Spatial analysis of the mining and transport of rock minerals (aggregates) in the context of regional development

Abstract

Rock minerals such as dimension and crushed stones and sands and gravels (aggregates) are indispensable materials for the building and construction industries. The growth in demand for these resources causes intensification of mining operations (and their consequent environmental impacts) and transport problems in regions abundant in rock minerals. The balanced management of these resources by regional policy-makers is difficult as it requires, among other things, comprehensive and up-to-date information on the spatial distribution and temporal changes of available reserves, demand, production, and transport. This information can be provided by means of spatial and temporal analyses through geographic information systems (GIS). In this research, the focus is on the following aspects of rock mineral (aggregates) resources and mining management in the context of regional spatial planning in the example region of Lower Silesia in Poland: the spatial and temporal changes in distribution and intensity of mining, the availability of economic reserves in active mines, the magnitude and distribution of road transport flows of aggregates, the potential of railways as an alternative means of transport, and the valorisation of undeveloped aggregates deposits to assess their suitability for future use. For the purposes of this study, cartographic models have been developed using GIS to facilitate analyses of these mineral resources, mining, and transport. The results of these analyses provide current and comprehensive information on the state of aggregates mineral resources, production and transport in the Lower Silesia region. They also give an insight into availability of rock mineral resources for the future. Knowledge of these processes is important for spatial development planning, especially physical infrastructure, conducted by national, regional, and local governments.

Review of GIS-Based Applications for Mining: Planning, Operation, and Environmental Management

“…This tool has the potential for use and refinement in more effective multiple-criteria decision-making by communities and government planning authorities [21]. Blachowski [22] assessed the following aspects of the mining and transport of rock minerals (aggregates) in the context of regional development: the spatial and temporal changes in the distribution and intensity of mining, availability of economic reserves in active mines, magnitude and distribution of road transport flows of aggregates, potential of railways as an alternative means of transport, and valorization of undeveloped aggregate deposits to assess their suitability for future use. In this investigation, a case study was conducted in Lower Silesia, Poland, and cartographic models were developed using GIS to facilitate the analysis of the mining and transport of mineral resources.…”

Heterogeneity of correlation between the locational condition and industrial transformation of regenerative resource‐based cities in China

“…Industrial development brought economic growth which attracted enterprises to further agglomerate or spread production. Furthermore, promoting the improvement of the transportation network will benefit the improvement of the location environment (Baldwin & Okubo, ; Blachowski, ; Chen & Yang, ).…”

Analysis of post-mining excavations as places for municipal waste

“…It is used as a decision support tool when multiple criteria are available. The selected examples described in [3][4][5][6][7][8] constitute the applications of multi-criteria data analysis in the studies concerning the support in the processes of making planning decisions. It was proposed to calculate the suitability of land in waste management by means of multi-criteria data analysis based on the equation:…”