Joint Media Statement
For immediate release
23 November 2022
The Mandela Mining Precinct (MMP) has officially handed over the Au and PGM Resource Atlas to the Council for Geoscience (CGS). The Resource Atlas was developed by the MMP in 2018 on one of the world’s leading geographic information systems, ArcGIS, with the aim of developing mineral resource models to better understand PGM and gold mineral resource opportunities in South Africa.
ArcGIS offers several tools to facilitate streamlining data acquisition and loading processes by allowing data custodians to upload new datasets via a web interface.
“The Au and PGM Resource Atlas is the first of its kind in South Africa and gives end users access to mineral resource and reserve information on a single platform. Its purpose is to give a holistic visualisation of the remaining gold and platinum group metal mineral resources in South Africa and, ultimately, promote collaboration among mining companies to access contiguous mineable blocks using alternative mining techniques,” says MMP Director, Johan Le Roux.
Among other things, the portal enables collaboration between academia and industry, as well as mining and exploration companies. It also encourages the ongoing collection and digitisation of valuable geological data and helps familiarise undergraduate students with the PGM and Au mining industries.
To date, the Resource Atlas has been operated by the MMP through a cloud-hosting solution that consists of two virtual servers that provide the required hardware environment to securely store all the data uploaded. The ArcGIS Enterprise portal brings together all the geographic information in the ArcGIS platform and shares it with users internally throughout the organisation and openly on the web. However, to ensure success, several post-implementation tasks must be performed, including data maintenance (keeping data up to date and adding new, valuable data), change management (raising awareness, encouraging use and providing skills transfer), executive buy-in (promoting the value of the platform), among others.
The project has been completed, meeting most of the initial goals and, when managed well, the solution will succeed as a framework for supporting innovation in the mining industry, aligning it with the goals of the MMP and the National Development Plan.
“The CGS has its own server; makes use of the same service provider for the software; has its own IT support and the necessary capacity, skills and resources to maintain and grow the Resource Atlas to its full potential,” says Le Roux
The CGS welcomed the handover of the portal with enthusiasm. “We are ecstatic to take over the Au and PGM Resource Portal. The compilation of this type of database is vital for classifying the geological and geotechnical characteristics of mineral resources, with the long-term objective of reversing the deteriorating precious metal production in South Africa,” says CGS CEO Mosa Mabuza. “Moreover, this portal will complement the current geoscience data management portal, which was launched last year and has been widely used by the public to access geoscientific data and information records,” he adds.
For media queries:
Ntombenkosi Dyosop
MMP Communication Manager
Email: ndyosop@csir.co.za
Mobile: 078 174 8518
and
Mahlatse Mononela
CGS Communication and Stakeholder Relations Manager
Email: mmononela@geoscience.org.za
Mobile: 067 426 1417
About the MMP
The MMP is the largest public-private partnership of its kind in South Africa. It is a partnership between the Department of Science and Innovation and the Minerals Council South Africa. The initiative is jointly hosted and managed by the Minerals Council and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. For more information, visit www.mandelaminingprecinct.org.za
Follow us on social media:
LinkedIn: Mandela Mining Precinct
Twitter: @MindsForMines
Instagram: mmpofficial_sa
YouTube: Mandela Mining Precinct
About the CGS
The CGS is a Schedule 3A public entity established under the Geoscience Act No. 100 of 1993, as amended. It is the custodian of all onshore and offshore geoscience data and information. As part of its mandate, the CGS is tasked with promoting research and the extension of knowledge in the field of geoscience, as well as the provision of specialised geoscientific services. For more information, visit: www.geoscience.org.za
Follow us on social media:
LinkedIn: Council for Geoscience
Twitter: @CGS_RSA
Facebook: Council for Geoscience
YouTube: Council for Geoscience
