Design of a GIS Database for Surface Mining

Abstract

The mining industry is the branch that provides necessary mineral raw materials for a whole series of economic activities, with the main beneficiaries being the energy industry (through coal consumers), companies specialized in the processing of uranium concentrates, chemical industry, food industry, construction materials industry, non-ferrous metallurgical industry, etc. Thus, in accordance with the Romanian mining industry strategy 2017-2035, one of the objectives of the industrial policy in the mining field in Romania is the development and implementation of a database system for the mining sector. Specifically, the goal consists in a development of a tool for tracking and implementing the Mining Law, which allows the collection, storage, administration, modification and analysis of data regarding licenses and permits. At the same time, the development of a visualization and geographic information system (GIS) of mining exploration and exploitation perimeters, as support for the promotion of concessions for mineral resources, is being pursued. In this way, there is a tendency towards the automated and computerized management of the production processes. The development of such systems with practical applicability requires the design, development, and implementation of specific models and databases. The structure and quality of the designed data models directly influence the exploitability and analytical capability of the systems. This paper analyzes the possibilities of designing and implementing a database for the management of the surface mining activities. In the first part of the paper, the basic principles regarding the design and population of databases are presented, as well as their correlation with user requirements and exploitation needs. In the second part, a data model was proposed for the management of mining activities, in accordance with the main stages in the life cycle of a mining operation. In the end, several scenarios for the exploitation of GIS databases were presented, as well as their interconnection with data sources external to the system.