Mining Geomatics

This paper attempts to define a name for an area of science and technology that encompasses the acquisition, processing and application of spatial data in the mining industry. A comparative study of the evolution of spatial data exchange methods between Geographic Information Systems (GISs) and General Mining Planning (GMP) software is carried out to define the problem and name it. Subsequent modifications of the acronym GIS towards the specialisation of its application in mining are then reviewed. This is followed by the identification of three terminological postulates designed to formulate constraints and rules for the creation of a new definition. The subsequent analysis identifies the nomenclatural basis of the research area of geomatics and determines its applicability in the context of mining. The results of the research made it possible to formulate a new definition of "mining geomatics". The final section of the article presents an initial proposal for an inventory of the basic concepts of mining geomatics in the form of a Body of Knowledge for mining geomatics.