A mineral deposit modelling and assessment expert system

Presents the design and implementation of a knowledge-based system, the Queensland Mineral Deposit Expert (QMDE). The primary goal of this system is to assist in the modelling and economic assessment of potential mineral deposits in Queensland. The system produces an assessment of a mineral occurrence´s affinity to standard deposits for economic characteristics such as grade, current production tonnage, employment, and estimated mine value. These parameters are known from the mining operations that have occurred or currently are in progress at these deposits. QMDE is developed using the VP-Expert system shell. The system is affordable, can be made easily available on most personal computers, and can be enhanced with minimum effort. It has been successfully implemented in the Queensland mineral environment, and is currently being extended for specific commodity domains such as gold and copper. The system can be readily tailored to address specific mineral commodities and environments. The functions are being extended to incorporate intelligent access to large databases of facts stored on Queensland´s mineral deposits through manipulation of data models of mineral occurrence profiles and mining accident statistics