| AUSTRALIAN GEOLOGICAL
AND REMOTE SENSING SERVICES PTY. LTD.
Australian Geological and Remote Sensing Services
Pty. Ltd. (AGARSS) has announced new initiatives aimed at providing a boost to gold and
other exploration in Australia. Airborne multi-spectral data flown by Geoscan has been
available in digital form to explorers on a multi-client basis for some time. However,
AGARSS is now geometrically rectifying the data and merging the files to produce thematic
image maps at 1:50,000 scale for sale in hard copy. The same data is also being combined
to produce digital Geographic Information System databases in conjunction with Perth based
NGIS and will allow users to process the Geoscan data along with other publically
available datasets such as magnetics, digital geology and cadastral information. In areas
not covered by Geoscan, AGARSS is also promoting new multi-spectral data acquisition using
the U.S.A. based GER system.
AGARSS Pty. Ltd. specialises in the supply, processing, interpretation and application
of remotely sensed satellite and airborne multi-spectral data to mineral exploration.
Additional services are also provided to the mining industry both in Australia and
overseas and include exploration project management; conceptual studies and research; and
project identification, evaluation and acquisition.
The company is owned and managed by Bob Agar, former General Manager of Geoscan Pty.
Ltd., Exploration Manager of Carr Boyd Minerals and a geologist with over 20 years
experience in the minerals industry. In just 18 months since establishing the company, Bob
has capitalised on his extensive experience and contacts both at home and in South America
to establish a broad client base with a number of ongoing projects.
AGARSS has entered an agreement with Ashton Mining Ltd. for the exclusive right to
trade in the archival Geoscan data and has maintained a good turnover of business both in
Australia, Chile and the U.S.A. In Western Australia, AGARSS is working in Joint Venture
with NGIS to integrate the Australian Geoscan archival data into a series of
1:250,000-scale digital Geographic Information System datasets and also manages the Weld
Range Platinum Joint Venture Project on behalf of Burmine Ltd. and Dragon Mining N.L.
Meanwhile in South America, AGARSS has been greatly involved in establishing Savage
Resources in Peru and Bolivia and generating for them a number of base metal exploration
plays and continues to provide ongoing consultancy and remote sensing services. Also in
South America, AGARSS has been contracted to establish the local personnel and logistical
infrastructure for a programme of airborne remote sensing surveys on behalf of former
Geoscan rival, GER, whom AGARSS will also represent in Australia. Plans are currently
being drawn up for an operational campaign in Australia in 1996 when GER will survey areas
previously not flown by the now non-operational Geoscan instrument.
Remote sensing as applied to mineral exploration will always be the company’s
major activity and Bob believes that the production of a series of 1:50,000-scale thematic
image maps for parts of Western Australia’s goldifelds will go a long way towards
expanding the use of this technology in exploration. These maps will be geometrically
rectified and will be a spin off from the GIS work being carried out with NGIS. The maps
will allow exploration geologists to interpret the regolith directly and will provide a
framework for regional geochemical and geophysical programmes. The same images will also
highlight zones of iron, clay and silica enrichment which will assist in exploration
targetting. Bob believes that remote sensing and spectral analysis of rocks is just one of
a number of tools available to the explorationist in the search for gold or other minerals
and that it is only through the integration of all available datasets that explorationists
will be able to make the best exploration decisions. To this end, AGARSS offers clients
the option of having their project data integrated into ER-Mapper GIS packages which
enables interactive and iterative exploration and conceptual modelling.
As mineralisation becomes progressively harder to find Bob believes that successful
explorers will be smart explorers who utilise all the information and technologies
available to them in the appropriate sequence. Where satellite data is a good starting
point in some regions, airborne magnetics might be the optimum first pass tool in others
With this very much in mind, he aims to keep AGARSS fully up to date with technology while
at the same time providing clients a hands-on, cost effective and practical approach to
exploration.
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