Transcript IMAPS Objectives and Benefits

Institute for Mine Mapping,
Archival Procedures and
Safety (IMAPS) at IUP –
Objectives and Benefits
Presenter: John Benhart, Jr.
Chair, Dept. of Geography & Regional Planning
IUP Participating Units: Computer Science, Geography &
Regional Planning; Geosciences; IUP Libraries; Mathematics;
Safety Sciences
Partners: Senator Arlen Spector; US Dept. of Interior, Office of
Surface Mining (OSM); Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental
Protection (PADEP); CONSOL Coal, Inc.; Rosebud Mining, Inc.
Why is This Project Important?
• It will improve the safety of all future coal mining in
Pennsylvania…
– by decreasing the risk that coal operators will encounter unknown
abandoned mines
– by providing needed information about the accurate location of
abandoned mines (maps) that will be part of improved safety training
and emergency response
• It will improve services to the citizens of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania
– Mine Subsidence Insurance programs
– Community Planning
• It will provide training and experience in high-growth, highdemand fields for Pennsylvania students
– Geospatial Technology has been identified by the federal government
as a “high-growth industry” (as of 2004)
• It will contribute to economic development in the
Commonwealth
– Information useful for remining, reclamation and new mining; as well as
other types of development
Large Format Mine Maps
• 40-100+ years old, mostly canvas, up to
13-14 feet long
• Contain large amounts of very important
information, but….
• Difficult to preserve, store, and access
– The “missing link” of abandoned mine land
information
• At least 1,300 in Pennsylvania
– Around 200 in IUP’s R&P collection
Digitization of
Large Format Mine Maps
• Requires a very large scanner
– IUP Cruze device: 58” x 88”
• Multiple passes to record…even with a
large scanner
• Must be processed back into one digital
map
– Stitching of scan tiles back together
Cruze Scanner,
Stapleton Library Indiana University of
Pennsylvania
Accurately Locating
Large Format Mine Maps
• Where are abandoned mines located?
– How could we find out?
• Georeferencing digital mine maps
– The National Map/PAMAP standard
• Quantitative evaluation of locational
accuracy
– How geographically “close” are we to the real
location of abandoned mines?
13th & Phila. Sts.
1575503.674 ft. E
473059.449 ft. N
6th & Phila. Sts.
1579659.912 ft. E
472883.539 ft. N
6th & Maple Sts.
1579698.912 ft. E
469554.859 ft. N
Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company Map – Circa 1930s
13th & Phila. Sts.
1575503.674 ft. E
473059.449 ft. N
6th & Phila. Sts.
1579659.912 ft. E
472883.539 ft. N
6th & Maple Sts.
1579698.912 ft. E
469554.859 ft. N
PAMAP Imagery, Indiana, PA 2006
Result: A Web-Accessible,
Searchable, Geographicallyreferenced Database of Mine Maps
• Mine Safety, Emergency response
Implications (Ex. Quecreek)
• Mine permitting, subsidence insurance
programs
– Cooperative development with PADEP
• Improvement of mine safety regimes
• Utility to the private sector (coal, gas)
– New mining, remining, gas wells
Benefits of the Institute for Mine
Mapping, Archival Procedures, and
Safety (IMAPS) at IUP
• Almost real-time accessibility to a web-based,
searchable, locationally-accurate mine map
database
• Improved mine safety and permitting processes
• An invaluable resource for emergency response
• In-demand technology education for
Pennsylvania students (Geospatial/GIS)
• A beneficial and valuable resource to the private
sector
• A national model for dealing with mine maps
• Myriad future applications (3-D, modeling)
IMAPS Funding Sources –
To Date, Jan. 2008
• US OSM, PADEP, IUP (including match) =
$148,000
• PADEP Bureau Mine Safety = $124,690
• US Congress (Sen. Spector) = $100,000
• Consol Energy/Rosebud Mining = $55,277
• PA Dept. of Community & Econ. Dev. = $26,000
• IUP Additional Match = $56,778
• PA Geological Survey = $7,200
• TOTAL = $510,745