Lessons from the past
Gathering
historical data
Old maps and historical information have become extremely useful for mining companies.
Retaining original
historical documents
is a requirement
for audits and due
diligence; however, it
also contains a treasure
chest of information
about forgotten mineral
deposits, writes Nicolaas
C. Steenkamp.
M
ining houses normally
have a substantial
amount of historical
information about operations that
has been collected over decades.
It is a challenge to capture this
data electronically. Older forms
of data that has been captured is
only available in formats that are
not readable on current software
or on data storage devices. This
information is invaluable and cannot
be replaced if lost.
Hard copies and handwritten
records should be captured by
scanning all the documents to create
an auditable backup to the fading
or degrading of original documents.
Historical core logs, face-and-
pillar books, peg data books, and
similar type of documents should
be preserved. It is important that
data is captured to be used on
all platforms. Historical records
written in other languages should
be translated and captured in the
standard business language of the
company, to make it accessible to all
interested and involved parties.
The data can be captured in-house
or the function can be outsourced.
The service provider will scan and
backup all the documents. Hard
copies of the original documents
are required to be stored off site
at a reputable document storage