Addresses industry concerns over ‘data mining’
| Date: | Monday, 16 February 2015 |
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DMP has moved to address industry concerns over ‘data mining’ of State Government computer systems.
The Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) has moved to address industry concerns over ‘data mining’ of State Government computer systems.
A number of prospectors have expressed concern over the prevalence of large companies using special software to ‘crunch’ DMP online systems, in a bid to gain an advantage in securing surrendered tenements.
DMP’s Executive Director of Mineral Titles Dr Ivor Roberts said ‘data mining’ had become so intense it was disrupting the department’s online systems.
“To ensure equity, over the next few months the department will establish an online system where availability of tenements will be provided free of charge, following the registration of surrender,” Dr Roberts said.
The information will be visible to everyone at the same time, via the department’s website and distributed as a RSS feed, similar to the public lodgement notification of new tenement applications.
Additionally, detailed and cost-free tenement information from the department’s systems will be available for download the following day, alleviating the need for large companies to trawl through the department’s online systems for compliance purposes.
“This will help companies audit and manage their tenements for compliance as well as determine when ground is available, without the need for ‘data mining’,” Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion said.
“The data will not, however, include any pre-registration information that may indicate the surrender of a tenement.”
The online modifications follow extensive consultation with industry.
‘Data mining’ of DMP’s Mineral Titles online systems is a breach of their terms and conditions of use.
