Enhanced Active Map Explorer service

The Active Map Explorer web-service designed for exploration companies and others looking for detailed information on Finland’s geology has recently been updated. Thanks to a new user interface, visitors to the site can now find the information they need easier and faster than before.

Development work on Active Map Explorer began around 10 years ago after Pekka Nurmi, today Research Director of the GTK, had underlined the importance of developing online services to meet the needs of the exploration industry. It did not take long for the first version of the site to see the light of day once the initial decision had been taken. The basic cartographical data needed and a user interface to access it was purchased from Karttakeskus.

– The site initially focused mainly on land tenure, regional geology, geophysics and drilling data. Today, it also includes more detailed geophysical and bedrock maps, as well as maps covering nature conservation areas and data on mines and ore bodies, says Chief Geologist Jouni Vuollo of the Northern Finland Office of the GTK.

Vuollo says that the amount of data available today made a new version of the service essential.

The previous version could not always provide the information that people were looking for due to the sheer amount of data that had been fed into the site’s database. The updated version has been developed using a new software platform, which will make it easier to use, particularly for people familiar with GIS software.

– The site contains information on both old and operational mines, as well as basic data on around 20,000 ore bolders and showings. Users can now quickly drill down to the information they need, despite the size of the database, continues Vuollo.

In addition to geological information, the site also keeps users up-to-date on land tenure and other issues affecting exploration activities, such as the location of Natura 2000 and other protected areas.

Exploploration boom continues

Although exploration companies are the most important single user of the Active Map Explorer site, many private individuals interested in prospecting and geology generally also visit the site. The number of Exploration Finland site visits total some 360,000 a year and around 200,000 had visited the site by August 2009. The new Active Map Explorer site has had downloads about 15,000 from March through September 2009.

Both exploration companies and private individuals have a role to play in discovering new deposits and laying the ground for opening up new mines. The increased interest in exploration that has been seen in Finland in recent years has produced results. Digital map services have also played a part in discovering new gold deposits, for example.

– At the moment, explorers looking at opportunities in Finland are focusing on gold, nickel, and iron deposits in particular, and comprehensive, easily accessible geological data is an essential tool in their work, says Jouni Vuollo.

The exploration boom that got under way in Finland around 10 years ago shows no sign of ending. Exploration work remains relatively active, despite the global economic downturn.

A source of official information as well

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy is responsible for maintaining Finland’s mining register, which covers all claims and concessions, and is the official reporting service for this data, which makes it an essential source of information for exploration companies. This official information, together with scanned claim reports filed with the Ministry after claims have expired, can all be accessed via the Active Map Explorer.

When a exploration company decides to start exploring in an area in which it has staked a claim, the geological information and other data on past claims contained in the Active Map Explorer database can be very useful in getting things started.

– The new version of Active Map Explorer launched in February 2009 is quite similar to GIS software in terms of its functionality, and much easier to use than the first version. The new, up-to-date maps in the system mean that it is now possible to plot locations in much greater detail than before, explains Eero Lampio, Senior Systems Analyst at the GTK, who was closely involved in developing both the first and second versions of the Active Map Explorer.

The service has been available only in English from the start. – Running the system in English makes it easier for users from different countries to communicate with each other, Lampio says.

The service is being developed on a continuous basis, says Eero Lampio, with new material added and existing material updated where appropriate.

– The next stage will be to upload GTK’s latest bedrock and soil maps, which have just been completed. We will also be adding new geochemical and aerogeophysical survey data.

TEXT Vesa Tompuri