GIS-applications in the mineral resources management

In January 2000, the shaft of an abandoned hardcoal mine collapsed without any early warning in the midst of a residential area in the Ruhr district. To detect unknown shafts and to safeguard endangered shaft locations, the Department for Mine Surveying, Mining Subsidence Engineering and Geophysics in Mining at the RWTH, Aachen University of Technology, deals with a management system for old shafts and day openings with the aid of a Geo-Information-System (GIS). Furthermore the environmental impacts of mine waste dumps and the improvement of the mine safety for the mining industry are also fields, where GIS could give a significant support, This paper reports the research on the above projects.