multidisciplinary and available in different projections and formats - across applications is important. As is the ability to quickly add new data as it becomes available to continually evolve our understanding of a changing picture.
International $100,000 Software ContestCelebrating twenty years of growth and success, Geosoft has launched an international $100,000 Software Contest. The contest runs from February to December, 2006. It provides monthly opportunities to win one license of Geosoft’s industry standard software, choosing from Oasis montaj, Target or Target for ArcGIS geology software products.
New Geoscience Education programGeosoft announced a new Education Program for its Oasis montaj and Target for ArcGIS earth data mapping and processing software. Developed in partnership with Northwest Geophysical Associates (NGA), this new program includes NGA’s leading GM-SYS and GM-SYS 3D gravity and magnetics modeling software. The Education Program offers a variety of licensing options to meet the needs of educational institutions including: Education License Kits for classroom teaching and Research Licenses for both basic and advanced academic research projects.
Release of subsurface 3D viewer in Target for ArcGISGeosoft released an important update to its Target for ArcGIS software – a powerful, easy-to-use 3D subsurface viewer. This major enhancement enables geologists to quickly visualize surfaces, drill holes, sections, grids, geophysical models and voxels – in 3D – within ESRI’s ArcView environment.
Geosoft and NGA team up to meet needs of Oil and Gas potential Field projects New features and improvements to GM-SYS Profile Modeling and GM-SYS-3D Modeling enable integration of gravity/magnetic and seismic data, enhancing the potential for successful petroleum discoveries. GM-SYS includes a new SEG-Y Reader which enables geoscientists to integrate seismic data in SEG-Y format with Oasis montaj geospatial data and GM-SYS Profile and GMSYS-3D gravity and magnetic models. GM-SYS 3D has also added capabilities to build time-based models and easily convert them to depth models. GM-SYS gravity and magnetic applications are licensed as montaj plus™ extensions to Oasis montaj.
Full announcements available online http://earthexplorer.geosoft.comTo enter Geosoft’s Software Contest visit www.geosoft.com/20
Launch of Enterprise Solutions Group Geosoft’s new Enterprise Solutions group focuses on the design and delivery of Exploration Data Management (EDM) solutions that meet the needs of global mining companies and Government Surveys with large data assets. Drawing on Geosoft’s 20 years of data lifecycle expertise and experience in handling and managing large volume exploration data, Enterprise Solutions brings together the right technology, services and people to address these concerns. The EDM solutions provide companies with core business advantage by enabling them to simply secure, catalogue, access and use their vast quantities of data, regardless of their format, size or location.
troy wilson:Data ManaGeMent
soLutIons anD GLobaL Data expLorers
heLp GeoscIentIsts connect wIth theIr Data
How are you connecting with your data?
troy wilson is Geosoft’s vice president of Marketing.
10 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 11
Business case for better data connectionsBehind the scenes, there are solid business issues driving the requirement for stronger, centralized connections between people, workflows and their data assets. The case for investing in data management solutions often includes financial considerations, protecting and maximizing data asset value on the one hand, and minimizing cost of discovery on the other. When you consider that, within exploration, 1 in 1000 projects explored move into a production environment that delivers return to the shareholder or investor, and that 90% of mines are on properties that have already been explored, it’s not hard to make a case for managing your data assets to support smarter exploration. There are also security issues, quality issues, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
The benefits of data management solutionsFormal data management solutions address many of these issues, significantly increasing the value of data resources by establishing stronger connections between data and data consumers.
Improvements in data management help to focus geoscientists on the decision and not the workflow problems, by enabling them to spend more time on data interpretation and knowledge development and less time on data chores and data management issues. Having a consistently reliable flow of data to support projects, increases the number of projects that can be progressed within a given budget cycle. Organizing and managing your data supports effective collaboration and information sharing with consumers, partners and investors. It protects your investment in past data acquisition and makes old data more valuable by enabling it to be leveraged for future projects.
At the end of the day, it’s about reducing risk and increasing both the speed, time to market, and quality of business decisions to improve results. Stronger data connections deliver better results.
Developing an exploration data management (EDM) strategy that connects your data repositories with your data users, within the context of your organization, can be a daunting challenge. Here is a guide to some of the key characteristics of an EDM solution, and some considerations when developing your EDM strategy.
1. Scope of EDM. EDM solutions must address the three key barriers to effective exploration data management: 1) getting exploration data and information into your company repositories, 2) creating a secure environment where data can be catalogued and metadata can be added, managed and maintained for data QC and compliance, and 3) getting data out to data-consumers in a usable format.
2. Simplicity. To add value data management has to immediately contribute to results and minimize efforts. Simplicity is the key here, and it starts with having the right process for getting data in and out of your system. EDM must be supported with a single, well defined and easy process to get data in to the system. It must have one single, way for data users to extract data and get value from the system.
3. Data Repositories. To start, it’s recommended you choose one or two repositories for your EDM project. Different data types, geochemistry, drilling, geophysics, geology/GIS, 3D modeling, place different demands on the repository and require different supporting technology. Our experience is that an exploration company will need up to six or seven separate data repositories, each supported by different technology. Examples of exploration Data Repository technologies range from
common File systems to data storage systems like acQuire, ArcSDE and specialized 3D systems such as Fractal or GoCAD.
4. Middleware. Middleware is a solution for connecting data users with back-end data repositories. The reality of having multiple repositories, each with its own data access methodologies, limitations and capabilities, complicates data search, extraction and delivery to end-users. Middleware, like Geosoft DAP, creates value by connecting to the various systems, and handling tasks like data cataloguing, managing and maintaining metadata to support effective and standards based user access to data.
5. Performance. There are performance issues inherent in accessing the very large data sets consumed in exploration. Middleware is helpful in resolving these issues. For example, Geosoft DAP performs the function of extracting, windowing, translating, compressing and streaming data to its clients. Repository technologies typically require high-bandwidth access to the data stores. Because of the compression and streaming using standard HTTP, DAP can provide data access over low-bandwidth connections.
6. Integration and Implementation. Integration of your EDM with your data repositories, and its overall fit within your organization is critical to making it all work for you. Choose experienced middleware integrators that have experience with large volume geoscience data, and the services to support your roadmap development, systems integration and global implementation (if that’s required in your organization).
Natural Resources Canada’s Geological Survey of Canada (GSC)The recent public release of geophysical data for the Boothia Peninsula in Nunavut, one of Canada’s newest diamond exploration hotspots, illustrates how Geosoft DAP is helping Natural Resources Canada’s Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) fulfill its mandate to improve Canada’s competitive advantage in attracting investment in resource exploration.
In Geosoft DAP, the government geophysicists found a solution to the combined challenge of dwindling staff and increasing demands for speed and efficiency. The software allowed online loading of several high-resolution data sets, including both geochemical and geophysical data, a couple of years ahead of the timeline possible for the section’s existing application.
The initiative was wildly successful. While Data Centre requests for magnetic and gravity data dropped from 180 in 2003 to 57 in 2004, the survey recorded 3,000 downloads through the DAP interface. The information can now be delivered in several different data types including profile data, random points, grids, maps and images.
“This fits exactly with our current policy,” says Warner Miles, head of the GSC’s Regional Geophysics Section “The data is out there, it’s being used, and we’re not applying any friction to the wheels of exploration in Canada. But we’ve just scratched the surface in terms of getting the word out to the broader geoscience community.”
Rio Tinto ExplorationIt was Kennecott Exploration, a division of Rio Tinto Exploration in Salt Lake City that introduced Rio Tinto PLC to the concept of using a formal data management process to tackle the ballooning terabytes of digital information on the company’s server. Overwhelmed by the burden of organizing, reformatting and distributing geophysical data in the exploration department, it was suggested the company install Geosoft’s DAP middleware technology to boost efficiency.
“We had a big area on the file server that included hundreds of airborne and ground survey grids and no way to organize and store them other than in a file directory with little sticky notes to tell him which one was where,” says Peter Thurston, data administrator for Kennecott Exploration Company, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto.
By introducing Geosoft DAP, Rio Tinto was able to replace the sticky notes with a central server that is readily accessible to everyone in the company. Now, instead of relying on a colleague to retrieve and reformat data for them, geoscientists can access the information directly from their desktops, decreasing the time and cost of interpretation. And they don’t have to know the first thing about DAP to do it.
Thurston says the beauty of delivering information through DAP is that data can be integrated into any client application, for example MapInfo or ESRI’s ArcGIS, making the process of retrieval seamless for the end user.
But from his perspective as a data manager, the simplicity of the software is the main attraction. “It’s an intuitive process and that’s a big plus because you don’t need somebody specifically trained in IT to operate it. Once you’ve got it set up, it pretty much runs itself.”
Full articles available online http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Real world success stories
New view on geoscientific data with DappleNASA World Wind and Google Earth have demonstrated that looking at data on the globe is a powerful and insightful way to work with spatial data. Dapple is a new open source application that harnesses this global viewing ability to make finding and viewing of network-hosted spatial data useful for geoscientists.
Dapple focuses on ‘data browsing’, and provides a simple, intuitive interface to make earth data discovery and exploration quick and easy. Dapple allows a geoscientist to find and visualize massive quantities of geoscientific data available on the Internet - satellite imagery, remote sensing data, geology maps, geophysical data, and much more. Dapple will view GeoTIFF, save what you are looking at in GeoTIFF, share views with colleagues. Effective data browsing also means support for open standards and server technologies like WMS and Geosoft DAP. Within Dapple, it’s easy to add new Geosoft DAP and WMS servers of interest.
Dapple Review: In his GIS Blog, James Fee wrote: Dapple’s GUI seems definitely inspired by Google Earth which is a good thing to make users feel at home. I like how the table of contents of the map services is laid out, how easy it is to set transparency. I was creating pretty cool maps in no time. The improved WMS support gives you so much more ability to overlay map services that you can find on the Internet.
Dapple is derived from NASA World Wind. It is freely available and supported through an open-source project sponsored by Geosoft. As an open source project, we encourage all geoscientists to join into the Dapple forum and help drive and contribute to the direction of Dapple.
You can download and get more information about Dapple at http://dapple.geosoft.com
Developing an exploration data management strategy
10 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 11
Business case for better data connectionsBehind the scenes, there are solid business issues driving the requirement for stronger, centralized connections between people, workflows and their data assets. The case for investing in data management solutions often includes financial considerations, protecting and maximizing data asset value on the one hand, and minimizing cost of discovery on the other. When you consider that, within exploration, 1 in 1000 projects explored move into a production environment that delivers return to the shareholder or investor, and that 90% of mines are on properties that have already been explored, it’s not hard to make a case for managing your data assets to support smarter exploration. There are also security issues, quality issues, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
The benefits of data management solutionsFormal data management solutions address many of these issues, significantly increasing the value of data resources by establishing stronger connections between data and data consumers.
Improvements in data management help to focus geoscientists on the decision and not the workflow problems, by enabling them to spend more time on data interpretation and knowledge development and less time on data chores and data management issues. Having a consistently reliable flow of data to support projects, increases the number of projects that can be progressed within a given budget cycle. Organizing and managing your data supports effective collaboration and information sharing with consumers, partners and investors. It protects your investment in past data acquisition and makes old data more valuable by enabling it to be leveraged for future projects.
At the end of the day, it’s about reducing risk and increasing both the speed, time to market, and quality of business decisions to improve results. Stronger data connections deliver better results.
Developing an exploration data management (EDM) strategy that connects your data repositories with your data users, within the context of your organization, can be a daunting challenge. Here is a guide to some of the key characteristics of an EDM solution, and some considerations when developing your EDM strategy.
1. Scope of EDM. EDM solutions must address the three key barriers to effective exploration data management: 1) getting exploration data and information into your company repositories, 2) creating a secure environment where data can be catalogued and metadata can be added, managed and maintained for data QC and compliance, and 3) getting data out to data-consumers in a usable format.
2. Simplicity. To add value data management has to immediately contribute to results and minimize efforts. Simplicity is the key here, and it starts with having the right process for getting data in and out of your system. EDM must be supported with a single, well defined and easy process to get data in to the system. It must have one single, way for data users to extract data and get value from the system.
3. Data Repositories. To start, it’s recommended you choose one or two repositories for your EDM project. Different data types, geochemistry, drilling, geophysics, geology/GIS, 3D modeling, place different demands on the repository and require different supporting technology. Our experience is that an exploration company will need up to six or seven separate data repositories, each supported by different technology. Examples of exploration Data Repository technologies range from
common File systems to data storage systems like acQuire, ArcSDE and specialized 3D systems such as Fractal or GoCAD.
4. Middleware. Middleware is a solution for connecting data users with back-end data repositories. The reality of having multiple repositories, each with its own data access methodologies, limitations and capabilities, complicates data search, extraction and delivery to end-users. Middleware, like Geosoft DAP, creates value by connecting to the various systems, and handling tasks like data cataloguing, managing and maintaining metadata to support effective and standards based user access to data.
5. Performance. There are performance issues inherent in accessing the very large data sets consumed in exploration. Middleware is helpful in resolving these issues. For example, Geosoft DAP performs the function of extracting, windowing, translating, compressing and streaming data to its clients. Repository technologies typically require high-bandwidth access to the data stores. Because of the compression and streaming using standard HTTP, DAP can provide data access over low-bandwidth connections.
6. Integration and Implementation. Integration of your EDM with your data repositories, and its overall fit within your organization is critical to making it all work for you. Choose experienced middleware integrators that have experience with large volume geoscience data, and the services to support your roadmap development, systems integration and global implementation (if that’s required in your organization).
Natural Resources Canada’s Geological Survey of Canada (GSC)The recent public release of geophysical data for the Boothia Peninsula in Nunavut, one of Canada’s newest diamond exploration hotspots, illustrates how Geosoft DAP is helping Natural Resources Canada’s Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) fulfill its mandate to improve Canada’s competitive advantage in attracting investment in resource exploration.
In Geosoft DAP, the government geophysicists found a solution to the combined challenge of dwindling staff and increasing demands for speed and efficiency. The software allowed online loading of several high-resolution data sets, including both geochemical and geophysical data, a couple of years ahead of the timeline possible for the section’s existing application.
The initiative was wildly successful. While Data Centre requests for magnetic and gravity data dropped from 180 in 2003 to 57 in 2004, the survey recorded 3,000 downloads through the DAP interface. The information can now be delivered in several different data types including profile data, random points, grids, maps and images.
“This fits exactly with our current policy,” says Warner Miles, head of the GSC’s Regional Geophysics Section “The data is out there, it’s being used, and we’re not applying any friction to the wheels of exploration in Canada. But we’ve just scratched the surface in terms of getting the word out to the broader geoscience community.”
Rio Tinto ExplorationIt was Kennecott Exploration, a division of Rio Tinto Exploration in Salt Lake City that introduced Rio Tinto PLC to the concept of using a formal data management process to tackle the ballooning terabytes of digital information on the company’s server. Overwhelmed by the burden of organizing, reformatting and distributing geophysical data in the exploration department, it was suggested the company install Geosoft’s DAP middleware technology to boost efficiency.
“We had a big area on the file server that included hundreds of airborne and ground survey grids and no way to organize and store them other than in a file directory with little sticky notes to tell him which one was where,” says Peter Thurston, data administrator for Kennecott Exploration Company, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto.
By introducing Geosoft DAP, Rio Tinto was able to replace the sticky notes with a central server that is readily accessible to everyone in the company. Now, instead of relying on a colleague to retrieve and reformat data for them, geoscientists can access the information directly from their desktops, decreasing the time and cost of interpretation. And they don’t have to know the first thing about DAP to do it.
Thurston says the beauty of delivering information through DAP is that data can be integrated into any client application, for example MapInfo or ESRI’s ArcGIS, making the process of retrieval seamless for the end user.
But from his perspective as a data manager, the simplicity of the software is the main attraction. “It’s an intuitive process and that’s a big plus because you don’t need somebody specifically trained in IT to operate it. Once you’ve got it set up, it pretty much runs itself.”
Full articles available online http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Real world success stories
New view on geoscientific data with DappleNASA World Wind and Google Earth have demonstrated that looking at data on the globe is a powerful and insightful way to work with spatial data. Dapple is a new open source application that harnesses this global viewing ability to make finding and viewing of network-hosted spatial data useful for geoscientists.
Dapple focuses on ‘data browsing’, and provides a simple, intuitive interface to make earth data discovery and exploration quick and easy. Dapple allows a geoscientist to find and visualize massive quantities of geoscientific data available on the Internet - satellite imagery, remote sensing data, geology maps, geophysical data, and much more. Dapple will view GeoTIFF, save what you are looking at in GeoTIFF, share views with colleagues. Effective data browsing also means support for open standards and server technologies like WMS and Geosoft DAP. Within Dapple, it’s easy to add new Geosoft DAP and WMS servers of interest.
Dapple Review: In his GIS Blog, James Fee wrote: Dapple’s GUI seems definitely inspired by Google Earth which is a good thing to make users feel at home. I like how the table of contents of the map services is laid out, how easy it is to set transparency. I was creating pretty cool maps in no time. The improved WMS support gives you so much more ability to overlay map services that you can find on the Internet.
Dapple is derived from NASA World Wind. It is freely available and supported through an open-source project sponsored by Geosoft. As an open source project, we encourage all geoscientists to join into the Dapple forum and help drive and contribute to the direction of Dapple.
You can download and get more information about Dapple at http://dapple.geosoft.com
Developing an exploration data management strategy
1� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 13
workflow automation speed, and performance. New format support meets increased demands for collaborative data exchange and seamless software interoperability. More productivity tools include powerful mapping systems that incorporate a wide range of analytic tools, production mapping capabilities, and advanced visualization within a single 3D environment. Power-mapping systems are a staple, satisfying the real time expectations of results-driven employers and customers. Improved speed and processing power through improved memory handling is speeding up visualization. Users have grown to expect fully integrated 3D subsurface environments to quickly combine surfaces, drill holes and geophysical models in 3D and view them from any perspective.
Full article available online http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
In the field: Industry applications of Oasis montaj
Geoscientists are using Oasis montaj for:
Airborne, marine and ground gravity and magnetic survey data processing, analysis and quality control
Mineral exploration target generation and evaluation
Oil and Gas potential field exploration
Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) detection
Subsurface geologic and hydrologic characterization
Environmental site characterization
Archaeological site investigation
Oceanography
POWER HUNGRY
With more geoscientists looking for powerful, comprehensive software to simplify diverse and multifaceted exploration and earth investigation projects, Geosoft’s Oasis montaj has come into its own. Once known as specialized software for tackling complex, large volume earth data challenges, Oasis montaj is now widely used to minimize data chores and maximize results across the geosciences, in government, education, mining exploration, oil & gas and environmental agencies.
Geosoft is valued for its robust technology, strong workflows, streamlined mapping and visualization capabilities and ease of use – for even the most difficult data processing, analysis and visualization challenges.
Finding Viable Drilling Targets in Mining ExplorationMining geoscientists need to transform vast quantities of geology, geophysics and geochemistry data into viable drilling targets, with maximum efficiency and within short timeframes. With millions of dollars invested and deposits not always easily found, advanced mapping features have become a basic requirement.
Mark Parker, Managing Director of African Eagle Resources plc, a London AIM listed junior exploration company operating in East Africa has been using Geosoft’s mapping system since 1990. The ability to work efficiently with all their data in one integrated environment was a key consideration. According to Parker, visualization plays a critical role in their exploration projects. “In a situation where you don’t have any outcrop, which is typical in Tanzania, you’re relying very much on your drillholes to do basic geological mapping, as well as actual mineralization interpretation,” says Parker. “In this case, it’s quite important that you have powerful tools, like those in Oasis montaj, for visualization which allows you to make the best use of the data you have and to interpret the data to the maximum.”
Integration with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mine planning systems is another priority for explorationists. Customers appreciate Geosoft’s strong data import and export capabilities and software plug-ins for the leading Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other applications, which makes it easy to exchange data – and visualization – across multidisciplinary internal teams and externally with customers and industry partners.
Louis racic:power MappInG
Goes MaInstreaM
What’s driving the need for more power, precision and productivity?
oasis montaj in the field
Geosoft’s original power mapping system for the geosciences
I’ve found Geosoft to be very helpful for converting data into other
formats. I haven’t come across any format that it can’t handle.
Geosoft is committed to being a leader in format compatibility. We support
over 50 data, grids, maps and image formats. Users can convert grids and
images to several supported data formats, including ArcView, MapInfo, ER
Mapper and TIF. Application-specific imports and exports are available for
geochemistry, drill-hole, unexploded ordinance (UXO), induced polarization
(IP), radiometrics, airborne geophysics and gravity data. Software plug-ins
and data conversion options provide superior connectivity between montaj
mapping software and GIS or specialized applications.
Out of all the recent improvements, I’m getting a lot of value from
all the new 3D functionality in Geosoft.
As the sub-surface data specialists, we’ve always been known for creating
beautiful maps of geophysics and geochemistry. We’ve recently invested
in expanding our 3D functionality, and have also taken it to the ArcGIS
platform. Being able to visualize all available data, geology, geophysics,
geochemistry, in one 3D environment is a Geosoft advantage.
What I like about Geosoft’s data processing tools is that you don’t have to be a data specialist to use them proficiently. Earth exploration should be about creation of knowledge from data and not processing data. Our workflows and processing engine quickly and easily handle the toughest multidisciplinary data. Our rapid processing ability is the result of 20 years of developing and fine tuning workflows and algorithms through user and industry feedback.
We work with large volumes of data, and have found Geosoft to be the only product that can work at a high level of proficiency. It’s very fast, precise and delivers great results. Handling BIG data on SMALL computers is a Geosoft specialty perfected over 20 years. Our software includes a 64-bit memory manager that runs inside Windows to provide the 20 to 80 GIGs of memory you might need to process your giant data sets. Our memory manager automatically allows our programs to allocate the large quantities of memory they require. Other features in our software include Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP), and the ability to use special instructions such as MMX and SSE.
Geosoft’s Under the Hood: Technical Brief is available at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Under the Hood: Customers Weigh in on Geosoft Technical Strengths
Twenty years ago, earth exploration and computers were often thought of as mutually exclusive. Today, they are inseparable, and software is a critical enabler of timely and informed geoscience decision-making. Why? Industry data needs are proliferating. Faced with larger projects to manage and the need to efficiently access, integrate, and visualize growing volumes of diverse data, geoscientists are demanding – and using – more powerful productivity tools for integration and visualization of large, multidisciplinary geological, geophysical, and geochemical datasets. Productivity crunch and transparency. With organizations driving the need for better, faster, and more cost effective earth exploration, geoscientists are challenged to meet higher employer, customer, regulatory and shareholder expectations.
Software improvements that address current data and workflow efficiency challenges focus on interoperability, simpler interfaces,
Practically SpeakingPowerful visualization of diverse data“Our Oasis montaj system provides a powerful way of viewing and visualizing the data, and it allows you to combine different data sets, in different ways, to make the best use of all the data you have available.” Mark Parker, Managing Director of African Eagle Resources plc
Find the full article at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Louis racic is Geosoft’s Director, product Management.
1� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 13
workflow automation speed, and performance. New format support meets increased demands for collaborative data exchange and seamless software interoperability. More productivity tools include powerful mapping systems that incorporate a wide range of analytic tools, production mapping capabilities, and advanced visualization within a single 3D environment. Power-mapping systems are a staple, satisfying the real time expectations of results-driven employers and customers. Improved speed and processing power through improved memory handling is speeding up visualization. Users have grown to expect fully integrated 3D subsurface environments to quickly combine surfaces, drill holes and geophysical models in 3D and view them from any perspective.
Full article available online http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
In the field: Industry applications of Oasis montaj
Geoscientists are using Oasis montaj for:
Airborne, marine and ground gravity and magnetic survey data processing, analysis and quality control
Mineral exploration target generation and evaluation
Oil and Gas potential field exploration
Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) detection
Subsurface geologic and hydrologic characterization
Environmental site characterization
Archaeological site investigation
Oceanography
POWER HUNGRY
With more geoscientists looking for powerful, comprehensive software to simplify diverse and multifaceted exploration and earth investigation projects, Geosoft’s Oasis montaj has come into its own. Once known as specialized software for tackling complex, large volume earth data challenges, Oasis montaj is now widely used to minimize data chores and maximize results across the geosciences, in government, education, mining exploration, oil & gas and environmental agencies.
Geosoft is valued for its robust technology, strong workflows, streamlined mapping and visualization capabilities and ease of use – for even the most difficult data processing, analysis and visualization challenges.
Finding Viable Drilling Targets in Mining ExplorationMining geoscientists need to transform vast quantities of geology, geophysics and geochemistry data into viable drilling targets, with maximum efficiency and within short timeframes. With millions of dollars invested and deposits not always easily found, advanced mapping features have become a basic requirement.
Mark Parker, Managing Director of African Eagle Resources plc, a London AIM listed junior exploration company operating in East Africa has been using Geosoft’s mapping system since 1990. The ability to work efficiently with all their data in one integrated environment was a key consideration. According to Parker, visualization plays a critical role in their exploration projects. “In a situation where you don’t have any outcrop, which is typical in Tanzania, you’re relying very much on your drillholes to do basic geological mapping, as well as actual mineralization interpretation,” says Parker. “In this case, it’s quite important that you have powerful tools, like those in Oasis montaj, for visualization which allows you to make the best use of the data you have and to interpret the data to the maximum.”
Integration with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mine planning systems is another priority for explorationists. Customers appreciate Geosoft’s strong data import and export capabilities and software plug-ins for the leading Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other applications, which makes it easy to exchange data – and visualization – across multidisciplinary internal teams and externally with customers and industry partners.
Louis racic:power MappInG
Goes MaInstreaM
What’s driving the need for more power, precision and productivity?
oasis montaj in the field
Geosoft’s original power mapping system for the geosciences
I’ve found Geosoft to be very helpful for converting data into other
formats. I haven’t come across any format that it can’t handle.
Geosoft is committed to being a leader in format compatibility. We support
over 50 data, grids, maps and image formats. Users can convert grids and
images to several supported data formats, including ArcView, MapInfo, ER
Mapper and TIF. Application-specific imports and exports are available for
geochemistry, drill-hole, unexploded ordinance (UXO), induced polarization
(IP), radiometrics, airborne geophysics and gravity data. Software plug-ins
and data conversion options provide superior connectivity between montaj
mapping software and GIS or specialized applications.
Out of all the recent improvements, I’m getting a lot of value from
all the new 3D functionality in Geosoft.
As the sub-surface data specialists, we’ve always been known for creating
beautiful maps of geophysics and geochemistry. We’ve recently invested
in expanding our 3D functionality, and have also taken it to the ArcGIS
platform. Being able to visualize all available data, geology, geophysics,
geochemistry, in one 3D environment is a Geosoft advantage.
What I like about Geosoft’s data processing tools is that you don’t have to be a data specialist to use them proficiently. Earth exploration should be about creation of knowledge from data and not processing data. Our workflows and processing engine quickly and easily handle the toughest multidisciplinary data. Our rapid processing ability is the result of 20 years of developing and fine tuning workflows and algorithms through user and industry feedback.
We work with large volumes of data, and have found Geosoft to be the only product that can work at a high level of proficiency. It’s very fast, precise and delivers great results. Handling BIG data on SMALL computers is a Geosoft specialty perfected over 20 years. Our software includes a 64-bit memory manager that runs inside Windows to provide the 20 to 80 GIGs of memory you might need to process your giant data sets. Our memory manager automatically allows our programs to allocate the large quantities of memory they require. Other features in our software include Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP), and the ability to use special instructions such as MMX and SSE.
Geosoft’s Under the Hood: Technical Brief is available at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Under the Hood: Customers Weigh in on Geosoft Technical Strengths
Twenty years ago, earth exploration and computers were often thought of as mutually exclusive. Today, they are inseparable, and software is a critical enabler of timely and informed geoscience decision-making. Why? Industry data needs are proliferating. Faced with larger projects to manage and the need to efficiently access, integrate, and visualize growing volumes of diverse data, geoscientists are demanding – and using – more powerful productivity tools for integration and visualization of large, multidisciplinary geological, geophysical, and geochemical datasets. Productivity crunch and transparency. With organizations driving the need for better, faster, and more cost effective earth exploration, geoscientists are challenged to meet higher employer, customer, regulatory and shareholder expectations.
Software improvements that address current data and workflow efficiency challenges focus on interoperability, simpler interfaces,
Practically SpeakingPowerful visualization of diverse data“Our Oasis montaj system provides a powerful way of viewing and visualizing the data, and it allows you to combine different data sets, in different ways, to make the best use of all the data you have available.” Mark Parker, Managing Director of African Eagle Resources plc
Find the full article at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Louis racic is Geosoft’s Director, product Management.
1� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 1�
Reducing risks and costs in Oil and Gas ExplorationIn the face of the growing worldwide demand for oil and gas and new exploration and recovery techniques, oil and gas exploration companies and consultants need the ability to efficiently look at as much data as possible, in as many ways as possible. They count on Geosoft software to integrate, model, compile and visualize gravity and magnetic data, surface and subsurface geologic information, and seismic data – quickly, easily, and cost-effectively.
Gravity and magnetic methods help to narrow down potential targets for more intrusive methods, such as seismic reflection, to reduce risks and keep costs down. Knowledge of subsurface features derived from gravity and magnetic methods, when added to geologic information from seismic reflection, can enhance the potential for successful discoveries of petroleum.
Faced with greater project complexities, they value Geosoft’s speed, ease-of-use, and extensive integration capabilities. According to Dr. Michael Ruder, Principal of US-based Wintermoon Geotechnologies Inc, “there are efficiency and quality advantages in being able to dynamically pull customer data in, whether it’s well data, satellite imagery or other types of data, and immediately looking at it as part of the interpretation.”
Dr. Ruder uses the GMSYS 3D application which is integrated with, and fully exploits, the 3D visualization capabilities of Oasis montaj, for prospect modeling of salt bodies, which helps reduce risk in areas such as potential field exploration. “It’s very prudent to do 3D modeling for prospect modeling of salt bodies when you’re considering a very expensive well in deep water.”
Working in multiple software environments, and with different types of datasets, is a reality for Oil & Gas companies and industry consultants. “In general, I think people don’t realize how easy it is to integrate all of their datasets, whether it’s seismic and non-seismic, raster and vector,” says Dr. Ruder, “GIS software and Oasis montaj provide some great tools for that.”
Environmental site assessments Within its Survey Products Group service portfolio, W.L. Gore & Associates conducts environmental site assessments with clients and regulators, to locate, identify and delineate sub-surface contaminants. Subsequent sampling, remediation and monitoring programs are focused in a cost-effective and timely manner. The company uses Oasis montaj’s high-performance storage database, as well as the software’s tools for analyzing, visualizing and managing large volumes of multi-disciplinary data sets. The end result aids the environmental consultant in developing a robust conceptual site model, which leads to accurate selections of subsequent soil or groundwater sampling locations, and optimization of remediation programs.
“The cost of groundwater cleanup and long-term monitoring programs can be in the millions of dollars,” says Jay Hodny, Ph.D., Product Specialist at Gore. “It’s not uncommon for a groundwater monitoring program to require regular sampling for over 20 years. If we can accurately locate the contaminant plume early in the investigation, and ultimately drill fewer monitoring wells, we deliver real value. Greater accuracy is the difference between installing and sampling five monitoring wells, versus 50, for 20 or 30 years.”
Hodny combines CAD-based sitemaps, illustrating the sample locations, along with the analytical data in Oasis montaj. He utilizes montaj’s contouring algorithms and map editing and visualization tools to generate accurate assessment maps of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds present in the subsurface soil gas. Data retrieved from the GORETM Module, Gore’s patented, waterproof, vapour-permeable sampler, can create a volumous data matrix for larger projects, such as large military bases that utilize hundreds or thousands of the samplers.
“The Geosoft montaj mapping environment also allows me to combine compound data from multiple surveys at a site, into one set of map compositions easily, for a more comprehensive understanding of the subsurface contamination.”
Accuracy and reliability in Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) DetectionWhen in doubt, you dig. That’s the rule when investigating the millions of unexploded ordnance (UXO) which could lie under active test and training ranges and Formerly Used Defense Sites in the U.S., threatening lives and the environment. UXO investigations require the use of Digital Geophysical Mapping (DGM), and are highly dependent on quality field data. Geosoft, with its Oasis montaj and UX-Detect software, is an industry leader in providing advanced and complete solutions for UXO detection.
Why Geosoft software? UXO investigations depend upon field data, which is easily skewed by instrument noise, steel toed boots, jangling keys in the operator’s pocket and flopping cables. Geosoft’s software minimizes the risks of inconsistent data and faulty decision-making by supporting all aspects of data QC/QA, data analysis and anomaly selection within one environment. Its wide range of data cleaning tools includes algorythms to level and smooth the data, get rid of background noise and enhance actual geophysical anomalies with UXO-like signatures. In addition, the software is an ideal project management system for UXO projects, due to its efficient workflow and comprehensive capabilities. It supports production to data processing and analysis to anomaly selection. And all project deliverables, including the maps, data files, standardized tests for equipment, and data analysis checks for gaps and positioning errors can be quickly and efficiently accomplished within Geosoft.
Government Geological Surveys and Natural ResourcesNational government surveys, natural resource agencies and agencies responsible for government subsurface investigations deploy Geosoft’s Oasis montaj software to streamline time-consuming mapping and analysis of large volume geoscientific datasets, geophysics, geochemistry and geology.
Geosoft’s Oasis montaj software is industry-standard for the airborne, ground and marine survey data processing and analysis required by international government surveys. Its integrated interface and strong workflows are key values for gravity and aeromagnetic processing. Its extensive capabilities for geoscientific data processing, map making, and working with multidisciplinary datasets enable government geoscientists to do 80-90% of their data processing and publication preparation within one integrated environment.
In addition, Oasis montaj’s strong data import and export capabilities address government’s key requirements for data exchange across disciplines, integrating with GIS and other applications and sharing within government agencies and the larger geoscience community. As for the future, government continues to innovate in its use of Oasis montaj, improving compilation of magnetic data and enhancing geologic interpretations.
Streamlining mapping and analysis of multidisciplinary data for EducationGeoscience education and research programs worldwide use Geosoft’s Oasis montaj, together with montaj-plus GMSYS gravity modeling software, to support the study of geophysics, geology and geochemistry. Its powerful range of functionality, flexibility and ease-of-use, and its international use across mining, oil and gas, government and environmental industry applications makes it ideal for classroom teaching and research project use.
Students benefit from working on industry-standard software; they can quickly learn to manipulate and analyze varied geoscientific data with a minimal learning curve. Researchers benefit by accessing advanced technology and high quality support when they need it.
“Geosoft software gives me a tremendous advantage in my classes because students can quickly try out various filtering options and modeling choices,” says Dr. Dennis Harry, Associate Professor of Geophysics, Colorado State University. “The intuitive interface provided within Geosoft’s Oasis montaj software allows me to focus on the science and engineering problems in my classes instead of spending time on software training…Geosoft also allows us to maximize input from the geologists and engineers and to quickly examine alternative hypotheses. At Colorado State University, we have found this interdisciplinary approach, which is a built-in feature of Geosoft software, to be invaluable.”
Practically SpeakingBetter educational access to state-of-the-art software“Geosoft’s new Education Program demonstrates strong commitment to supporting education of the next generation of geoscientists, and for providing educational institutions with a cost-effective option to use state of the art tools in our research endeavours.” Dr. Dennis Harry, Associate Professor of Geophysics, Colorado State University
Find the full announcement at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Practically SpeakingTime saving efficienciesOasis montaj saves time and improves efficiencies by quickly producing contour maps of relevant compounds across the survey area. “I can take a full suite of 90 different compounds, and quickly produce informative maps for any of the compounds of interest. If I had to do that one map at a time, you can imagine how long that would take me.” Jay Hodny, Ph.D., Product Specialist, Gore
Find the full article at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Practically SpeakingSolving UXO QC/QAA cooperative ESTCP-funded UXO QC/QA project partnership between Geosoft and the US Army Corps of Engineers in Huntsville, Alabama resulted in a much-needed standardized toolset for the QC/QA of collected field data available within the Oasis montaj™ interface.
“Our goal was to migrate the QC/QA tools to a commercial platform that would ensure easy access by contractors, and Geosoft’s Oasis montaj interface was already established as an open industry-standard platform. Geosoft’s commercial UXO product was also used by many of our geophysical contractors.” Scott Millhouse, US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville Center
Find the full article at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Practically SpeakingOn-the-fly Interpretations“I can do a lot of work in my clients’ offices on my laptop. My mapping software [Geosoft’s Oasis montaj and ESRI ArcGIS] enables a lot of interactivity and testing of their hypothesis, and I can show customers results in real time.” Dr. Michael Ruder, Principal, US-based Wintermoon Geotechnologies Inc.
Find the full article at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
1� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS
1� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 1�
Reducing risks and costs in Oil and Gas ExplorationIn the face of the growing worldwide demand for oil and gas and new exploration and recovery techniques, oil and gas exploration companies and consultants need the ability to efficiently look at as much data as possible, in as many ways as possible. They count on Geosoft software to integrate, model, compile and visualize gravity and magnetic data, surface and subsurface geologic information, and seismic data – quickly, easily, and cost-effectively.
Gravity and magnetic methods help to narrow down potential targets for more intrusive methods, such as seismic reflection, to reduce risks and keep costs down. Knowledge of subsurface features derived from gravity and magnetic methods, when added to geologic information from seismic reflection, can enhance the potential for successful discoveries of petroleum.
Faced with greater project complexities, they value Geosoft’s speed, ease-of-use, and extensive integration capabilities. According to Dr. Michael Ruder, Principal of US-based Wintermoon Geotechnologies Inc, “there are efficiency and quality advantages in being able to dynamically pull customer data in, whether it’s well data, satellite imagery or other types of data, and immediately looking at it as part of the interpretation.”
Dr. Ruder uses the GMSYS 3D application which is integrated with, and fully exploits, the 3D visualization capabilities of Oasis montaj, for prospect modeling of salt bodies, which helps reduce risk in areas such as potential field exploration. “It’s very prudent to do 3D modeling for prospect modeling of salt bodies when you’re considering a very expensive well in deep water.”
Working in multiple software environments, and with different types of datasets, is a reality for Oil & Gas companies and industry consultants. “In general, I think people don’t realize how easy it is to integrate all of their datasets, whether it’s seismic and non-seismic, raster and vector,” says Dr. Ruder, “GIS software and Oasis montaj provide some great tools for that.”
Environmental site assessments Within its Survey Products Group service portfolio, W.L. Gore & Associates conducts environmental site assessments with clients and regulators, to locate, identify and delineate sub-surface contaminants. Subsequent sampling, remediation and monitoring programs are focused in a cost-effective and timely manner. The company uses Oasis montaj’s high-performance storage database, as well as the software’s tools for analyzing, visualizing and managing large volumes of multi-disciplinary data sets. The end result aids the environmental consultant in developing a robust conceptual site model, which leads to accurate selections of subsequent soil or groundwater sampling locations, and optimization of remediation programs.
“The cost of groundwater cleanup and long-term monitoring programs can be in the millions of dollars,” says Jay Hodny, Ph.D., Product Specialist at Gore. “It’s not uncommon for a groundwater monitoring program to require regular sampling for over 20 years. If we can accurately locate the contaminant plume early in the investigation, and ultimately drill fewer monitoring wells, we deliver real value. Greater accuracy is the difference between installing and sampling five monitoring wells, versus 50, for 20 or 30 years.”
Hodny combines CAD-based sitemaps, illustrating the sample locations, along with the analytical data in Oasis montaj. He utilizes montaj’s contouring algorithms and map editing and visualization tools to generate accurate assessment maps of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds present in the subsurface soil gas. Data retrieved from the GORETM Module, Gore’s patented, waterproof, vapour-permeable sampler, can create a volumous data matrix for larger projects, such as large military bases that utilize hundreds or thousands of the samplers.
“The Geosoft montaj mapping environment also allows me to combine compound data from multiple surveys at a site, into one set of map compositions easily, for a more comprehensive understanding of the subsurface contamination.”
Accuracy and reliability in Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) DetectionWhen in doubt, you dig. That’s the rule when investigating the millions of unexploded ordnance (UXO) which could lie under active test and training ranges and Formerly Used Defense Sites in the U.S., threatening lives and the environment. UXO investigations require the use of Digital Geophysical Mapping (DGM), and are highly dependent on quality field data. Geosoft, with its Oasis montaj and UX-Detect software, is an industry leader in providing advanced and complete solutions for UXO detection.
Why Geosoft software? UXO investigations depend upon field data, which is easily skewed by instrument noise, steel toed boots, jangling keys in the operator’s pocket and flopping cables. Geosoft’s software minimizes the risks of inconsistent data and faulty decision-making by supporting all aspects of data QC/QA, data analysis and anomaly selection within one environment. Its wide range of data cleaning tools includes algorythms to level and smooth the data, get rid of background noise and enhance actual geophysical anomalies with UXO-like signatures. In addition, the software is an ideal project management system for UXO projects, due to its efficient workflow and comprehensive capabilities. It supports production to data processing and analysis to anomaly selection. And all project deliverables, including the maps, data files, standardized tests for equipment, and data analysis checks for gaps and positioning errors can be quickly and efficiently accomplished within Geosoft.
Government Geological Surveys and Natural ResourcesNational government surveys, natural resource agencies and agencies responsible for government subsurface investigations deploy Geosoft’s Oasis montaj software to streamline time-consuming mapping and analysis of large volume geoscientific datasets, geophysics, geochemistry and geology.
Geosoft’s Oasis montaj software is industry-standard for the airborne, ground and marine survey data processing and analysis required by international government surveys. Its integrated interface and strong workflows are key values for gravity and aeromagnetic processing. Its extensive capabilities for geoscientific data processing, map making, and working with multidisciplinary datasets enable government geoscientists to do 80-90% of their data processing and publication preparation within one integrated environment.
In addition, Oasis montaj’s strong data import and export capabilities address government’s key requirements for data exchange across disciplines, integrating with GIS and other applications and sharing within government agencies and the larger geoscience community. As for the future, government continues to innovate in its use of Oasis montaj, improving compilation of magnetic data and enhancing geologic interpretations.
Streamlining mapping and analysis of multidisciplinary data for EducationGeoscience education and research programs worldwide use Geosoft’s Oasis montaj, together with montaj-plus GMSYS gravity modeling software, to support the study of geophysics, geology and geochemistry. Its powerful range of functionality, flexibility and ease-of-use, and its international use across mining, oil and gas, government and environmental industry applications makes it ideal for classroom teaching and research project use.
Students benefit from working on industry-standard software; they can quickly learn to manipulate and analyze varied geoscientific data with a minimal learning curve. Researchers benefit by accessing advanced technology and high quality support when they need it.
“Geosoft software gives me a tremendous advantage in my classes because students can quickly try out various filtering options and modeling choices,” says Dr. Dennis Harry, Associate Professor of Geophysics, Colorado State University. “The intuitive interface provided within Geosoft’s Oasis montaj software allows me to focus on the science and engineering problems in my classes instead of spending time on software training…Geosoft also allows us to maximize input from the geologists and engineers and to quickly examine alternative hypotheses. At Colorado State University, we have found this interdisciplinary approach, which is a built-in feature of Geosoft software, to be invaluable.”
Practically SpeakingBetter educational access to state-of-the-art software“Geosoft’s new Education Program demonstrates strong commitment to supporting education of the next generation of geoscientists, and for providing educational institutions with a cost-effective option to use state of the art tools in our research endeavours.” Dr. Dennis Harry, Associate Professor of Geophysics, Colorado State University
Find the full announcement at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Practically SpeakingTime saving efficienciesOasis montaj saves time and improves efficiencies by quickly producing contour maps of relevant compounds across the survey area. “I can take a full suite of 90 different compounds, and quickly produce informative maps for any of the compounds of interest. If I had to do that one map at a time, you can imagine how long that would take me.” Jay Hodny, Ph.D., Product Specialist, Gore
Find the full article at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Practically SpeakingSolving UXO QC/QAA cooperative ESTCP-funded UXO QC/QA project partnership between Geosoft and the US Army Corps of Engineers in Huntsville, Alabama resulted in a much-needed standardized toolset for the QC/QA of collected field data available within the Oasis montaj™ interface.
“Our goal was to migrate the QC/QA tools to a commercial platform that would ensure easy access by contractors, and Geosoft’s Oasis montaj interface was already established as an open industry-standard platform. Geosoft’s commercial UXO product was also used by many of our geophysical contractors.” Scott Millhouse, US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville Center
Find the full article at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Practically SpeakingOn-the-fly Interpretations“I can do a lot of work in my clients’ offices on my laptop. My mapping software [Geosoft’s Oasis montaj and ESRI ArcGIS] enables a lot of interactivity and testing of their hypothesis, and I can show customers results in real time.” Dr. Michael Ruder, Principal, US-based Wintermoon Geotechnologies Inc.
Find the full article at http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
1� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS
16 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 1�
PURPOSE-BUILT
As a purpose-built application for exploration geology, Target has workflows to streamline and handle just about anything that involves drilling - from exploration to production control drilling.
For initial exploration, Target helps to quickly assemble robust geological and basic geotechnical data and present drilling results for subsequent detailed evaluation. Target is useful for every phase from exploration program management right through to feasibility studies, new operations in areas such as near mine exploration, and improving practices in operating mines.
The software provides a wide range of tools to import, analyze, validate and clean up data before exporting it for use with other applications, such as Access databases, specialist geoscientific data management systems such as acQuire, or modeling and mine planning systems such as Vulcan and Datamine. Target can identify and correct discrepancies between different types of data such as geological descriptions, assays, basic geotechnical data or geophysical logs. It can also trouble-shoot problems with data that could be due to data entry problems from the field, such as duplicate collar positions, overlaps between sample intervals, or assay values outside accepted limits and gaps.
For coal, iron ore and base metal projects, exploration companies can save time and money by using Target to integrate assay and geological descriptions with downhole geophysical data. The quantitative use of geophysical data enables explorationists to reduce their reliance on other forms of data, including assays which can be expensive and time-consuming to collect. This helps to increase the value of their drilling investment.
Exploration and production control through statistical data analysis is another phase where the right software can make a difference. Target can identify different populations in data and help geologists understand their significance. Because of its dynamic linking feature, it puts a real spatial context into statistical analysis work. In addition to numbers in a histogram, you can see where the populations lie on a map, cross section or in 3D in relation to geology and structures.
Finally, Target makes it easy to quickly transform on-screen plots into professional-quality maps. Printed maps provide an audit trail that describe how your geological interpretations evolved over time – essential for training new staff, explaining geological concepts to management, and for satisfying independent auditors when seeking project finance for new developments. Clear maps are also helpful for sit-downs with your team to identify problems, try out ideas and develop alternative geological interpretations.
While Target is a simple, and easy-to-use, program, users report that ‘everything it does, it does well’. It’s proven technology explorationists can use to achieve rapid, productive results.
sIMpLe, MuLtIDIscIpLInarY worKfLows Get the Job Done faster anD bettertarget speeds up exploration geology, from target selection to mine development
simplifying advanced geochemical analysis
SEMPlot workflow a solution for diamond geochemistry Geosoft recently provided diamond explorers with a unique new tool - SEMPlot (Scanning Electron Microscopy) geochemistry workflow, now included within Geosoft’s geochemistry software.
Rio Tinto Exploration, a world leader in finding, mining and processing the earth’s mineral resources, developed SEMPlot with Geosoft to analyze Kimberlite indicator minerals. This is standard practice in diamond exploration. With SEMPlot, geologists import the data, identify the mineral grains based on their chemistry, display selected grains on discriminating graphs, and interactively reclassify them. They can analyze large volumes of microprobe data, and quickly produce spatial maps, graphical maps and plots.
“SEMPlot allows the data to be displayed in a graphical format, so it can be effectively interpreted,” says Andy Lloyd, Rio Tinto Exploration project geologist in South Africa. “Its ability to manage data in excess of a million data points, with ease and simplicity, makes it a very powerful tool.”
Dynamic linking capabilities are another benefit. “You can click onto a point in a geological map where you have a sample and see how it plots in terms of its mineral chemistry, or look at various geochemical displays and see where they fall on the ground,” says Dr. Chris Smith, diamond consultant to Rio Tinto. “I’m not aware of any other commercially-available package that can do that.”
Today geochemical investigations, including surface and subsurface investigations, are an integral component of geoscience exploration projects.
Understanding the wealth of chemical information buried in the liquids, gases, and mineral deposits of rock enables scientists to put together broad-based theories about the way the earth is changing; helps environmental management companies decide how to dispose of a toxic or hazardous substance; and steers mining companies towards use of natural resources with minimum environmental impact. Geochemical data is also essential for creating single element anomaly maps, analyzing multi-element samples, recognizing geochemical associations and – most significantly – cost-effectively creating better-defined exploration targets.
Designed to meet the needs of rigorous geochemical analysis, Geosoft’s Geochemistry software provides a completely integrated toolset for validating, analyzing and visualizing geochemical data, within one software environment.
This software helps geoscientists confirm the validity and quality of geochemical data by enabling them to view qualitative and quantitative assessment in context with other data sets. In addition to QA/QC tools, its variety of geochemical analysis functions includes summary statistics reports, histograms, scattergrams, ternary plots, probability analysis, correlation plots and principle component analysis.
For rapid assessments and experimentation with data in real time, its processing engine can run numerous filters and processes on data. You can combine a region’s geochemistry, geology, geophysics and other data onto a single dynamically-linked map or set of maps, in 2D or 3D. Geosoft’s robust mapping features and simple workflow enable users to quickly create multiple and varied types of maps, including gridded maps, surface maps, posted value and sub-location maps.
Bottom line: the software’s ability to integrate all data sets, analyze for statistical variation and relationships, conduct interactive graphical analysis of the statistics and present this information on maps enables geoscientists to make decisions faster, more accurately, and with an easily traceable path for due diligence.
16 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 1�
PURPOSE-BUILT
As a purpose-built application for exploration geology, Target has workflows to streamline and handle just about anything that involves drilling - from exploration to production control drilling.
For initial exploration, Target helps to quickly assemble robust geological and basic geotechnical data and present drilling results for subsequent detailed evaluation. Target is useful for every phase from exploration program management right through to feasibility studies, new operations in areas such as near mine exploration, and improving practices in operating mines.
The software provides a wide range of tools to import, analyze, validate and clean up data before exporting it for use with other applications, such as Access databases, specialist geoscientific data management systems such as acQuire, or modeling and mine planning systems such as Vulcan and Datamine. Target can identify and correct discrepancies between different types of data such as geological descriptions, assays, basic geotechnical data or geophysical logs. It can also trouble-shoot problems with data that could be due to data entry problems from the field, such as duplicate collar positions, overlaps between sample intervals, or assay values outside accepted limits and gaps.
For coal, iron ore and base metal projects, exploration companies can save time and money by using Target to integrate assay and geological descriptions with downhole geophysical data. The quantitative use of geophysical data enables explorationists to reduce their reliance on other forms of data, including assays which can be expensive and time-consuming to collect. This helps to increase the value of their drilling investment.
Exploration and production control through statistical data analysis is another phase where the right software can make a difference. Target can identify different populations in data and help geologists understand their significance. Because of its dynamic linking feature, it puts a real spatial context into statistical analysis work. In addition to numbers in a histogram, you can see where the populations lie on a map, cross section or in 3D in relation to geology and structures.
Finally, Target makes it easy to quickly transform on-screen plots into professional-quality maps. Printed maps provide an audit trail that describe how your geological interpretations evolved over time – essential for training new staff, explaining geological concepts to management, and for satisfying independent auditors when seeking project finance for new developments. Clear maps are also helpful for sit-downs with your team to identify problems, try out ideas and develop alternative geological interpretations.
While Target is a simple, and easy-to-use, program, users report that ‘everything it does, it does well’. It’s proven technology explorationists can use to achieve rapid, productive results.
sIMpLe, MuLtIDIscIpLInarY worKfLows Get the Job Done faster anD bettertarget speeds up exploration geology, from target selection to mine development
simplifying advanced geochemical analysis
SEMPlot workflow a solution for diamond geochemistry Geosoft recently provided diamond explorers with a unique new tool - SEMPlot (Scanning Electron Microscopy) geochemistry workflow, now included within Geosoft’s geochemistry software.
Rio Tinto Exploration, a world leader in finding, mining and processing the earth’s mineral resources, developed SEMPlot with Geosoft to analyze Kimberlite indicator minerals. This is standard practice in diamond exploration. With SEMPlot, geologists import the data, identify the mineral grains based on their chemistry, display selected grains on discriminating graphs, and interactively reclassify them. They can analyze large volumes of microprobe data, and quickly produce spatial maps, graphical maps and plots.
“SEMPlot allows the data to be displayed in a graphical format, so it can be effectively interpreted,” says Andy Lloyd, Rio Tinto Exploration project geologist in South Africa. “Its ability to manage data in excess of a million data points, with ease and simplicity, makes it a very powerful tool.”
Dynamic linking capabilities are another benefit. “You can click onto a point in a geological map where you have a sample and see how it plots in terms of its mineral chemistry, or look at various geochemical displays and see where they fall on the ground,” says Dr. Chris Smith, diamond consultant to Rio Tinto. “I’m not aware of any other commercially-available package that can do that.”
Today geochemical investigations, including surface and subsurface investigations, are an integral component of geoscience exploration projects.
Understanding the wealth of chemical information buried in the liquids, gases, and mineral deposits of rock enables scientists to put together broad-based theories about the way the earth is changing; helps environmental management companies decide how to dispose of a toxic or hazardous substance; and steers mining companies towards use of natural resources with minimum environmental impact. Geochemical data is also essential for creating single element anomaly maps, analyzing multi-element samples, recognizing geochemical associations and – most significantly – cost-effectively creating better-defined exploration targets.
Designed to meet the needs of rigorous geochemical analysis, Geosoft’s Geochemistry software provides a completely integrated toolset for validating, analyzing and visualizing geochemical data, within one software environment.
This software helps geoscientists confirm the validity and quality of geochemical data by enabling them to view qualitative and quantitative assessment in context with other data sets. In addition to QA/QC tools, its variety of geochemical analysis functions includes summary statistics reports, histograms, scattergrams, ternary plots, probability analysis, correlation plots and principle component analysis.
For rapid assessments and experimentation with data in real time, its processing engine can run numerous filters and processes on data. You can combine a region’s geochemistry, geology, geophysics and other data onto a single dynamically-linked map or set of maps, in 2D or 3D. Geosoft’s robust mapping features and simple workflow enable users to quickly create multiple and varied types of maps, including gridded maps, surface maps, posted value and sub-location maps.
Bottom line: the software’s ability to integrate all data sets, analyze for statistical variation and relationships, conduct interactive graphical analysis of the statistics and present this information on maps enables geoscientists to make decisions faster, more accurately, and with an easily traceable path for due diligence.
18 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 19
SUB SURFACE
Louis racic and tim Millis, Mapping the subsurface in esrI arcGIs: new technoLoGY anD technIques extenD subsurface vIewInG capabILItIes. has It reaLLY becoMe thIs fast anD easY?
subsurface mapping in Mining, oil & Gas and environmental
New subsurface 3D viewer in ArcGIS Released worldwide, Geosoft’s Target for ArcGIS is used to visualize data from a range of industry applications and provides workflows for a variety of geoscientists including geologists, geophysicists, exploration managers and environmental scientists. Geosoft’s latest release of Target for ArcGIS includes a subsurface 3D viewer that can interactively zoom, pan, rotate, slice and otherwise manipulate 3D views of drill holes and geophysical models represented by 2D grids, Surpac™ STR or DTM data and Datamine™ Wireframe and block models. It allows users to easily update, modify or enhance 3D data, or import commonly-used XYZ data models such as acQuire or purpose built models in spreadsheets or databases. Import of 3D models such as GoCAD™ voxets, UBC data models and now Datamine block models has been added to the workflow. Users can create vertically- or horizontally-exaggerated perspectives to provide real world views of their subsurface data using simple tools added to the workflow.
These industry examples demonstrate how surface and subsurface data from different geoscience disciplines are processed, visualized, and presented within the ArcMap environment.
GIS for Mining ExplorationDisplay subsurface drilling data within your GIS at any stage in the exploration process – from a few drillholes at the early stage of an exploration programme, right through to thousands of drillholes during the advanced stages of exploration drilling. The addition of 3D visualization to the traditional 2D has enhanced the display of subsurface drillholes and ore body models in plans, sections, grids and 3D grids.
Deep Sea DrillingFor Deep Sea Drilling projects, you can present data normally visualized on a map or a set of separate maps in an integrated fashion. Subsurface visualization within GIS enables integration of deep-sea drilling observations in a graphical format, with their locality data on a visually meaningful bathymetric map, along with the data from which the bathymetry was derived. You can present the same drilling data on cross-sectional views across the study area to give a sense of sea floor changes in geology and chemistry.
Environmental Management: Oil Spill ContaminationGIS functionality in mapping the plants, soils, and water of a region makes it invaluable to mines in processing and presenting the environmental impact that may be caused by mining activities, as well as reclamation efforts. Geoscientists can process and present environmental impact and monitoring studies using well monitoring and subsurface sampling with other information, such as groundwater levels and geological strata controls.
Full article available online http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Geoscientists are increasingly called upon to edit and refresh subsurface information based on new data, and to combine datasets collected in a variety of formats. In recent years we’ve seen increasing integration of specialized subsurface geology software, like Geosoft’s Target for ArcGIS, with broad-based GIS systems. These new technologies have simplified and extended subsurface viewing capabilities within ESRI’s ArcGIS environment. The mapping of the Earth’s subsurface is critical to understanding our capabilities and limitations in mineral exploration, oil and gas resource definition, and environmental management. But until recently, visualizing beneath the Earth’s surface within GIS has been a complex technical challenge. There is the data challenge. Mining exploration companies work with huge quantities of geological, geochemical, and geophysical data. Expert handling and visualizing of these multiple data sets and maps has typically required specialized, standalone software. And there is the efficiency challenge. New applications such as Target for ArcGIS have simplified and added new capabilities for the visualization, interpretation and analysis of drillhole, borehole, or monitoring well data sets, allowing processing of this data within GIS, as well as presenting the data in a meaningful and appropriate fashion.
Subsurface viewing: the latest generationToday’s GIS subsurface visualization tools allow geoscientists to integrate data normally visualized on a map or a set of separate maps. Users can manipulate a large volume of surface and subsurface geochemistry, geophysics, and geology data in 3D within a single transparently-linked interactive environment. They can augment the drilling results or the environment where the data was collected. They can plot geochemical surface data and query geological mapping regions. Armed with these tools, geologists can integrate all available data at every stage of an exploration program to gain a better understanding of the underlying subsurface geology, verify their assumptions, and share their ideas with others on their exploration teams.
Improving earth exploration decision-makingGeologists, explorationists and environmental scientists alike can use GIS to create, access, display and analyze subsurface geoscience data sets. They can display subsurface drillhole, borehole or well data in level plans, sections, logs and in 3D views. These are important additions to their ability to use GIS to grid or contour surface or subsurface datasets, import geophysical images, plot and attribute geochemical data, query geological mapping regions, and map claim boundaries. The numerous capabilities in integrating, presenting, and analyzing surface and subsurface data within a GIS environment – in 2D and in 3D –will continue to result in more focused and efficient earth exploration efforts as well as better decisions.
Louis racic is Geosoft’s Director, product Management, and tim Millis is senior Geologist, rio Doce australia, cvrD Group
18 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section 19
SUB SURFACE
Louis racic and tim Millis, Mapping the subsurface in esrI arcGIs: new technoLoGY anD technIques extenD subsurface vIewInG capabILItIes. has It reaLLY becoMe thIs fast anD easY?
subsurface mapping in Mining, oil & Gas and environmental
New subsurface 3D viewer in ArcGIS Released worldwide, Geosoft’s Target for ArcGIS is used to visualize data from a range of industry applications and provides workflows for a variety of geoscientists including geologists, geophysicists, exploration managers and environmental scientists. Geosoft’s latest release of Target for ArcGIS includes a subsurface 3D viewer that can interactively zoom, pan, rotate, slice and otherwise manipulate 3D views of drill holes and geophysical models represented by 2D grids, Surpac™ STR or DTM data and Datamine™ Wireframe and block models. It allows users to easily update, modify or enhance 3D data, or import commonly-used XYZ data models such as acQuire or purpose built models in spreadsheets or databases. Import of 3D models such as GoCAD™ voxets, UBC data models and now Datamine block models has been added to the workflow. Users can create vertically- or horizontally-exaggerated perspectives to provide real world views of their subsurface data using simple tools added to the workflow.
These industry examples demonstrate how surface and subsurface data from different geoscience disciplines are processed, visualized, and presented within the ArcMap environment.
GIS for Mining ExplorationDisplay subsurface drilling data within your GIS at any stage in the exploration process – from a few drillholes at the early stage of an exploration programme, right through to thousands of drillholes during the advanced stages of exploration drilling. The addition of 3D visualization to the traditional 2D has enhanced the display of subsurface drillholes and ore body models in plans, sections, grids and 3D grids.
Deep Sea DrillingFor Deep Sea Drilling projects, you can present data normally visualized on a map or a set of separate maps in an integrated fashion. Subsurface visualization within GIS enables integration of deep-sea drilling observations in a graphical format, with their locality data on a visually meaningful bathymetric map, along with the data from which the bathymetry was derived. You can present the same drilling data on cross-sectional views across the study area to give a sense of sea floor changes in geology and chemistry.
Environmental Management: Oil Spill ContaminationGIS functionality in mapping the plants, soils, and water of a region makes it invaluable to mines in processing and presenting the environmental impact that may be caused by mining activities, as well as reclamation efforts. Geoscientists can process and present environmental impact and monitoring studies using well monitoring and subsurface sampling with other information, such as groundwater levels and geological strata controls.
Full article available online http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Geoscientists are increasingly called upon to edit and refresh subsurface information based on new data, and to combine datasets collected in a variety of formats. In recent years we’ve seen increasing integration of specialized subsurface geology software, like Geosoft’s Target for ArcGIS, with broad-based GIS systems. These new technologies have simplified and extended subsurface viewing capabilities within ESRI’s ArcGIS environment. The mapping of the Earth’s subsurface is critical to understanding our capabilities and limitations in mineral exploration, oil and gas resource definition, and environmental management. But until recently, visualizing beneath the Earth’s surface within GIS has been a complex technical challenge. There is the data challenge. Mining exploration companies work with huge quantities of geological, geochemical, and geophysical data. Expert handling and visualizing of these multiple data sets and maps has typically required specialized, standalone software. And there is the efficiency challenge. New applications such as Target for ArcGIS have simplified and added new capabilities for the visualization, interpretation and analysis of drillhole, borehole, or monitoring well data sets, allowing processing of this data within GIS, as well as presenting the data in a meaningful and appropriate fashion.
Subsurface viewing: the latest generationToday’s GIS subsurface visualization tools allow geoscientists to integrate data normally visualized on a map or a set of separate maps. Users can manipulate a large volume of surface and subsurface geochemistry, geophysics, and geology data in 3D within a single transparently-linked interactive environment. They can augment the drilling results or the environment where the data was collected. They can plot geochemical surface data and query geological mapping regions. Armed with these tools, geologists can integrate all available data at every stage of an exploration program to gain a better understanding of the underlying subsurface geology, verify their assumptions, and share their ideas with others on their exploration teams.
Improving earth exploration decision-makingGeologists, explorationists and environmental scientists alike can use GIS to create, access, display and analyze subsurface geoscience data sets. They can display subsurface drillhole, borehole or well data in level plans, sections, logs and in 3D views. These are important additions to their ability to use GIS to grid or contour surface or subsurface datasets, import geophysical images, plot and attribute geochemical data, query geological mapping regions, and map claim boundaries. The numerous capabilities in integrating, presenting, and analyzing surface and subsurface data within a GIS environment – in 2D and in 3D –will continue to result in more focused and efficient earth exploration efforts as well as better decisions.
Louis racic is Geosoft’s Director, product Management, and tim Millis is senior Geologist, rio Doce australia, cvrD Group
�0 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section �1
PRODUCT REVIEW
oasis montaj mapping and processing system
oasIs MontaJ GM-sYs for oasIs MontaJ
Oasis montaj Extensions
The montaj™ Induced Polarization extension performs a variety of tasks on your IP data including import, quality control, processing, gridding, and plotting. Import, perform basic quality control, process, and present data from both time and frequency domain surveys. Import time-domain or frequency-domain data in Zonge, Iris, Scintrex, Phoenix and Geosoft formats.
Geochemistry and Target Drillhole exten-sions are also available for Oasis montaj. See details of this software on page 22.
montaj GridKnitStitching together grids, particularly if they have different values at grid locations along the path, used to be time-consuming and expensive. Geosoft has made it fast and easy. Even if the grids don’t share the same cell sizes, origins, or even geographic projections, you can quickly re-project and re-sample the second grid to match the spatial properties of the first grid. GridKnit creates a midway path that defines the area or areas of overlap between the two grids, or you can define it manually. If the grid values are the same for both grids along this path, you’re done.
If there’s a difference between the values at the grid locations along the path, Geosoft software tools use the “magic” of stitching to modify the grids in the vicinity of the path. Essentially, the software makes corrections near the join, and smoothly extends these corrections out to the full extent of the correction width you specify. In most cases, the original discontinuity between the grids disappears.
praGa3 raDIoMetrIcs for oasIs MontaJ
Oasis montaj ExtensionsThe montaj™ Geophysics extension provides a range of filters and statistical tools for working with large-volume geophysical data. Spatial 1D Filters enable field geophysicists to process data by applying a variety of spaced-domain filters (linear and non-linear). The 1D FFT Filter enables you to apply a variety of Fourier domain filters to one-dimensional (line) potential field and other data. A variety of geostatistical tools provide the ability for summary and advanced statistics, including histogram, scatter and triplot analysis, and the ability to subset data based on code or map group classification.
The montaj™ MAGMAP Filtering extension provides a 2D-FFT filter library to allow the application of common Fourier domain filters to gridded data in Oasis montaj. MAGMAP rapidly processes and enhances gridded datasets by applying a wide range of robust geophysical and mathematical filters, including nth order derivatives, upward and downward continuations, region/residual separations, and conversion between directional field components.
The montaj™ Grav/Mag Interpretation extension includes Euler 3D Deconvolution processing routines to automatically locate and determine depth for gridded magnetic and gravity data. The extension also includes the Keating Magnetic Correlation Coefficients tool for Kimberlite Exploration. A Source Edge Detection (SED) tool is included for locating edges (e.g. geological contacts) or peaks from potential field data by analyzing the local gradients.
The montaj™ Airborne Quality Control extension provides essential tools for planning an airborne survey and meeting basic tender specifications. It includes flight path planning tools, the ability to monitor the survey progress, and streamlined quality control (QC) tools.
The montaj™ Geophysics Levelling extension includes advanced tools for processing and enhancing airborne magnetic and other geophysical data. It provides a step-by-step methodology for accomplishing a variety of levelling and correction tasks. The Microlevelling toolkit enables you to perform microlevelling corrections on line-based data.
The montaj™ UX-Detect extension provides unique capabilities for locating and analyzing UXO targets based on magnetic (total field and gradiometer) and electromagnetic data. It also provides depth, size and apparent weight calculations to further characterize UXO targets. UX-Detect is used to quickly locate the ground position of potential UXO targets and narrow these selections to a final target list.
The montaj™ Gravity and Terrain Correction extension provides a complete system for processing and reducing gravity data from conventional ground surveys and ZLS airborne surveys. Apply terrain corrections from digital elevation models (DEMs) or gridded elevation data.
The Praga3 Radiometrics extension enables you to map and process airborne and ground gamma-ray spectrometry data acquired by modern spectrometers using NaI(Tl) detectors. This feature-rich, GUI-oriented software was specifically developed to perform whole spectrum gamma-ray data processing, consistent with the latest developments in the theory and instrumentation of gamma-ray spectrometry. The full-spectrum technique includes a complete system of spectrum background removal. Aircraft, cosmic and radon background components can be separately adjusted by the user with the control of experimental calibration constants.
Data can be displayed and analyzed on a spectrum-by-spectrum basis, allowing the user to evaluate the applicability of special processing methods such as spectrum-fitting or principal component analysis. There is a choice of relative (count rate) or absolute (activity, exposure and dose rates) outputs for all window, spectrum-fitting and principal component/window techniques. Another key aspect is the integration of the gamma-ray processing application with a gridding profile/grid viewer capability, for challenging tasks such as radon removal and man-made nuclide detection where multiple processing cycles are usually necessary. The Pico-Radiation-Air-to-Ground-Algorithm (PRAGA3) software was developed by Pico Envirotec and Spectronica.
GM-SYS profile modeling and GMSYS-3D modeling extensions, developed by Geosoft business partner Northwest Geophysical Associates (NGA), add powerful grav/mag visualization and specialized data modeling, compilation and interpretation functionality to the Oasis montaj environment. GM-SYS Profile Modeling is an interactive gravity and magnetic profile modeling program that enables users to create a geologic model of the subsurface and compare the model’s gravity and magnetic response to observed gravity and magnetic measurements. GMSYS-3D is an interactive 3D gravity and magnetic modeling software program that enables users to design three dimensional models to accurately depict subsurface structures, and calculate their gravity and magnetic responses. A SEG-Y Reader enables the integration of seismic data in SEG-Y format with Oasis montaj geospatial data and GM-SYS Profile and GMSYS-3D gravity and magnetic models. Additionally, GMSYS-3D has the capability to build time-based models and easily convert them to depth models.
Geosoft’s Oasis montaj™ is powerful mapping and processing software designed to meet the rigorous demands of earth science investigations and exploration.
The Oasis montaj software provides an optimal environment for integrating, viewing and comparing large-volume geophysical, geochemical and geological data. It accelerates data analysis to support effective interpretation and target selection in daily decision making.
Using montaj, geoscientists can efficiently import, view, process, and share earth science datasets, grids and images within one integrated environment. The Oasis
montaj software package includes a rich set of built-in data import, processing, visualization, mapping and editing, and integration capabilities. It features Geosoft’s complete library of basic and advanced gridding utilities, and plotting functionality.
A variety of montaj extensions are available for advanced geophysics and geochemical data processing, analysis and quality control, making Oasis montaj one of the most robust and comprehensive geoscience mapping and processing systems in the world.
The free Geosoft montaj viewer enables you to share Geosoft data within your company, and the larger geoscience community. Software plug-ins are available for ER Mapper, ArcGIS and MapInfo, providing superior connectivity between your montaj mapping software and your GIS, remote sensing or specialized software applications.
�0 Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS 1•800•363•MAPS www.Geosoft.com Sponsorship Section �1
PRODUCT REVIEW
oasis montaj mapping and processing system
oasIs MontaJ GM-sYs for oasIs MontaJ
Oasis montaj Extensions
The montaj™ Induced Polarization extension performs a variety of tasks on your IP data including import, quality control, processing, gridding, and plotting. Import, perform basic quality control, process, and present data from both time and frequency domain surveys. Import time-domain or frequency-domain data in Zonge, Iris, Scintrex, Phoenix and Geosoft formats.
Geochemistry and Target Drillhole exten-sions are also available for Oasis montaj. See details of this software on page 22.
montaj GridKnitStitching together grids, particularly if they have different values at grid locations along the path, used to be time-consuming and expensive. Geosoft has made it fast and easy. Even if the grids don’t share the same cell sizes, origins, or even geographic projections, you can quickly re-project and re-sample the second grid to match the spatial properties of the first grid. GridKnit creates a midway path that defines the area or areas of overlap between the two grids, or you can define it manually. If the grid values are the same for both grids along this path, you’re done.
If there’s a difference between the values at the grid locations along the path, Geosoft software tools use the “magic” of stitching to modify the grids in the vicinity of the path. Essentially, the software makes corrections near the join, and smoothly extends these corrections out to the full extent of the correction width you specify. In most cases, the original discontinuity between the grids disappears.
praGa3 raDIoMetrIcs for oasIs MontaJ
Oasis montaj ExtensionsThe montaj™ Geophysics extension provides a range of filters and statistical tools for working with large-volume geophysical data. Spatial 1D Filters enable field geophysicists to process data by applying a variety of spaced-domain filters (linear and non-linear). The 1D FFT Filter enables you to apply a variety of Fourier domain filters to one-dimensional (line) potential field and other data. A variety of geostatistical tools provide the ability for summary and advanced statistics, including histogram, scatter and triplot analysis, and the ability to subset data based on code or map group classification.
The montaj™ MAGMAP Filtering extension provides a 2D-FFT filter library to allow the application of common Fourier domain filters to gridded data in Oasis montaj. MAGMAP rapidly processes and enhances gridded datasets by applying a wide range of robust geophysical and mathematical filters, including nth order derivatives, upward and downward continuations, region/residual separations, and conversion between directional field components.
The montaj™ Grav/Mag Interpretation extension includes Euler 3D Deconvolution processing routines to automatically locate and determine depth for gridded magnetic and gravity data. The extension also includes the Keating Magnetic Correlation Coefficients tool for Kimberlite Exploration. A Source Edge Detection (SED) tool is included for locating edges (e.g. geological contacts) or peaks from potential field data by analyzing the local gradients.
The montaj™ Airborne Quality Control extension provides essential tools for planning an airborne survey and meeting basic tender specifications. It includes flight path planning tools, the ability to monitor the survey progress, and streamlined quality control (QC) tools.
The montaj™ Geophysics Levelling extension includes advanced tools for processing and enhancing airborne magnetic and other geophysical data. It provides a step-by-step methodology for accomplishing a variety of levelling and correction tasks. The Microlevelling toolkit enables you to perform microlevelling corrections on line-based data.
The montaj™ UX-Detect extension provides unique capabilities for locating and analyzing UXO targets based on magnetic (total field and gradiometer) and electromagnetic data. It also provides depth, size and apparent weight calculations to further characterize UXO targets. UX-Detect is used to quickly locate the ground position of potential UXO targets and narrow these selections to a final target list.
The montaj™ Gravity and Terrain Correction extension provides a complete system for processing and reducing gravity data from conventional ground surveys and ZLS airborne surveys. Apply terrain corrections from digital elevation models (DEMs) or gridded elevation data.
The Praga3 Radiometrics extension enables you to map and process airborne and ground gamma-ray spectrometry data acquired by modern spectrometers using NaI(Tl) detectors. This feature-rich, GUI-oriented software was specifically developed to perform whole spectrum gamma-ray data processing, consistent with the latest developments in the theory and instrumentation of gamma-ray spectrometry. The full-spectrum technique includes a complete system of spectrum background removal. Aircraft, cosmic and radon background components can be separately adjusted by the user with the control of experimental calibration constants.
Data can be displayed and analyzed on a spectrum-by-spectrum basis, allowing the user to evaluate the applicability of special processing methods such as spectrum-fitting or principal component analysis. There is a choice of relative (count rate) or absolute (activity, exposure and dose rates) outputs for all window, spectrum-fitting and principal component/window techniques. Another key aspect is the integration of the gamma-ray processing application with a gridding profile/grid viewer capability, for challenging tasks such as radon removal and man-made nuclide detection where multiple processing cycles are usually necessary. The Pico-Radiation-Air-to-Ground-Algorithm (PRAGA3) software was developed by Pico Envirotec and Spectronica.
GM-SYS profile modeling and GMSYS-3D modeling extensions, developed by Geosoft business partner Northwest Geophysical Associates (NGA), add powerful grav/mag visualization and specialized data modeling, compilation and interpretation functionality to the Oasis montaj environment. GM-SYS Profile Modeling is an interactive gravity and magnetic profile modeling program that enables users to create a geologic model of the subsurface and compare the model’s gravity and magnetic response to observed gravity and magnetic measurements. GMSYS-3D is an interactive 3D gravity and magnetic modeling software program that enables users to design three dimensional models to accurately depict subsurface structures, and calculate their gravity and magnetic responses. A SEG-Y Reader enables the integration of seismic data in SEG-Y format with Oasis montaj geospatial data and GM-SYS Profile and GMSYS-3D gravity and magnetic models. Additionally, GMSYS-3D has the capability to build time-based models and easily convert them to depth models.
Geosoft’s Oasis montaj™ is powerful mapping and processing software designed to meet the rigorous demands of earth science investigations and exploration.
The Oasis montaj software provides an optimal environment for integrating, viewing and comparing large-volume geophysical, geochemical and geological data. It accelerates data analysis to support effective interpretation and target selection in daily decision making.
Using montaj, geoscientists can efficiently import, view, process, and share earth science datasets, grids and images within one integrated environment. The Oasis
montaj software package includes a rich set of built-in data import, processing, visualization, mapping and editing, and integration capabilities. It features Geosoft’s complete library of basic and advanced gridding utilities, and plotting functionality.
A variety of montaj extensions are available for advanced geophysics and geochemical data processing, analysis and quality control, making Oasis montaj one of the most robust and comprehensive geoscience mapping and processing systems in the world.
The free Geosoft montaj viewer enables you to share Geosoft data within your company, and the larger geoscience community. Software plug-ins are available for ER Mapper, ArcGIS and MapInfo, providing superior connectivity between your montaj mapping software and your GIS, remote sensing or specialized software applications.
�� Sponsorship Section www.Geosoft.com 1•800•363•MAPS
target exploration geology software
tarGetTarget ExtensionsTarget GeochemistryGeosoft’s Target Geochemistry extension broadens Target’s processing capabilities by providing powerful analytical tools and advanced mapping techniques to handle all your surface and sub-surface geochemistry requirements. It provides multivariate data analysis for all geochemical data sets, including stream sediments, soils, rocks, water sampling and drillhole data. It also includes SEMPlot, a simple-to-use workflow for analyzing indicator mineral grain geochemistry in diamond exploration
The Target Geochemistry extension simplifies the quality control process with easy-to-use QA/QC and analysis capabilities to ensure that your geochemical data is of the highest quality. Analyse multi-element geochemistry with interactive histograms, scatter plots, probability and ternary plots to identify outliers and populations. Enhance your maps with advanced symbol plotting and data gridding techniques, as well as many advanced statistical analysis and presentation tools.
target for arcGIs subsurface geology software
tarGet for arcGIsGeosoft’s Target for ArcGIS provides a strong workflow and rich functionality for subsurface geology. It simplifies and extends your visualization and analysis of drillhole and borehole geology data within ESRI’s GIS environment.
Target for ArcGIS can process large volume drillhole data with ease and generates professional-quality maps for presentation, adding powerful spatial data mapping and processing capabilities to your GIS.
Create, recreate and display subsurface data within in plans, sections and graphical logs within ESRI’s ArcMap – in 2D or 3D – from drill holes to sections, grids, geophysical models, voxels, graphic strip log and boreholes to wells and monitoring stations.
Today’s exploration projects require software that’s powerful, flexible and easy to use. Target is all those things. It provides a strong workflow, and advanced functionality for processing, visualizing and processing your surface and subsurface data. It has superior compatibility and data format support for the leading geoscience, GIS and mine planning software – enabling easy data sharing from exploration to minesite. Target’s advantage is that it provides all this, within one, user-friendly and integrated environment.
For explorationists that work with multidisciplinary datasets, geology, geochemistry and geophysics, there is no better software choice. Target is built on Geosoft’s Oasis montaj software platform, which is the industry standard for working with geophysical data, used by many of the leading, international government Geological Surveys. You can also extend your Target software, with Geosoft’s robust Geochemistry extension. Target Geochemisty provides a complete Geochemical solution, from raw data import, QA/QC and mapping to advanced statistical analysis.
Geosoft product catalog available online http://earthexplorer.geosoft.com
Copyright©2006 Geosoft Inc. All rights reserved. Geosoft is a registered trademark, and Target and Oasis montaj are trademarks of Geosoft Inc. Other brand and product names mentioned herein are properties of their respective trademark owners.