DATA MINING
Large organisations such as Amazon and Netflix apply big data to their market basket analysis to predict consumer habits and now mining companies could be doing the same . “ Looking at the spending profiles of customers is very similar to looking at the formational patterns of minerals ,” Morrison says . “ These practices are being implemented across the board by all these huge companies . They ’ re very powerful statistics .”
A groundbreaking paper published in the American Mineralogist reports the first application to mineralogy of network theory , which is best known for analysis of e . g . the spread of disease , terrorist networks , or social media .
Many believe that the results could pioneer a way to reveal mineral diversity , evolution and distribution worldwide . “ The quest for new mineral deposits is incessant , but until recently mineral discovery has been more a matter of luck than scientific prediction ,” says Morrison . “ All that may change thanks to big data .”
To reap the benefits of big data , organisations need to be cognizant of economic geology . “ Without doing these statistics they ’ re relying on their knowledge and experience ,” Morrison
“ The quest for new mineral deposits is incessant , but until recently mineral discovery has been more a matter of luck than scientific prediction ”
– Dr Shaunna Morrison , Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington D . C .
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