**Name:** John H. DeYoung, Jr. **Position:** Chief Scientist, Minerals
Information Team\*, Eastern Region

> \* - a USGS function from 1879 to 1925; USBM function from 1925 to
> 1996; responsibility transferred back to USGS in January 1996.

**Background:**

observations on the bureau science strategy (BSS) and the roles of
minerals information therein: USGS minerals information is the source of
many of the supporting statements for the justification of the USGS
Energy and Minerals for America's Future science direction (EMd).
"Equally important \[to research\] is building upon and maintaining
long-term data sets for understanding trends in resource provenance,
occurrence, and use." The roles of minerals information activities in
the six Strategic Actions for EMd are not very clear; mainly a
supporting role in two cases, and not encompassed in the other four. The
intent of the science strategy is to "outline areas where natural
science can make substantial contributions...", and it is being
developed "at a time of global trends and rapidly evolving societal
needs that pose important natural-science challenges." But minerals
information draws heavily on economics and social sciences; it could
benefit from action items resulting from the USGS Economics and Social
Sciences Workshop convened by the Director in Williamsburg, 23-26Feb98.

no restraints or limitations scenario: the world of the USGS minerals
information production process is extremely deadline-dependent, and
staff of support projects found it difficult, if not impossible, to
embrace the scenario. For those in report-producing projects, the
response was mixed.

Team responses: "challenges in keeping up with existing work load...not
realistic to consider new projects...difficult to envision combining
processing survey responses with other USGS science...linking GIS data
on mineral production not beneficial to response rates...best contribute
to the BSS by continuing to produce timely, accurate minerals
information for input to a wide range of studies, reports and
publications and for use by policy decision makers and other addressing
important energy and mineral resource use issues of the day." . Some
project chiefs in operational science roles did not respond owing to
prior deadline responsibilities; others thought of some possibilities
documented below.

**Title:** Active mines and plants---GIS updates

**Statement of Problem:** The location of active U.S. and world mines
and plants is important to local, State, and Federal planners---those
concerned with environmental quality, economic stability, and national
security. USGS minerals information provides the most comprehensive maps
and data bases of such information for the United States. In order to
better serve the public, the existing time-consuming process should be
automated to the extent possible in both the input and output phases.

**Objectives:** Provide better spatial data for active mines and plants
updates in the United States and in major producing countries. Add coal
and uranium mines to the existing database. Automate data input and
output to the extent possible. Investigate use of existing remote
sensing data to locate mines and plants and/or determine mine and plant
status. Collaborate with other USGS projects (mrdata, energy data bases,
MYB structure tables) to gather and analyze location data.

**Work Strategy:** Core staff (GIS specialist full time and country
mineral specialist part time) for this project in the Minerals
Information Team (MIT) would be augmented by staff from other Teams (GIS
and remote sensing specialties) and science technicians (student
appointments?). About one pay period of current mineral commodity and
country mineral specialists would ensure comprehensive, up-to-date
coverage of active mineral operations worldwide. Products would be
online maps and spreadsheets, reports, briefings, oral and poster
presentations, and general use publications.

**Relevance and Impact:** USGS minerals information is the best source
for maps of active mines and plants, which will provide valuable
information layers for all six BSS science directions. This information,
if accessible and up-to-date, would be a major tool for responding to
disasters and emergency situations from local to national scale.
Economic outlooks and related national security considerations would be
a valuable application.

**Partnerships:** GIS specialists in other mineral and energy resource
Teams, MSHA, BLM, EPA, others.