Current Activities of the Abandoned-Underground-Mines GIS for Ohio

Banks, Charles E., James Mcdonald, Douglas L. Crowell, Lawrence H. Wickstrom
Ohio Division of Geological Survey, Columbus, OH

Abandoned underground mines present a hazard to the public and the mining industry, affecting highways, buildings and potentially endangering lives. The Ohio Division of Geological Survey (ODGS), with funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), has created an abandoned underground-mines GIS to assist the mitigation efforts associated with these hazards. Current activities with the abandoned underground-mines GIS involve editing of existing data, addition of new data, and creation of applications for different user communities.

The existing GIS data set has been updated with new information. Mine attribute information is being added to the GIS, along with newly discovered mines and extensions to existing mines. Tiff images of the detailed-mine maps are being georeferenced. These activities will increase the accuracy of the GIS and allow for more advanced analysis of the data.

Applications using the abandoned-underground mines GIS have been developed for ODOT and the public. The georeferenced mine-map images are used along with the ODOT road linear-referencing system to identify locations where the roads intersect the mines. ODOT and ODGS field crews then use the intersections, roads, and mine outlines for detailed site investigations and risk assessment. An ArcIMS website using geocoding technology has been developed for use by the public. By inputting their address, the public can determine whether a mine is located underneath their property and view the mine locations, attributes such as date of abandonment, and the detailed mine-map images.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90031©2004 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Columbus, Ohio, October 3-5, 2004