Botswana miner leverages AI to unearth hidden diamonds in massive database

In a recent announcement following a stakeholder meeting on April 9, BOD chairman John Teeling highlighted the significance of incorporating AI into their exploration efforts.

"This is an excellent foundation to incorporate AI to assist in a comprehensive search for new diamond deposits and potentially other minerals," he told Mining Weekly.

Teeling emphasized the immense scale of their database which has been described as the country's second-largest diamond exploration information set.

With a staggering 380 gigabytes of data and 260,000 files covering 95,000 sq km, the database includes crucial information from 375,000 km of airborne geophysical input, 606 ground geophysical surveys, 228,000 soil sample results, and 32,000 drill hole logs.

Recognising the limitations of human analysis in handling such vast datasets, Teeling highlighted the necessity of AI-driven solutions.

"Large databases like ours are suited to analysis by computer-based large AI techniques that can analyse substantial amounts of data in a short time," he explained. "Our mineral database in Botswana is simply vast. Too big for timely analysis by humans."

To execute this initiative, BOD disclosed that it will leverage Planetary AI Ltd Xplore, a sophisticated system that combines semantic technology with machine learning.

This technology enables computers to interpret the meaning and context of geological data, similar to a geologist, but at a significantly faster pace, according to BOD.

Botswana's diamond exploration industry plays a pivotal role in the country's economy, with diamond mining contributing approximately 20% to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022. Diamond cutting, polishing, and trading accounted for an additional 5% of the GDP. While alongside copper-nickel and silver, diamonds constituted 92% of Botswana's total exports.