Page 2001

Chapter 1

About This Volume

In This Chapter

Purpose
Organization of this Volume
General Information

Purpose
This volume of the Gemcom for Windows user manual provides you
with the following:

An overview of the Gemcom for Windows exploration and

database management functions.

Procedures and basic concepts for using exploration and

database management functions.

Organization of This Volume

Volume II: Exploration is divided into five sections: Introduction,
Workspaces, Drillholes, Polygons, and Plane Plots.

Section I: Introduction
Chapter 1: About this Volume describes this volume.

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Chapter 2: Introduction to the Exploration Modules outlines the

exploration and database management functions of the Gemcom for
Windows system, describes some of the basic concepts involved, and
illustrates the standard functions provided by the system.

Section II: Workspaces

Chapter 3: The Gemcom for Windows Workspace describes
the organization of the project, its associated database, workspaces
and files, and outlines some general database management
functions.
Chapter 4: Creating and Modifying Workspace Structures
discusses minimum workspace structures for the various types of
workspaces and outlines the procedures involved in creating a new
workspace and modifying the structures of new or existing workspaces.
Chapter 5: Importing and Merging Data outlines the
procedures for converting existing PC-XPLOR databases, and for
adding data to workspaces by importing or merging existing data
from ASCII files or from files created by other applications.
Chapter 6: Editing Data describes how the Workspace Editor can
be used to view, add and edit data in an existing workspace.
Chapter 7: Extracting Data describes the Gemcom for Windows
extraction file, its uses, and the procedure for creating it.
Chapter 8: Validating Data discusses the reasons for validating
data and outlines the procedures for performing the two types of
data validation processes available in Gemcom for Windows.
Chapter 9: Filters and Key Indices describes the uses of filters
and key indices in defining subsets of data from a workspace and
outlines procedures for their creation.
Chapter 10: Reports discusses the various types of reports that
can be generated using Gemcom for Windows, describes how to
create or modify a report formatting macro using the reporting

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language (the syntax and set of commands you can use to format
workspace reports), and outlines the procedures involved in report
creation.
Chapter 11: Data Manipulation describes the various options
available for manipulating workspace data by calculating new data
values from existing data values.
Chapter 12: Statistical Analysis describes how to prepare
statistical analyses, frequency distribution analyses, and
multivariate analyses of data within a workspace, and then use the
information to create a variety of graphs in QuickGraf.
Chapter 13: Semi-Variogram Analysis discusses two types of
semi-variograms and explains how to create experimental semivariograms from data in the workspace.
Chapter 14: QuickGraf describes the QuickGraf utility and its
functions and discusses the use of linear and semi-variogram models.

Section III: Drillholes

Chapter 15: Working with Drillholes outlines functions
available on the Drillhole menu in Gemcom for Windows.
Chapter 16: Drillhole Compositing discusses the methods
available for drillhole compositing, including compositing from
existing workspace data only, and compositing from the
intersections of drillholes and surfaces or solids.

Section IV: Polygons

Chapter 17: Polygons and Outlines discusses how polygon and
working outlines are used and defined and describes methods of
loading and saving polygons.
Chapter 18: Working with Polygons describes various methods
for creating, modifying and identifying polygons, intersecting and
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merging existing polygons to create new polygons, and viewing

polygons and associated attributes and calculations.

Section V: Plane Plots

Chapter 19: Creating Plane Plots briefly describes the types of
plane plot GGP files that can be created using Gemcom for
Windows and outlines the procedures for selecting planes for GGP
plots, creating surface topography/vertical section intersection
plots, and viewing and printing the prepared plot files.
Chapter 20: Symbol Plane Plots explains how to make surface
maps, plan views and sections that show symbols and text at the
locations of points defined in the active workspace.
Chapter 21: Drillhole Plane Plots describes how to make surface
maps, plan views and sections displaying drillhole traces that are
annotated with data from the workspace.
Chapter 22: Polygon Plane Plots outlines the procedures for
plotting digizited polygons on surface maps, plan views or sections.
Chapter 23: Structure Maps describes how to make surface maps
and plan views that display special symbols describing the
geological structures at points defined in the workspace.
Chapter 24: Gridding and Contouring discusses how to use data
interpolation methods to create a regular grid over the area covered by
the workspace, and then produce a contour map from that grid.

General Information
For overall information about the Gemcom for Windows User
Manual, including organization, conventions, technical suport
contacts, and master index, see the Manual Guide & Master Index
booklet.

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Chapter 2

Introduction to Exploration
In this Chapter

Introduction
The Exploration Functions

Introduction
The Exploration functions in Gemcom for Windows provide the
user with integrated tools for data management and data and
graphical analysis of exploration and other spatial data within a
specific project. Gemcom for Windows uses the Microsoft Accesscompatible Jet OLE industry-standard database engine to manage
project databases. The Jet engine is fast and reliable, and allows
you to access your Gemcom for Windows database from other
compatible database management applications.
Gemcom for Windows is designed to store, manage, report, display,
and analyze, both statistically and geostatistically, any type of
spatial data combined with any qualitative or quantitative data.
Spatial data is categorized into four generic data types:

Point data. Individual samples at unique locations: geological

data, structural data, geochemical analyses, assay data and
environmental data.

Traverse data. Individual samples at points or intervals

grouped along straight lines: trenches, surface cut lines,
underground adits, straight or vertical drillholes.

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Drillhole data. Individual samples at points or intervals

grouped along deviating lines: drillholes, underground
haulages.

Polygon data. Individual samples interpolated as or

represented within polygons with known coordinates: claim
boundaries, orebodies.

These data types are stored in user-defined structures within the

database called workspaces. The Gemcom for Windows workspace
structure is very flexible, however, and workspaces are not
restricted to the above types of data. A fifth category of data, Other
Data, is included for this possibility, allowing you to define a
unique workspace structure to fit your data.

Database Management
Gemcom for Windows allows you to store a wide range of data by
creating a virtually unlimited number of workspaces within one
project database, and provides you with a number of tools and
features for managing the data within these workspaces:

Flexible structure definition, including an easy-to-use Wizard

for creating new workspaces;

Variety of data types;

Onscreen data entry and editing;

Import facilities for loading data from text files and other
applications;

Comprehensive indexing;

Filtering and sorting;

Customizable reporting;

Data extraction and export;

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Data manipulation through user-defined expressions.

Data Analysis
Gemcom for Windows can perform detailed statistical and
geostatistical analyses on any aspect of the data in the workspaces.
You can prepare the following:

Classical statistics;

Frequency distribution analyses;

Multivariate statistics;

Linear and 3D semi-variogram analyses.

You can also produce detailed graphical output using the

comprehensive graph plotting and modelling tools in the QuickGraf
utility.

Drillhole Operations
The Gemcom for Windows Drillhole menu commands allow you to
work with drillhole survey and assay data by performing the
following functions:

Loading drillholes into the graphical work area for viewing.

Selecting drillhole intersects.

Customizing the display of your drillholes onscreen.

The Drillhole menu also allows you to perform two types of drillhole
or traverse compositing:

Compositing based on existing workspace data.

Compositing based on the intersections of drillholes or traverse

data with surfaces or solids.

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Polygon Operations
The Gemcom for Windows Polygon menu allows you to represent
your data using a number of polygon functions:

Creating polygons either manually or using one of three

automatic processes to represent various aspects of your data.

Loading, unloading and saving polygons;

Calculate volumes and tonnages of material types as

represented by individual polygons.

Plane Plot Graphics Files

You can produce sophisticated graphical output for multiple planes
simply and efficiently with the Gemcom for Windows Exploration
module. The system has the following extensive integrated graphics
capabilities:

Displaying plan view and section data.

Preparing geological maps, X-Y plots, symbol plots, drillhole

plots, polygon plots and contour plots.

Projecting all graphical output onto surface maps, horizontal

plan views, vertical and inclined sections.

The Exploration Functions

The exploration functions provided by Gemcom for Windows are
found in four menus. Each of these menus contains a number of
submenus and commands for performing related functions. This
section describes all available functionality. Note that depending
on your specific license files, certain commands may not be
available in your Gemcom for Windows setup. If you have

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questions about your setup, please refer to your license agreement

or call Gemcom.

The Workspace menu. Use this menu to create workspaces,

select an active workspace, enter and edit data, validate data,
filter, index and sort data, create reports, and extract and
manipulate data. You can also use the Analysis submenu to
perform various types of statistical and geostatistical analyses
of your data.

The Drillhole menu. This menu allows you to load, select, and
display, specific drillhole data, and composite drillhole lengths
using two different methods.

The Polygon menu. This menu allows you to create, load,

display, and manipulate data represented as polygons.

The Tools menu. The Create Plane Plots submenu on the

Tools menu is also part of the Exploration module. Use the
commands on this submenu for preparing various types of plane
plots for surface maps or specified planes.

The Workspace Menu

The Workspace menu provides facilities that enable you to do the
following:

Select an active workspace. You can select the workspace

from your project which contains the data you wish to work
with. Gemcom for Windows will store the active workspace
within the GEM4WIN.GES session file, so that the selected
workspace will remain active between Gemcom for Windows
sessions, until you select a new active workspace. The
workspace selected by this command is used by most Gemcom
for Windows exploration operations; however, in a number of
areas of the program, you must select a workspace within the
related menu (for example, in order to use most of the
commands on the Polygon menu, you must select a polygon

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workspaces using a command on that menu). See Chapter 3:

The Gemcom for Windows Workspace.

Create or modify a workspace. Within the Structure Editor,

you can use the Structure Editor design view or a Workspace
Wizard to define workspace type and attributes and the number
of tables within the workspace. You can also add or delete tables
in an existing workspace, or fields in a new or existing table.
Field data types and attributes can also be modified. Existing
workspaces are automatically reconstructed with the new
structure. See Chapter 4: Creating and Modifying Workspace
Structures.

Delete a workspace. You can delete an existing workspace

(including all data contained within that workspace). See
Chapter 4: Creating and Modifying Workspace Structures.

Import and merge data from text files. You can import data
directly from text files that are either in column aligned format
(flat file) or delimited format. File formats can be defined and
then stored in profiles for multiple use. Importing files appends
data into new records in the database. Merging matches data
values to existing records in the database based on the contents
of selected key fields. See Chapter 5: Importing and Merging
Data.

Advanced import and merge. This module allows you to

import data from other commonly used geological software
packages. Currently supported systems include Geostat
Systems International, Log II and GEOLOG. See Chapter 5:
Importing and Merging Data.

Enter and edit data. Using the Workspace Editor, you can
view, enter or edit data in the active workspace. This editor
features a number of tools such as cut and paste, block deletion,
searches, split screen editing, field binding and auto-increment
of values between records. See Chapter 6: Editing Data.

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Extract data. You can create an extraction file containing a

subset of data from the active workspace according to various
selection criteria. See Chapter 7: Extracting Data.

Validate workspace data. You can verify the validity of the

data in the active workspace by checking for overlapping or
missing intervals or duplicate records using the commands on
this submenu. See Chapter 8: Validating data.

Filter and index data. You can create an external index of

data subsets in the active workspace by defining filters and key
indices. A filter is a list of selection criteria that can be applied
to the workspace while running most Gemcom for Windows
applications. A key index to the workspace can be created using
filters, other key indices, and manual record selection, and
sorted based on the contents of selected fields in the workspace.
See Chapter 9: Filters and Key Indices.

Make reports. You can make quick or detailed reports of data

in the active workspace. The quick reporting facility allows you
to create simple reports with the help of workspace field lists.
The Gemcom for Windows report-writing macro language will
let you make more complex and custom formatted reports.
Reports can be directed to the screen, to the printer or to text
files. See Chapter 10: Reports.

Manipulate data. A complete set of data manipulation tools

allows you to perform various transformations of data in the
active workspace. You can define simple or conditional
expressions for fields in any table; transfer data between tables,
interpolate missing data values using existing values, format or
concatenate string fields, transform coordinates from one
coordinate system to another; desurvey downhole data into
coordinate data; and format drillhole data from other systems
so that it is compatible with Gemcom for Windows. See
Chapter 11: Data Manipulation.

Perform statistics and frequency distribution analysis. You

can calculate a variety of statistical indicators, such as means,
standard deviations and variances, on subsets of data extracted

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from the databases and stored in the standard extraction file

format. In addition, you can perform complete normal and lognormal frequency distribution analysis on the data sets. This lets
you produce histograms and frequency distribution curves from the
data. This module interfaces directly with the QuickGraf utility for
plotting graphs. See Chapter 12: Statistical Analysis and
Chapter 14: QuickGraf.

Perform multivariate statistical analysis. You can create

correlation matrices for selected variables from the active
workspace. The module interfaces directly with QuickGraf to
create scattergrams displaying the relationship between two
variables. The modelling command in QuickGraf also allows you
to perform simple regression analysis on these data sets. See
Chapter 12: Statistical Analysis and Chapter 14: QuickGraf.

Perform drillhole semi-variogram analysis. You can create

experimental semi-variograms directly from drillhole or
traverse workspace data. The calculation process allows you to
apply a variety of selection criteria to the workspaces for
analyzing subsets of data. The module automatically calculates
standard semi-variograms as well as a variety of normalized
semi-variograms, and interfaces directly with QuickGraf to plot
these experimental curves. An interactive modelling command
in QuickGraf allows you to fit model semi-variograms to the
experimental curves. See Chapter 13: Semi-Variogram Analysis
and Chapter 14: QuickGraf.

Perform three-dimensional semi-variogram analysis. You

can create experimental semi-variograms from data in a standard
extraction file. You can calculate the semi-variograms in up to
twelve three-dimensional directions at any one time. The module
automatically calculates standard semi-variograms as well as a
variety of normalized semi-variograms and interfaces directly with
QuickGraf to plot these experimental curves. An interactive
modelling command in QuickGraf allows you to fit model semivariograms to the experimental curves. See Chapter 13: SemiVariogram Analysis and Chapter 14: QuickGraf.

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Graph statistical and semi-variogram analyses. This is an

interactive graphing module that interfaces directly with all the
analysis functions. It provides you with a flexible tool for
quickly producing and plotting graphs with a variety of scaling
(such as normal, logarithmic or probability), annotation and
gridding options. The module also features a number of
modelling commands. QuickGraf uses standard Windows
printer drivers to allow you to print or plot out hard copies of
your graphs on any Windows-compatible printer or plotter. See
Chapter 14: QuickGraf.

The Drillhole Menu

The data collected from drillholes and associated assays is vital to
the exploration process. Gemcom for Windows allows you to load
complete drillhole workspaces or subsets of drillhole workspaces
that are stored in your Gemcom for Windows projects. Once these
drillholes are loaded, you can display them in a variety of ways to
facilitate analysis of the data. You can also use them to help you
define lithological boundaries or as data points for modelling
surfaces.
The Drillhole menu provides you with facilities to do the following:

Load drillhole data. You can load or unload drillhole data

from one or more active drillhole workspaces.

Select drillhole intersects. You can select or deselect all

drillhole intersects, or specify which drillhole intersects to
select either individually (manually), by specifying a field value,
or by using a clipbox. You can also create an extraction file of
the data values for the selected drillhole intersects.

Determine drillhole display. You can customize five main

elements of the drillhole display: the drillhole name, collar
symbol, trace symbols, trace line, and trace annotations. All
elements are optional and can be displayed in any combination.
Other display settings include show/hide toggles and distance
markings. You can also query drillhole data interactively by

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picking points along the trace with the mouse to display

detailed downhole information.
The Drillhole menu also provides you with drillhole compositing
functions. You can calculate composited values from drillhole or
traverse type workspace data, or from the intersections of drillholes
with surfaces or solids. Composites are weighted average
combinations of interval data. Gemcom for Windows uses a twostage compositing method. The first stage determines the length of
the composite interval using a variety of techniques such as fixed
lengths, intervals from another table, fixed lengths within intervals
from another table, intersections with planes, and cut-off value.
The second stage calculates the weighted average composite values
using data sources from single or multiple tables.
You can also use the commands in this submenu to perform the
following functions:

Calculate thickness. You can calculate true, horizontal, and

vertical thickness for selected intervals along drillholes or
traverses based on specified strike and dip angles.

Assign grades to solids from drillholes. You can assign one

or more grades to active geology class solids based on length
weighted intervals of all drillholes that pass through each solid.
These grade values can be used as an alternative to block
models when solid grades are required for reserves reporting.

Create ASCII files of drillhole/solid intersections. You can

intersect all drillholes loaded in memory with all active solids
and save the results to a user-specified ASCII file.

See Chapter 15: Working with Drillholes and Chapter 16: Drillhole
Compositing.

The Polygon Menu

The functionality in the Polygon menu is based on the practice of
representing geological information such as lithological or ore zones
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on planes as points and line segments which are assembled into

polygons. Each polygon is then identified with a user-defined set of
specific qualities and characteristics. The Polygon menu provides
facilities that allow you to perform the following functions:

Create and identify polygons. Polygons can be created by

manually digitizing points and line segments. You can also
create polygons automatically from existing data such as point
data, other polygons, and solids. Closed polygons can be
assigned a variety of different attributes depending on how you
intend to use them.

Import and export polygon data. You can import polygons

from GeoModel and from the Ore-Control component of
Gemcom for DOS. You can also import status lines (polylines) as
polygons. The Export function allows you to export Gemcom for
Windows polygon data to Gemcom for DOS, as a status line ASCII
file, or as a clipping polygon.

Define polygon and working outlines. These outlines

determine how polygons will be displayed, which fields from the
polygon workspace will be associated with them as attributes,
and how polygons associated with different polgyon outlines
will interact.

Load, unload and save polygons. You can load and unload
polygon data associated with one or more planes and stored in
one or more polygon workspaces. You can also save new
polygons to the active polygon workspace

Display polygons and polygon attributes. You can choose

to display any combination of the following polygon elements:
polygon hatch patterns, polygon labels, the polygons
themselves, and the Polygon Information Window. The Polygon
Information Window allows you to view information about the
active polygon and working outlines, attributes associated with
individual polygons, and on-the-fly calculations such as polygon
area, volume, and tonnage for individual polygons.

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Merging and intersecting polgyons. You can create new

polgyons by merging existing polgyons from two polygon
outlines. You can also create polygons that represent the union
or the intersection of existing polgyons.

See Chapter 17: Polygons and Outlines and Chapter 18: Creating
and Working with Polygons.

The Tools Menu

The Create Plane Plots submenu on the Tools menu contains a
number of commands allowing you to create several different types
of plots projected onto the surface or onto planes.
In the case of plan views and sections, data is projected
orthogonally onto the plane from within a corridor on each side of
the plane. These functions have been designed so that you can work
with multiple planes in one operation, using display parameters
defined and stored in external profiles.
You can use this submenu to perform the following functions:

Select planes for plot creation. You can choose to create

surface plot files, or you can select one or more plan views,
inclined sections or vertical sections. See Chapter 19: Creating
Plane Plots.

Create symbol plots. You can display data located at

individual points defined by a coordinate. Each point can be
annotated with a symbol that can vary in size and colour
dependent on data values, and with selected fields from the
database. You can use a predetermined extraction file or the
active workspace to create these symbol plots for surface maps,
plan views, vertical sections or inclined sections. See
Chapter 20: Symbol Plane Plots.

Create drillhole plots. You can display data from any

traverse or drillhole workspace. You can then project this data
onto surface maps, plan views, inclined sections or vertical

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sections using either an orthogonal projection or a projection

that includes a correction for average trend and plunge angles.
Data from any of the workspace tables can be used to annotate
the drillhole traces in a wide variety of formats: as text, as
normal or log-scaled histograms, as normal or log-scaled line
graphs, or as colour-emphasized traces. Full three-dimensional
clipping ensures that only those portions of drillholes falling
inside the projection distance are shown on each plane. See
Chapter 21: Drillhole Plane Plots.

Create polygon plots. You can display data on surface maps,

plan views, inclined sections or vertical sections from any
polygon workspace showing polygons or polylines annotated
with data from any field. Polygons are always plotted on the
plane and are not projected or transformed in any way. See
Chapter 22: Polygon Plane Plots.

Create structure maps. You can display data on surface maps

and plan views from any type of workspace which contains a
coordinate field in at least one table. Each data point is
displayed with a special symbol that describes the geological
structure of the point (for example, bedding, foliation, faults,
etc.). See Chapter 23: Structure Maps.

Create grid cell and contour plots. You can produce contour
maps from regular grids of data that have been created from
data randomly distributed in space. These grids can be oriented
in any location on surface maps, plan views, vertical sections
and inclined sections and can be created using distance
weighting techniques such as inverse distance raised to a power
(IDP) or three-dimensional curve fitting (Laplace). See
Chapter 24: Gridding and Contouring.

Create topographic surface intersections. You can

calculate the intersection of each vertical section plane with a
digitized surface topography and display the intersection line
on the plotted plane. See Chapter 19: Creating Plane Plots.

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View prepared plots. Using the PRIMFILE.DAT file, you can

view any of the plane plot GGP files you create with the plane
plot facilities. See Chapter 19: Creating Plane Plots.

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