The EO/GI community in minerals and mining consists of mining and quarrying companies, exploration and survey specialists, commodities traders, exploration and extraction equipment suppliers, drilling, excavation and support services, and regional planners / policy makers.
Typical spatial questions for the users in minerals and mining are concerned with prospecting, e.g. "Where can we find the minerals that are worth exploitation?", and operation of mining sites: "How much material has already been excavated in the mine and how much material was deposited in dedicated dump areas?". Additionally relevant are arising risks through mining activities, e.g. "How do the mining activities affect settlements in the vicinity?" or "How do the mining activities affect the environment?". Concequently, the EO/GI users in minerals and mining benefit from EO information through mapping geological features, monitor mineral extraction, measure land use statistics, assessing environmental impact of human activities, detect and monitor ground movement, and monitor land pollution.