Historical Mine Plans meet Modern Remote Sensing Data – Knowledge and Geodata Management at the Research Center of Post-Mining

With the establishment of the Research Center of Post-Mining (FZN) at the Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola University in Bochum in 2015, the development of an extensive archive for the systematic collection and evaluation of all post-mining related information began. In addition to the current collection of more than 4500 books and journals, over 1000 maps, as well as slides, photographs and lecture notes, a Thesaurus Post-Mining is currently being created. The combination of historic data and modern geomonitoring techniques such as remote sensing via satellite and unmanned aerial systems, allows the contemporary handling of post-mining issues. Based in concepts of various mining companies an adjusted approach is currently developed to integrate the variety of different datasets within a spatial data infrastructure (SDI). All this information not only supports the researchers of the FZN in their work, but also creates transparency in dealing with the legacy of mining and its significance for the present and the orientation towards a more sustainable future in post-mining regions. The goal is therefore not only the ongoing digitization of existing materials, but also the creation of an open-access database on the subject of post-mining and the establishment of a server-based spatial data infrastructure for internal and external users. In the long run, this step will ensure a transdisciplinary and inter-institutional evaluation of spatial data, while the research results as well as the already existing historical information can be made easily accessible to the public within the framework of the EU INSPIRE directive.