The South Australia Drill Core Library hosts geological samples recovered from over 140 years of exploration for minerals and energy resources available as:

• 10,000,000 metres of drill core and cuttings
• 51,156 drill cores
• approximately 8,000 rock samples
• 21,000 thin sections catalogued.

The SARIG Core Intelligence (SARIG CI) program will leverage the geoscience wealth of the Drill Core Library’s past, present and future, to enable modern data-driven exploration and resource discovery.

SARIG CI will expand South Australia’s global geoscience information leadership by 'exploring' and transforming the physical resources into a digital intelligence library. This will allow its drill core and associated data sets to be accessible anytime and from anywhere in the world.

Project summary

The SARIG CI program is a long-term program consisting of six pillars:

1. SA Geodata standardisation – ingest existing data
2. SA Geodata ready – ingest future data
3. SA Core Library digitisation – scan existing core and thin sections
4. Onsite ore digitisation – scan and curate future company core
5. Virtual core collection – scan and curate existing/onsite company core
6. Future data – technology partnerships infill data gaps across South Australia

Each program pillar consists of multiple projects that will provide the foundation to significantly expand the quantity, improve quality and further unlock the physical geoscience footprint in South Australia.

Key project highlights

SA Geodata standardisation

• Core Photography – Digital Roadmap
• Exploration Digital Reporting – Revise
• Exploration Data Import – Optimise
• Geochemistry Data – Optimise
• Geochronology – Digital pipeline

SA Geodata ready

• SARIG Core – Core Visualisation (Pilot)
• National Virtual Core Library – Optimise
• Legacy data – Discovery
• SARIG map – Revive

SA Core Library digitisation

• Core Library thin section – Digitise
• Explore the core – Geochemistry
• Explore the core – Core photography

Project diary

May 2025

Following the release of the Request for Information (RFI) to industry in February 2025, the SARIG Core Intelligence team has been reviewing submissions while advancing multiple projects within the program.

A big thank you to all the stakeholders that met with us - your collaboration, expertise, and insights have been invaluable in moving us into the next phase of the program.

Submissions for Expressions of Interest (EOI) were opened in May [but have now closed]. EOI submissions are now being reviewed, with the estimation period expected to be completed by mid-October.

By partnering with us, suppliers will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of a cutting-edge digital intelligence library, set to transform the accessibility and use of geoscience data sourced from our industry-leading Core Library.

Read more about our latest project updates below.

Program update

The GSSA has partnered with DEM’s Project Implementation Team and has established the SARIG Core Intelligence (CI) Steering Committee (Committee) and its Working Group to provide governance, coordination and program management.

Chaired by Bronwyn Camac, GSSA Director, the Committee, in addition to GSSA and Project Implementation, has representation from the Corporate and Commercial Division’s Information, Digital and Technology. The Committee and Working Group oversee the planning, development and implementation of the SARIG CI Program.

The SARIG CI Program governance has endorsed the first stage of the program, consisting of five of the key projects highlighted in the program:

• Core Photography – Digital Roadmap
• Exploration Digital Reporting – Revise
• Exploration Data Import – Optimise
• SARIG Core – Core Visualisation (PoV)
• Core Library thin section – Digitise

^{Stage 1 Program Planning: Refining project tasks within the SARIG CI Program
(L to R) Christie Gerrard, Kunj Mistry, and Peter Buxton}

Exploration Digital Reporting

The SARIG CI program intends to expand the types of drill core of data that are available to users. Much of this data is already supplied by mineral exploration companies but is difficult to store within our systems because it comes to us in multiple formats and structures. To facilitate easier collection, and therefore delivery, of this data, the Exploration Digital Reporting project is working with Geological Surveys across the nation to introduce new templates within the Australian Guidelines for the Submission of Digital Data to provide guidelines and templates for the submission of these data types. These updates are in draft with an aim to be released in the early part of Q4 2025.

As a result of the program planning and SARIG CI RFI submission review it was recognised that incorporating the Mineral Exploration Import tool into the SARIG CI EOI would benefit the first stage of the program by:

• Providing a complete modernised end-to-end solution for company drilling information from receipt to “OFFICAL” public visualisation.
• Leverage the DEM Digital Strategy and continue the data pipeline from the new MERS platform for exploration reporting requirements.

This project purpose is to build a new internal mineral exploration data import tool for the ingestion and validation of digital exploration data submitted under the Mining Act 1971.

The success of the Mineral Exploration Import tool will:

• Deliver new internal data import tool for mineral exploration digital data submission templates.
• Provide “Check and Amend Data” functionality to ensure the States geoscience data quality is maintained.

Core Photography - Digital Roadmap

The GSSA has around 30,000 images of drill core and chips submitted by mineral explorers that are not currently readily accessible. This project aims to make these images available to external users and the SARIG Core Intelligence platform in a standardised form and depth rectified.

After a recent tendering process, Datarock was selected as the successful supplier to perform this work, and we are currently in final negotiations to establish a contract for this work to proceed.

Core Library thin section – Digitise

The GSSA hold a collection of over 22,000 thin sections at the SA Drill Core Reference Library from across the State. A trial to investigate the effectiveness of digital scans of this physical collection was completed in May 2025.

^{Thin sections are scanned at 5 times magnification allowing most mineral grains to be resolved}

Over 1000 thin sections from the eastern Gawler Craton are now in a digital format enabling greater access to the geological information held in this resource. Scans at a series of angles in plain and cross-polarised light enable petrographic identification of minerals. The next step will be to develop innovative methods of displaying and interacting with these data.

^{Thin sections are scanned at multiple angles to display variations in mineral extinction.}

SARIG Core Visualisation

The project purpose it to build a public web-based SARIG core “Proof of Value (PoV)” tool for the visualisation of a wide range of drillhole information including core imagery and associated downhole drilling data and rock samples analysis.

The success of the SARIG core (PoV) will:

• deliver a new visualisation tool to aid mineral exploration within the Eastern Gawler Craton.
• provide a scalable visualisation tool for future expansion of PoV area and ability to incorporate new drillhole information types.
• transform the South Australia Drill Core Library physical resources into a digital intelligence library.
• ensure the SARIG core tool “look and feel” aligns with the SARIG branding so users can navigate seamlessly across all SARIG digital services.

An initial SARIG Core Intelligence RFI (Request for Information) was released to industry in February 2025, with the opportunity for parties in the specialist information technology sector to contribute information based on their knowledge and experience.

In April 2025 the DEM project team reviewed all submission and gathered information for the EOI stage of procurement. EOI submissions closed early July 2025.

A part of the EOI the GSSA has selected an area within the Eastern Gawler Craton. This area is located within the States premier copper province; the area is rich in drillhole information including many of the most commonly inspected mineral drillholes. This area also hosts the Olympic Copper-Gold Province, including Olympic Dam and Carrapateena mines.

^{SARIG core PoV selected area: Eastern Gawler Craton}