Journal articles on the topic 'Degree Discipline: Geology'

This study documents women paleobotanists and their achievements from the late 1920s to the early 1970s in Germany. More than forty women were involved in paleobotanical research and related fields during this period. After they had finished their degrees, about two thirds of them left the field for private, political, and/or economic reasons. Several of them, however, had a successful career or were even leaders in their field. Compared with other disciplines and neighbouring countries, the unusually late entry of women students into this discipline from the 1930s on is explained by the close affiliation of the discipline with Paleozoic geology and mining in Germany before 1945. It is significant that of the thirteen women who finished a degree in the field before 1945, about two thirds studied Quaternary pollen analysis and vegetation history. Only a minority was involved in pre-Quaternary paleobotany. After World War II, the number of women scientists increased noticeably only when Tertiary palynology/paleobotany became more important sub-disciplines of paleobotany, a pattern which was similar in both parts of the newly divided country. During the period between 1945 and 1955, the number of women students in West Germany was significantly higher than in the East. This is partly explained by the policies of the East German communist party, which put restrictions on women students from a middle-class background. Between 1955 and 1973 the number of women students in East Germany exceeded those in the West. This was due to the East German party policy of activating the female working force, especially in fields which had been traditionally occupied by men, such as geology, mining, and engineering.

Uruguay has recently expanded its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), having more aquatic sovereignty than terrestrial territories. In this country, various State institutions have carried out the study of marine science for several decades, but their academic development has not been analyzed. The formal evaluation of scientific research represents a crucial opportunity to define long-term policies requiring greater knowledge of the territory and its resources. In this context, this work carries out a systematic and quantitative review of Uruguay authors' international publications over three decades. The productivity indicators trend is evaluated concerning context variables, predominant research topics are identified, and collaboration networks are characterized. We collected and analyzed data on marine science articles in which an author or co-author is affiliated to an institution in Uruguay from 1990 to 2018 using the Scopus database. It was found that scientific activity measured by a bibliographic analysis showed an increase in the number of articles, authors, and research topics but nowadays show signs of stagnation. Moreover, specific indicators show a great degree of centralism (institutional and authorial), low dynamism, and decreased international collaboration. The largest academic capacities are focused in specific biological disciplines, with little physics and almost nil in geology and chemistry. Decentralization and strengthening sectorial funding for marine science will boost Uruguay's discipline for facing future challenges.

Explicitly regional projects have been a comparatively recent phenomenon in Mediterranean archaeology. Classical archaeology is by far the strongest discipline in the university, museum and antiquities services career structures within the Mediterranean countries. It has always been dominated by the ‘Great Tradition’ of classical art and architecture: even today, a university course on ‘ancient topography’ in many departments of classical archaeology will usually deal predominantly with the layout of the major imperial cities and the details of their monumental architecture. The strength of the tradition is scarcely surprising in the face of the overwhelming wealth of the standing remains of the Greek and Roman cities in every Mediterranean country. There has been very little integration with prehistory: early prehistory is still frequently taught within a geology degree, and later prehistory is still invariably dominated by the culture-history approach. Prehistory in many traditional textbooks in the north Mediterranean countries remains a succession of invasions and migrations, first of Palaeolithic peoples from North Africa and the Levant, then of neolithic farmers, then metal-using élites from the East Mediterranean, followed in an increasingly rapid succession by Urnfielders, Dorians and Celts from the North, to say nothing of Sea Peoples (from who knows where?!). For the post-Roman period, church archaeology has a long history, but medieval archaeology in the sense of dirt archaeology is a comparatively recent discipline: until the 1960s in Italy, for example, ‘medieval archaeology’ meant the study of the medieval buildings of the historic cities, a topic outside the responsibility of the State Archaeological Service (the Superintendency of Antiquities) and within that of the parallel ‘Superintendencies’ for monuments, libraries, archives and art galleries.

Geoscience Education is not included in the School curriculum in South Africa as a stand-alone subject area. Some concepts are embedded in other subject areas such as Plate Tectonic Theory in Geography and Evolution in Life Sciences. Consequently, most students who do register for a BSc degree at South African Universities do not initially intend to study Geology. Minimum entry requirements for different disciplines in the Faculty of Science at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) mean that most of the Geology I registrations are by students not qualifying for Mathematical or Physical Sciences. Biological Sciences can only accommodate a portion of these students so the remainder of the students end up in Geology because they wish to ob-tain a degree and are “forced to do Geology”. In an attempt to introduce future students to a broader view of Science, and in particular to Geoscience, Wits has started offering certified Short Courses at NQF Level 4 (National Qualification Framework school leaving certificate level). In 2016 Wits ran the Wits Integrated Experience in Science and in 2017, the Wits Integrated Experience in Science and Commerce, short courses. Learners were exposed to the integrated nature of various Science disci-plines and the integrated nature of Science and Commerce through enquiry based, problem solving learning opportunities. The target audience was Grade 11 learners as they have not yet applied to any university and have yet to make subject choices and degree choices. By participating in the short course they are exposed to a variety of disciplines and through investigating real problems, they are exposed to the interdisciplinary nature of these disciplines. In 2016 the learners solved a murder mystery and in 2017, they had to scenario plan for an impending meteorite impact just south of Johannesburg. This scenario planning helped learners to see the relationship between Science disciplines and between Science and Commerce. This is important as the initiative is designed to assist learners in actively choosing their Science and/or Commerce majors and to encourage learners to consider taking innovative major combinations that might cross traditional Faculty boundaries.

Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” is the first Bulgarian and the highest academic institution with more than a century long educational and scientific traditions. Geology is part of the university from the very beginning in the area of Natural sciences. It is an example of the effective interaction between the educational processes and implementation of science, technology and innovation. The scientific activities of Sofia University have been developing along with the research priorities, lecture courses, field work and their implementation into practice.The degree programs in Geology were set up at the end of the 19th century, just 3 years after foundation of the Sofia University. The first lectures in Geology and Mineralogy dates back to 1891 when the Department for Natural History at the Sofia University started. They both form the basis of education and research in the field of Geology in Bulgaria. The main contribution in the beginning for the development of teaching and research belongs to remarkable scientists like Prof. Georgi Zlatarski, Prof. Georgi Bonchev, Prof. Stefan Bonchev, Prof. Lazar Vankov, Prof. Dimitar Yaranov and so many others. Faculty of Biology, Geology and Geography inherits the Faculty of Natural History, but is later divided.Faculty of Geology and Geography in Sofia University was formed in 1963 and till now the geology is studied in a regular form of education. There are Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees with duration of 8, 3 and 6 semesters respectively. The Bachelor Degree provides fundamental knowledge in all geological disciplines. The Master Degree covers a wide range of educational and scientific research work carried out in specialized, well-equipped laboratories for investigation of geological objects. PhD Degree is a basic form of organized training for highly qualified graduates in all spheres of geological science and practice.The teaching process in the Faculty focuses on the lectures and seminars, as well as on the individual forms of education – tasks, course and diploma thesis works, laboratory and field practices. The educational practices - stationary and field trips to certain geological, mining or economic sites are regularly held after the end of the summer semesters. Modern profile of Geology means that students obtain detailed knowledge on structure, tectonics, geological features, underground and surface processes of the Earth as well as regularities for the accumulation and distribution of ores, non-metalliferous raw materials, coal, oil and gas.The implementation of geological education into practice is supported by student membership in various society and sections. The specific activities focus student interests in organized working groups, participation in field trips and applied research. These non-profit organizations integrate in the best way geological traditions from the industry and knowledge from university into the future career development of young people. The Sofia University SEG Student Chapter supports student field trips with the idea to provide understanding of main geological characteristics of the visited geological sites and obtain specific skills of investigation and mining exploration. The Sofia University Student Chapter of AAPG actively contributes to student community growth, enriching educational culture and expanding geological expertise of its members in the field of Petroleum geology.

The production of energy under a special regime of renewable origin has had a sustainable evolution in Portugal. Since the 1990s, the percentage of renewables has been growing steadily, with special emphasis being given to wind, photovoltaic, mini-hydro, biogas and high-efficiency cogeneration [1]. More recently there has been a strong push in promoting small scale production and self-consumption [2]. There are several periods of time when the country’s electricity load is 100% supplied by renewable energy. There are also periods when surplus renewable energy is exported to Spain. However, there are some periods when production exceeds consumption and it is then necessary to reduce wind power production. In Portugal there is an innovative process underway to carry out this reduction, which was systematized by the General Department of Energy and Geology in Order No. 8810/2015, of August 10. Thus, in the case of wind power plants that receive power reduction orders, the remuneration equivalent to that which is lost is paid by the other producers, through the Last Resort Supplier. Those power plants that have not been interrupted pay a percentage of their power produce to the Last Resort Supplier, to compensate those that have been interrupted. The total of the payments made to the producers whose power plants were interrupted must equal the receipts from those plants that continued to produce energy. This new concept is exemplified in this paper by the wind power cut that occurred on March 12 and 13, 2017 in Portugal. An explanation of what occurred on that day is presented, to understand why this cut was made, having been reached the limits of energy exports to Spain. To implement this new interruptible compensation model it was necessary to develop a mathematical algorithm and include it in the computer application named GPCE - Producers’ Management and Energy Purchase, that belongs to the Last Resort Supplier. When the interruption occurred in March 2017, the computer system worked correctly. The sum of the payments made equaled the sum of the receipts. It should be noted that there was a high degree of discipline shown by the producers.

Методы петрографии давно и успешно применяются в геологии для описания и классификации горных пород. Во второй половине XIX в. они были заимствованы исследователями для изучения глиняных изделий, с целью определения компонентного состава сырья и минералов, использованных в качестве отощителя, а также для установления степени их изменений в процессе декарбонизации. Кроме того, петрография позволяет изучать органические остатки в составе формовочной массы с целью определения температуры обжига изделия. Со временем данное направление переросло в отдельную дисциплину, получившую название керамической петрографии и ставшей, по сути, археологическим методом изучения артефактов из глины, сочетающим традиционные археологические (визуальный, морфологический, типологический и т.д.) и естественнонаучные приемы характеристики керамики. В статье рассматривается отечественная и зарубежная историография, посвященная петрографическому анализу, преимущественно, обожженных сосудов. Главный акцент делается на исследованиях, затрагивающих основные вехи развития самого метода, а также характеризующих опыт его применения при изучении керамики античной эпохи. В статье также затрагиваются проблемы современного состояния керамической петрографии в отечественной науке. Petrography methods have long been successfully used in geology to describe and classify rocks. In the late half of the 19th century, they were borrowed by researchers to study clay products in order to establish the component composition of raw materials and minerals used as a non-plastic additives, as well as to determine the degree of their changes in the process of decarbonitization. In addition, petrography makes it possible to study organic residues in the composition of the molding mass in order to determine the firing temperature of the product. Over time, the approach has grown into a separate discipline called ceramic petrography and has become, in fact, an archaeological method of studying clay artifacts, combining traditional archaeological procedures (visual, morphological, typological analyses, etc.) and scientific methods. The article deals with Russian and foreign historiography devoted to the petrographic analysis, mainly of fired vessels. The main emphasis is placed on research that touches on the main milestones of the development of the method itself, as well as characterizing the experience of its application in the study of pottery making in classical antiquity. The article also touches upon the problems of the current state of ceramic petrography in Russian science.

Hector Alfredo Alfonso Acero received his civil engineering degree from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in 1987. In 1988, as he began eyeing the labor market, he was attracted by an opportunity offered by Ecopetrol where young professionals from various disciplines were invited to participate in a scientific training program in collaboration with the Colorado School of Mines. After a stringent selection process, he was admitted to a program that would convert him into a geophysical exploration expert. There he began a 30-year career that would lead him to be an authority on geophysics for the Colombian National Oil Company.

Abstract. Biogeochemistry has an important role to play in many environmental issues of current concern related to global change and air, water, and soil quality. However, reliable predictions and tangible implementation of solutions, offered by biogeochemistry, will need further integration of disciplines. Here, we refocus on how further developing and strengthening ties between biology, geology, chemistry, and social sciences will advance biogeochemistry through (1) better incorporation of mechanisms, including contemporary evolutionary adaptation, to predict changing biogeochemical cycles, and (2) implementing new and developing insights from social sciences to better understand how sustainable and equitable responses by society are achieved. The challenges for biogeochemists in the 21st century are formidable and will require both the capacity to respond fast to pressing issues (e.g., catastrophic weather events and pandemics) and intense collaboration with government officials, the public, and internationally funded programs. Keys to success will be the degree to which biogeochemistry can make biogeochemical knowledge more available to policy makers and educators about predicting future changes in the biosphere, on timescales from seasons to centuries, in response to climate change and other anthropogenic impacts. Biogeochemistry also has a place in facilitating sustainable and equitable responses by society.

AbstractThe construction industry in Abu Dhabi is thriving and its coastline has some of the most ambitious structures in the world. Whilst the subsurface evaporitic and calcareous soft rocks of this region are of great geological interest, they are relatively poorly understood from a geotechnical engineering perspective, forcing foundation designs to be overly conservative. Understanding the stiffness of the underlying geology at small strains is of great importance for the accurate estimation of ground movements around excavations and foundations, and yet routine post-SI laboratory testing programmes tend to focus on basic rock mechanics tests such as UCS tests. These procedures are generally unsuitable for use with calcareous rocks due to their friable and moisture sensitive nature, and rarely obtain parameters representative of actual in situ behaviour. The calcareous mudstone investigated in this paper has mechanical and structural characteristics falling between those of a soil and those typical of a rock and, as such, requires a geotechnical testing approach that combines methods from both soil and rock mechanics disciplines. The mineralogical, micro-structural and mechanical characteristics of this lithology have been examined via a suite of testing techniques, including XRPD, SEM, advanced triaxial with bender elements, along with industry standard procedures. Shearing, tensile and consolidation behaviours have been explored. Examination of the micro- and macro-scale features of this material shows it to be highly structured, with strength and stiffness being controlled by inter-granular bonding of Dolomite grains, as well as by mean effective stress state and rate of strain. The presence of fibrous Palygorskite acts to reduce the degree of bonding, causing specimens rich in this clay mineral to have a more ductile mechanical behaviour.

Today the world is dominated by three technologies such as Nano technology, Bio technology and Geospatial technology. This increases the huge demand for experts in the respective field for disseminating the knowledge as well as for an innovative research. Therefore, the prime need is to train the existing fraternity to gain progressive knowledge in these technologies and impart the same to student community. The geospatial technology faces some peculiar problem than other two technologies because of its interdisciplinary, multi-disciplinary nature. It attracts students and mid career professionals from various disciplines including Physics, Computer science, Engineering, Geography, Geology, Agriculture, Forestry, Town Planning and so on. Hence there is always competition to crab and stabilize their position. <br><br> The students of Master’s degree in Geospatial science are facing two types of problem. The first one is no unique identity in the academic field. Neither they are exempted for National eligibility Test for Lecturer ship nor given an opportunity to have the exam in geospatial science. The second one is differential treatment by the industrial world. The students are either given low grade jobs or poorly paid for their job. Thus, it is a serious issue about the future of this course in the Universities and its recognition in the academic and industrial world. <br><br> The universities should make this course towards more job oriented in consultation with the Industries and Industries should come forward to share their demands and requirements to the Universities, so that necessary changes in the curriculum can be made to meet the industrial requirements.

Disaster reduction and prevention have become urgent issues worldwide. Disaster education is an effective way to deal with frequent global disaster risks, carry out disaster prevention and relief measures in a timely manner, and reduce disaster losses. Based on the Web of Science database, using bibliometrics and network analysis methods based on scientific knowledge graphs, we conducted a visual analysis of global disaster education research trends from the perspectives of national cooperation spatial distribution, research hotspot mining, hybrid network analysis, and institutional cooperation spatial distribution of disaster education. The following conclusions were drawn. (1) The spatial distribution of disaster education research is uneven: it is clustered in Europe, evenly distributed in Asia and Africa, and scattered in North America and Oceania. Moreover, the United States in North America, China and Japan in Asia, and Australia in Oceania have the largest number of articles. (2) The field of disaster education focuses mainly on the themes of education, disaster nursing, disaster risk and reduction, disaster awareness, and earthquakes. The general trend of research hotspots is disaster risk >> disaster preparedness >> disaster nurse >> disaster awareness >> disaster risk and reduction, realizing the great transformation from disaster rescue to disaster preparedness and then to disaster prevention awareness. (3) A hybrid network of keywords and countries revealed the research focus of various countries in the field of disaster education, and a hybrid network of keywords and categories showed that the research on disaster education primarily focuses on the disciplines of environment, nursing, geography, geology, atmosphere, ecology, and psychology. On this basis, the breadth and depth of the disaster education system should be further improved. (4) The spatial layout of disaster education research institutions showed a clustered distribution of research institutions in North America and Europe, even distribution in some regions in Asia, and sporadic distribution in Africa and Oceania. In-depth cooperation among institutions should be strengthened, the degree of attention paid to disaster education should be increased, and external cooperation should be actively carried out to improve the level of disaster education, particularly in Africa and Asia.

Summary Managing complexity and technological complexification is a necessity in today's business environment. This paper outlines a method to increase value addition significantly by multidisciplinary reservoir studies. In this context, value addition refers to a positive impact on a business decision. The approach ensures a level of complexification in line both with business questions at hand and the realities of reservoirs. Sparse well control, seismic uncertainties, imperfect geologic models, time constraints, software viruses, and computing hardware limitations represent some common reservoir realities. The process model detailed in the paper uses these apparent shortcomings to moderate (i.e., guide) the level of complexification. Several project examples illustrate the implementation of the process model. The paper is an extension of three previous investigations1–3 that deal with issues of method and uncertainty in reservoir-performance forecasting. Introduction Multidisciplinary teams and data have become the standard 1990's methods to address large-scale reservoir-management issues. Concurrently, reservoir simulation has assumed the role as a "knowledge manager" of ever-growing quantities of information. The paper pursues three basic questions:How can we maximize the value added from integrated reservoir studies,How can we achieve a pragmatic balance between business objectives/timetables and problem complexification, andHow best can we use the technology dividend provided by the explosion of computing power Primarily because of their size, Saudi Arabian fields amplify the significance of these three questions. What has emerged is the realization that reservoir simulation needs to provide a proper demarcation between scientific and business objectives to remain business-relevant. The discussion that follows consists of two main parts. First, we present an analysis of complexity in general and reservoir systems in particular. This is followed by a process model (i.e., parallel planning plus) and a set of principles that link business needs, reservoir realities, and simulation in the context of multidisciplinary studies. The following definitions will facilitate the discussion that follows. Complex (adjective): Composed of interconnected parts. Complexity: The state of being intricate. The degree of interconnection among various parts. Complexification: The process of adding incremental levels of complexity to a system. Detail vs. Dynamic Complexity A vast array of multisourced information makes up reservoir systems (Fig. 1). Reservoir simulation is our attempt to link the "detail complexity" of such a system to the "dynamic complexity"4,5 expected in business decisions. In this regard, a systems engineering perspective to reservoir management is very relevant. Senge4 defines two types of complexity: detail and dynamic. Detail complexity entails defining individual ingredients in fine detail, while dynamic complexity refers to the dynamic, often unpredictable, outcomes of the interactions of the individual components. Senge4 states that "the real leverage in most management situations lies in understanding dynamic complexity, not detail complexity." This is precisely true for many of the questions facing reservoir-management project teams in the industry. When to initiate an EOR project or pattern realignment or how to develop a field are typical dynamic complexity problems. Relative-permeability data, field-management strategies, or wellbore hydraulics are examples of detail complexity. Geologic, geostatistical, and reservoir-simulation models are also examples of detail complexity, but represent higher orders of organization. Interestingly, reservoir-simulation models have a dual function: first, as an organizer of detail complexity, and, second, as a tool for interpreting dynamic complexity (a distinction from geologic models). Technological complexification is the process of adding incremental levels of detail complexity to a system to represent its dynamic complexity more rigorously. Each one of the components depicted in Fig. 1 offers an avenue of complexification. Perhaps ironically, every component also carries an element of uncertainty. New technologies are adding significantly to the detail complexity available to multidisciplinary teams. One can see that advances in computing technology, for instance, play a role in the cycle of complexification that Fig. 2 shows. As we acquire more computing power, we can build more complex models, which will further delineate the questions being addressed, calling for more computing power, and so on. The real question, however, is whether we are in fact getting a better answer to the questions posed. Or, alternatively, are we making a difference? Multidisciplinary studies are vulnerable to the tendency towards maximal detail complexity. As one of the constituent disciplines (e.g., seismic, geostatistics) produces a more detailed reservoir representation, the pressure mounts for the other disciplines to match the level of complexification in their respective areas. However, for many reservoir problems, we may have a nonlinear relationship between dynamic and detail complexity (Fig. 3). As the number of detail complexity elements rise, the number of interactions among the elements proliferate. Any one of these interactions can be a show stopper. For example, reservoir-simulation models constructed at the detail level (i.e., scale) of geocellular models can become numerically unstable or prohibitively central-processing-unit (CPU) intensive - either way, a nonsolution. Complexification vs. Error Expectations The reservoir system depicted in Fig. 1 does not represent a controlled data environment; i.e., we are not operating in a setting where we can control the quality and quantity (sufficiency) of data. Therefore, in reservoir systems, the concept of "garbage in/garbage out," when taken literally, is an oxymoron. There is always some contamination (error or uncertainty) in one of the detail complexity elements. Thus, we need to redefine our mission as "given the data environment as is, what is an acceptable error, and what is an appropriate level of complexification?"

Summary There is a potential for improving the reliability of standard core tests for seismic monitoring studies. A primary concern is the ability to quantify and correct for core-damage effects, which significantly enhance the stress dependency of wave velocities. This problem is most relevant for relatively low-strength rocks cored in high-stress environments. We have used synthetic sandstones formed under stress to perform a systematic study of stress-release- induced core-damage effects. The results show that careful laboratory procedures and modeling efforts may reduce core damage effects. However, no simple procedure is currently available to eliminate the problem. The use of simplified laboratory test procedures, particularly the application of an inappropriate effective stress principle, may lead to erroneous interpretations. Introduction Time-lapse (4D) seismic provides a potentially powerful tool to identify changes in a reservoir induced during production. This is accomplished by running repeated seismic surveys throughout the production period and looking for changes in the seismic response. Such changes can, in principle, be ascribed to several parameters, the most obvious being fluid saturation, pore pressure, and temperature. 1,2 Thus, by monitoring the reservoir at various timesteps during an enhanced oil recovery operation such as a water injection, one may identify nonflooded compartments within the reservoir. This information permits subsequent positioning of new production and injection wells or modification of the existing depletion strategy in a way that significantly improves the total recovery of the reservoir. During the past 5 years or so, the number of commercial 4D seismic surveys has increased from fewer than 5 to approximately 25 per year. The cost of a reservoir monitoring project is in many places comparable to that of drilling a new well, and benefits have, in many cases, proven so large that most companies now consider it a natural part of reservoir management. There are, however, a number of factors that influence the success for such surveys, be they related to the reservoir itself in terms of depth, stress, temperature, and structural and compositional complexity, or to such intrinsic reservoir properties as the rock and fluid properties at the given reservoir conditions. The success also is affected by the quality of the seismic acquisition parameters during the surveys, such as the degree of repeatability between subsequent surveys,3 as well as the final processing of the seismic data (see Lumley et al.4 for a technical risk summary). Because of this substantial variability, one should always perform a seismic monitoring feasibility study in advance to quantify the extent to which expected production-induced changes may be detectable from a planned seismic monitoring study. Such a study needs integrated input from a number of disciplines; after a proper reservoir model is built, reservoir simulations must be undertaken to produce relevant scenarios to be expected throughout production. Thereafter, these must be translated into corresponding seismic parameters from rock physical principles before, finally, seismic modeling can be undertaken for various acquisition geometries and subsequent processing alternatives can be tested. Traditionally, seismic monitoring parameters have been deduced from post-stack data through changes in the vertical P-wave reflection coefficient, expressed by the corresponding acoustic impedance ZP = ?·VP, where VP = the acoustic P-wave velocity and p=the density. This, essentially, has allowed for inversion for only one effective reservoir parameter. Knowing that there may be concurrent changes in several parameters has made the interpretation of the seismics difficult. More recently, however, a practical use of amplitude-vs.-offset (AVO) data has been introduced5 that enables the determination of the corresponding shear-wave impedance ZS. This simultaneous determination of P- and S-wave impedances has allowed for distinction between changes in multiple reservoir properties such as saturation and pore pressure, assuming that other parameters remain constant. A crucial point in the initial feasibility study, as well as in the final interpretation of deduced changes in seismic parameters during monitoring, is the quantitative rock physical interpretation of the seismic parameters in terms of changes in reservoir parameters. A number of factors affect the acoustic velocities in a complicated manner, and no theory exists that can be applied generally. Therefore, laboratory testing on core material at representative test conditions is required as a natural part of a feasibility study to quantify the effects of pore pressure, saturation, and temperature that can be encountered during monitoring. The objective of this paper is to elucidate some fundamental questions related to these key issues. In particular, we focus on the neglected effect of core damage upon the laboratory-measured stress sensitivity of velocities6 and the importance of using proper stress conditions during such experiments. We handle this by performing systematic laboratory measurements on synthetic reservoir sandstones formed under stress, and we try to tune the properties of the synthetics to match specific reservoir sandstones. Even if this procedure is not fully representative of all reservoir sandstones, our experience is that it may at least be applicable for weakly cemented, clean sandstone reservoirs. Furthermore, we also illustrate pitfalls in the common use of the so-called effective stress principle. Fundamental Questions As in all core testing, one has to deal with two fundamental questions when running experiments to quantify effects of pore pressure, saturation, and temperature on acoustic velocities:Are the cores representative of the reservoir rock?Are the tests performed under the appropriate conditions for prediction of in-situ behavior? Core Representativity. The first question has two different aspects. First, the small core may not be representative of a large heterogeneous reservoir. The most obvious way to deal with this is to test many cores and then perform some kind of statistical analysis on the acquired data. Still, the reservoir may contain fractures and faults at subseismic length scales, which are not present in the core samples but contribute to seismic velocities. The second aspect to consider is core damage: a rock is "born" and "lives all its life" in a stressed earth. When drilled and brought to the surface, it meets the hostile world of atmospheric conditions. The stress release may be sufficient to induce microcracks or broken grain bonds in the rock core, leading to altered rock properties. The damage is permanent and has been shown to have strong effects on rock mechanical and acoustic parameters.7 In the present paper, we discuss in more detail how core damage affects the predicted stress sensitivity of the seismic velocity.

The information published annually by the National Science Foundation on its Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) awardees was used to create an Awardees in Ocean Sciences (AOS) data set. This data set shows that women have been successful in receiving the fellowship award in the ocean sciences, receiving an overall 69% of the awards from 1996 through 2021 (458 women among 659 awardees). Women comprised at least 50% of awardees in the six ocean sciences disciplines listed as GRFP subfields of study. The highest percentages of awards to women (72%) were in biological oceanography and marine geology/geophysics, followed by marine biology and chemical oceanography (69%), physical oceanography (67%), and ocean engineering (61%). Women were successful both as undergraduate applicants (69% of undergraduate awardees) and as graduate applicants (71% of graduate awardees). We estimate that GRFP women awardees made up 17.8% of the women obtaining doctoral degrees in oceanography from 2017 to 2021, compared with GRFP men awardees comprising 8.5% of the male doctoral recipients for the same period. Our analysis suggests future directions for study of GRFP awardees and highlights the need for data that would help inform community outreach to underserved student populations.

Fieldwork has long been considered an essential component of geoscience research and education, with student field experiences consistently valued for their effectiveness in developing expertise in geoscience skills and cognitive abilities. However, some geoscience disciplines recently have exhibited a decreasing focus on data collection in the field. Additionally, some students have been disinclined to pursue a geoscience career if physical fieldwork is perceived as necessary for the completion of their academic degree. More recently, travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have restricted access to field locations for many students and geoscience researchers. As a result, geoscience educators are developing virtual field trips and exercises that address many of the learning objectives of traditional in-person field experiences. These virtual field trips and exercises use a variety of online and computer platforms, including web-based and desktop versions of Google Earth (GE). In this contribution, we highlight how educators can create virtual geoscience field trips and exercises using web GE, desktop GE, and a web-based tool for generating oriented geologic symbology for GE. Examples of methods and approaches for creating virtual field experiences in GE are provided for a virtual field trip that uses a web GE presentation to replicate a typical class field trip, and for a geologic mapping exercise that uses a KML file uploaded into web or desktop GE. Important differences between web and desktop GE are discussed, with consideration for which platform might be most effective for specific educational objectives. Challenges and opportunities related to virtual field trips are discussed in comparison with traditional in-person, on-location field trips. It is suggested that in a post–COVID-19 world, a combination of in-person and virtual hybrid field experiences might prove the most effective approach for producing a more inclusive and equitable learning environment, and thus strengthening the geoscience workforce.

Characterizing the spatial distributions of hydraulic conductivity of rock mass is important in geoscience and engineering disciplines. In this paper, the architecture of CNN is proposed to predict the spatial distributions of hydraulic conductivity based on limited geologic factors. The performance of CNN model is evaluated using the new data of hydraulic conductivity. A comparative study with the empirical method is performed to validate the reliability of CNN model. The effect of weathering and unloading on the spatial distributions of hydraulic conductivity is studied using the CNN model. The result shows that the hydraulic conductivity predicted by CNN model is within the error range of 5% compared to the Lugeon borehole tests. The predictive accuracy of the CNN method is higher than the estimations of the empirical relations. The spatial distributions of hydraulic conductivity versus depth can be divided into three stages. At first stage, the hydraulic conductivity is slightly reduced with the increasing of depth. Increasing to the depth range of 300-600 m (second stage), the hydraulic conductivity is slightly reduced as a function of lower weathering degree. At last stage, the hydraulic conductivity is not changed by the weathering, and converge to a constant with the depth increasing.

We present a detailed biographical account and analysis of works of Juda Kreisler (1904–1940s?), a theoretical physicist from Lviv. He was born in Tlumach (Ukrainian: Тлумач, Polish: Tłumacz, Yiddish: טאלמיטש ), nowadays a town in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast in the western part of Ukraine. In 1923, Juda Kreisler finished a gymnasium in Stanislaviv and entered the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Lviv (Wydział Filozoficzny Uniwersytetu Jana Kazimierza [UJK] we Lwowie) in order to study physics. In 1932, he was promoted to the doctoral degree in physics under the supervision of Professor Stanisław Loria. For a short period in the 1930s, Juda Kreisler worked at the Department for Theoretical Physics of the University of Lviv, and returned to the University in 1940, after the Soviets had reorganized it upon taking over Lviv in September 1939. His fate remains unknown: he is listed among murdered by Nazis Jewish employees of the University of Lviv in 1941–43. Dr. Kreisler authored four scientific papers and four abstracts of conference presentations delivered at the Congresses of Polish Physicists in 1932–36. There is, however, another field, where he was extremely prolific in the late 1930s. We have discovered 122 of his popular articles in “Chwila” (English: “Moment”), a local daily newspaper published by the Jewish community in Lviv during 1919–39. These articles covered various subjects, that can be tentatively divided into the following major topics: chronicles and personalia; history of science; discoveries, new studies and inventions; the applied value of science (for medicine and economy in particular); interconnection between science and war; organization of scientific life; Hitler’s Germany and the problem of so-called ‘Aryan science’. While various branches of physics formed the largest part within disciplines reflected in Juda Kreisler’s articles, he also discussed biology, chemistry, meteorology, and geology. The latter field is closely related to his professional career at Lviv’s Geophysical Institute of “Pionier”, a joint-stock company for the exploration and exploitation of bituminous materials, where he spent nine months in 1936.

This is volume number 10, meaning JISIB has published articles in intelligence studies for ten consecutive years. We have addressed the changes in the discipline during these years in articles and notes. I want to share with you another reflection. This year I am a reviewer and a member of the organizing committee of two similar conferences. The first is the CI2020, a conference on collective intelligence with participants from many larger and well-known universities. The second is the ICI2020, this year with a focus on collective intelligence and foresight. There are many more conference and journals presenting and publishing on similar topics simultaneously, but in different networks. Science as a whole—the advancement of knowledge for the benefit of all mankind— would most likely be better off if at least some of these groups merged. That was also my impression when reviewing the extended abstracts for these two conferences. I also tried to see if members of the CI2010 conference would consider joining the other, but that seemed more difficult than first imagined. This is also about ownership and identity, which is not an entirely unfamiliar idea. The consequences of these tendencies are not favorable for the objects we study. The unnecessary division of networks that look at the same phenomenon is sometimes referred to as “academic tribalism.” Academic tribes become a barrier to learning and this can result in closemindedness1. This is also according to my own experience. Academic clustering is a similar mechanism whereby graduates from one institution favor those who come from the same institution, but there are also those universities that systematically refrain from this. Among these is Harvard University, which seldom hires their own PhDs, or so I have been told. If so, that is probably better for the progress of science. Where is it meaningful to draw a line between academic groups then? Everyone will agree that the natural sciences are quite different from the humanities. Between psychology and business though there is much overlap with psychology in business. Between accounting and management, a good understanding of how to manage a business requires the knowledge of income statements, balance sheets and how to set up a cash flow analysis. One way to think about division is if the method is different. According to this criterion most social scientists should be able to do each other’s work, and subsequently go to each other’s conferences. Another meaningful division is based on experience and the depth of specialization obtained by the discipline. This criterion is less precise. I do not pretend to have the answer, but I think it’s a pity that all these tribes exist, with their own buzzwords often studying more or less the same phenomenon, with the same methods. What distinguishes intelligence studies from other tribes is, in my opinion, first of all that we see that the private organization is better organized as an intelligence organization, with focus on information gathering and analysis. It has less to do with departments of marketing, HR or accounting, even though the one does not exclude the other. Another way is to see the intelligence organization as a superstructure, a layer that exists above all functional departments where the aim is to achieve a competitive advantage through better information. In this respect the need for CEOs is not unlike those of ministers of state. Now, is this perspective so radically different that it deserves its own tribe with its own journal and conferences? That is the important question. And in some way, I cannot help but think that learning would be better without them, that is, it would be better if it was all one big interchangeable group, going to one another’s conferences, and writing for each other’s journals. Science would benefit from it. From time to time I have also peeked over into other groups and joined their conferences. What is astonishing especially for an outsider is that you are immediately confronted with a pecking order that 1 Rogers, S. L., & Cage, A. G. (2017). Academic Tribalism and Subject Specialists as a Challenge to Teaching and Learning in Dual Honours Systems; a Qualitative Perspective From the School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, Keele University, UK. Journal of Academic Development and Education, (8). Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business Vol. 10, No 1 (2020) p. 4-5 Open Access: Freely available at: https://ojs.hh.se/ 5 is related to who has been there the longest and published the most in the group. This cannot be an advantage for the advancement of science, I tell myself. But, then again, pecking orders seems to be the rule rather than the exception for most social creatures, not only chicken. The first article by Nasullaev et al., entitled “Technology intelligence practices in SMEs: evidence from Estonia,” is on operationalization of technology intelligence practices by small firms in catching-up economies. Their analysis reveals that elements of technology intelligence in large and small companies are similar. Furthermore, they conclude that there is no unique set of technology intelligence. The second article by Nguyen entitled “The effects of cross-functional coordination and competition on knowledge sharing and organisational innovativeness: A qualitative study in a transition economy” reveals the potentially significant effect of coopetition (i.e., the simultaneous coordination and competition) on the degree of knowledge sharing between marketing and other departments in business organisations. The enhanced knowledge sharing can, according to author, positively improve organisational innovativeness. The third article by Hendar et al. entitled “Market intelligence on business performance: the mediating role of specialized marketing capabilities” integrates market intelligence dimensions and one dimension of marketing capabilities, i.e. specialized marketing capabilities (SMC), into an empirical model to try to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between market intelligence and SMC and how these factors shape business performance (BP). The study suggests that owners or managers of SMEs recognize that important market intelligence factors are increasing SMC and BP. This helps them make better investment decisions in developing the right combination SMC to increase BP. The fourth article, by Zafary, is entitled “Implementation of business intelligence considering the role of information systems integration and enterprise resource planning”. It shows the value of integrated information systems and enterprise resource planning in the success of business intelligence implementation. The author concludes that organizations should pay more attention to their working processes to improve business intelligence success. The fifth and last article is an opinion piece by Barnea. The title is “How will AI change intelligence and decision making?” In the article Barnea argues that with increased attention on artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, the value of the human factor will not become redundant but rather improve its use. Furthermore, in the future AI will be significant to analysis and predictions in advance of competitors’ moves and delivering early warning signals of threats both in the private sector as well as in state services. In the last issue of JISIB we said we were looking forward to a meeting in Bad Nauheim for the ICI2020. Now due to the Corona pandemic the conference will be held online, but we still hope to see you, on video camera, that is. As always, we would above all like to thank the authors for their contributions to this issue of JISIB. Thanks to Dr. Allison Perrigo for reviewing English grammar and helping with layout design for all articles. On behalf of the Editorial Board,

Introduction Almost all industries in Australia today have adopted digital media in some way. However, uses in large scale activities such as mining may seem to be different from others. This article looks at mining practices with a media studies approach, and concludes that, just as many other industries, mining and media have converged. Many Australian mine sites are adopting new media for communication and control to manage communication, explore for ore bodies, simulate forces, automate drilling, keep records, and make transport and command robotic. Beyond sharing similar digital devices for communication and computation, new media in mining employ characteristic digital media operations, such as numerical operation, automation and managed variability. This article examines the implications of finding that some of the most material practices have become mediated by new media. Mining has become increasingly mediated through new media technologies similar to GPS, visualisation, game remote operation, similar to those adopted in consumer home and mobile digital media. The growing and diversified adoption of digital media championed by companies like Rio Tinto aims not only ‘improve’ mining, but to change it. Through remediating practices of digital mining, new media have become integral powerful tools in prospective, real time and analytical environments. This paper draws on two well-known case studies of mines in the Pilbara and Western NSW. These have been documented in press releases and media reports as representing changes in media and mining. First, the West Angelas mines in the Pilbara is an open cut iron ore mine introducing automation and remote operation. This mine is located in the remote Pilbara, and is notable for being operated remotely from a control centre 2000km away, near Perth Airport, WA. A growing fleet of Komatsu 930E haul trucks, which can drive autonomously, traverses the site. Fitted with radars, lasers and GPS, these enormous vehicles navigate through the open pit mine with no direct human control. Introducing these innovations to mine sites become more viable after iron ore mining became increasingly profitable in the mid-2000s. A boom in steel building in China drove unprecedented demand. This growing income coincided with a change in public rhetoric from companies like Rio Tinto. They pointed towards substantial investments in research, infrastructure, and accelerated introduction of new media technologies into mining practices. Rio Tinto trademarked the term ‘Mine of the future’ (US Federal News Service 1), and publicised their ambitious project for renewal of mining practice, including digital media. More recently, prices have been more volatile. The second case study site is a copper and gold underground mine at Northparkes in Western NSW. Northparkes uses substantial sensing and control, as well as hybrid autonomous and remote operated vehicles. The use of digital media begins with prospecting, and through to logistics of transportation. Engineers place explosives in optimal positions using computer modelling of the underground rock formations. They make heavy use of software to coordinate layer-by-layer use of explosives in this advanced ‘box cut’ mine. After explosives disrupt the rock layer a kilometre underground, another specialised vehicle collects and carries the ore to the surface. The Sandvik loader-hauler-dumper (LHD) can be driven conventionally by a driver, but it can also travel autonomously in and out of the mine without a direct operator. Once it reaches a collection point, where the broken up ore has accumulated, a user of the surface can change the media mode to telepresence. The human operator then takes control using something like a games controller and multiple screens. The remote operator controls the LHD to fill the scoop with ore. The fully-loaded LHD backs up, and returns autonomously using laser senses to follow a trail to the next drop off point. The LHD has become a powerful mediator, reconfiguring technical, material and social practices throughout the mine. The Meanings of Mining and Media Are Converging Until recently, mining and media typically operated ontologically separately. The media, such as newspapers and television, often tell stories about mining, following regular narrative scripts. There are controversies and conflicts, narratives of ecological crises, and the economics of national benefit. There are heroic and tragic stories such as the Beaconsfield mine collapse (Clark). There are new industry policies (Middelbeek), which are politically fraught because of the lobbying power of miners. Almost completely separately, workers in mines were consumers of media, from news to entertainment. These media practices, while important in their own right, tell nothing of the approaching changes in many other sectors of work and everyday life. It is somewhat unusual for a media studies scholar to study mine sites. Mine sites are most commonly studied by Engineering (Bellamy & Pravica), Business and labour and cultural histories (McDonald, Mayes & Pini). Until recently, media scholarship on mining has related to media institutions, such as newspapers, broadcasters and websites, and their audiences. As digital media have proliferated, the phenomena that can be considered as media phenomena has changed. This article, pointing to the growing roles of media technologies, observes the growing importance that media, in these terms, have in the rapidly changing domain of mining. Another meaning for ‘media’ studies, from cybernetics, is that a medium is any technology that translates perception, makes interpretations, and performs expressions. This meaning is more abstract, operating with a broader definition of media — not only those institutionalised as newspapers or radio stations. It is well known that computer-based media have become ubiquitous in culture. This is true in particular within the mining company’s higher ranks. Rio Tinto’s ambitious 2010 ‘Mine of the Future’ (Fisher & Schnittger, 2) program was premised on an awareness that engineers, middle managers and senior staff were already highly computer literate. It is worth remembering that such competency was relatively uncommon until the late 1980s. The meanings of digital media have been shifting for many years, as computers become experienced more as everyday personal artefacts, and less as remote information systems. Their value has always been held with some ambivalence. Zuboff’s (387-414) picture of loss, intimidation and resistance to new information technologies in the 1980s seems to have dissipated by 2011. More than simply being accepted begrudgingly, the PC platform (and variants) has become a ubiquitous platform, a lingua franca for information workers. It became an intimate companion for many professions, and in many homes. It was an inexpensive, versatile and generalised convergent medium for communication and control. And yet, writers such as Gregg observe, the flexibility of networked digital work imposes upon many workers ‘unlimited work’. The office boundaries of the office wall break down, for better or worse. Emails, utility and other work-related behaviours increasingly encroach onto domestic and public space and time. Its very attractiveness to users has tied them to these artefacts. The trail that leads the media studies discipline down the digital mine shaft has been cleared by recent work in media archaeology (Parikka), platform studies (Middelbeek; Montfort & Bogost; Maher) and new media (Manovich). Each of these redefined Media Studies practices addresses the need to diversify the field’s attention and methods. It must look at more specific, less conventional and more complex media formations. Mobile media and games (both computer-based) have turned out to be quite different from traditional media (Hjorth; Goggin). Kirschenbaum’s literary study of hard drives and digital fiction moves from materiality to aesthetics. In my study of digital mining, I present a reconfigured media studies, after the authors, that reveals heterogeneous media configurations, deserving new attention to materiality. This article also draws from the actor network theory approach and terminology (Latour). The uses of media / control / communications in the mining industry are very complex, and remain under constant development. Media such as robotics, computer modelling, remote operation and so on are bound together into complex practices. Each mine site is different — geologically, politically, and economically. Mines are subject to local and remote disasters. Mine tunnels and global prices can collapse, rendering active sites uneconomical overnight. Many technologies are still under development — including Northparkes and West Angelas. Both these sites are notable for their significant use of autonomous vehicles and remote operated vehicles. There is no doubt that the digital technologies modulate all manner of the mining processes: from rocks and mechanical devices to human actors. Each of these actors present different forms of collusion and opposition. Within a mining operation, the budgets for computerised and even robotic systems are relatively modest for their expected return. Deep in a mine, we can still see media convergence at work. Convergence refers to processes whereby previously diverse practices in media have taken on similar devices and techniques. While high-end PCs in mining, running simulators; control data systems; visualisation; telepresence, and so on may be high performance, ruggedised devices, they still share a common platform to the desktop PC. Conceptual resources developed in Media Ecology, New Media Studies, and the Digital Humanities can now inform readings of mining practices, even if their applications differ dramatically in size, reliability and cost. It is not entirely surprising that some observations by new media theorists about entertainment and media applications can also relate to features of mining technologies. Manovich argues that numerical representation is a distinctive feature of new media. Numbers have always already been key to mining engineering. However, computers visualise numerical fields in simulations that extend out of the minds of the calculators, and into visual and even haptic spaces. Specialists in geology, explosives, mechanical apparatuses, and so on, can use plaftorms that are common to everyday media. As the significance of numbers is extended by computers in the field, more and more diverse sources of data provide apparently consistent and seamless images of multiple fields of knowledge. Another feature that Manovich identifies in new media is the capacity for automation of media operations. Automation of many processes in mechanical domains clearly occurred long before industrial technologies were ported into new media. The difference with new media in mine sites is that robotic systems must vary their performance according to feedback from their extra-system environments. For our purposes, the haul trucks in WA are software-controlled devices that already qualify as robots. They sense, interpret and act in the world based on their surroundings. They evaluate multiple factors, including the sensors, GPS signals, operator instructions and so on. They can repeat the path, by sensing the differences, day after day, even if the weather changes, the track wears away or the instructions from base change. Automation compensates for differences within complex and changing environments. Automation of an open-pit mine haulage system… provides more consistent and efficient operation of mining equipment, it removes workers from potential danger, it reduces fuel consumption significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and it can help optimize vehicle repairs and equipment replacement because of more-predictable and better-controlled maintenance. (Parreire and Meech 1-13) Material components in physical mines tend to become modular and variable, as their physical shape lines up with the logic of another of Manovich’s new media themes, variability. Automatic systems also make obsolete human drivers, who previously handled those environmental variations, for better or for worse, through the dangerous, dull and dirty spaces of the mine. Drivers’ capacity to control repeat trips is no longer needed. The Komatsu driverless truck, introduced to the WA iron ore mines from 2008, proved itself to be almost as quick as human drivers at many tasks. But the driverless trucks have deeper advantages: they can run 23 hours each day with no shift breaks; they drive more cautiously and wear the equipment less than human drivers. There is no need to put up workers and their families up in town. The benefit most often mentioned is safety: even the worst accident won’t produce injuries to drivers. The other advantage less mentioned is that autonomous trucks don’t strike. Meanwhile, managers of human labour also need to adopt certain strategies of modulation to support the needs and expectations of their workers. Mobile phones, televisions and radio are popular modes of connecting workers to their loved ones, particularly in the remote and harsh West Angelas site. One solution — regular fly-in-fly out shifts — tends also to be alienating for workers and locals (Cheshire; Storey; Tonts). As with any operations, the cost of maintaining a safe and comfortable environment for workers requires trade-offs. Companies face risks from mobile phones, leaking computer networks, and espionage that expose the site to security risks. Because of such risks, miners tend be subject to disciplinary regimes. It is common to test alcohol and drug levels. There was some resistance from workers, who refused to change to saliva testing from urine testing (Latimer). Contesting these machines places the medium, in a different sense, at the centre of regulation of the workers’ bodies. In Northparkes, the solution of hybrid autonomous and remote operation is also a solution for modulating labour. It is safer and more comfortable, while also being more efficient, as one experienced driver can control three trucks at a time. This more complex mode of mediation is necessary because underground mines are more complex in geology, and working environments to suit full autonomy. These variations provide different relationships between operators and machines. The operator uses a games controller, and watches four video views from the cabin to make the vehicle fill the bucket with ore (Northparkes Mines, 9). Again, media have become a pivotal element in the mining assemblage. This combines the safety and comfort of autonomous operation (helping to retain staff) with the required use of human sensorimotor dexterity. Mine systems deserve attention from media studies because sites are combining large scale physical complexity with increasingly sophisticated computing. The conventional pictures of mining and media rarely address the specificity of subjective and artefactual encounters in and around mine sites. Any research on mining communication is typically within the instrumental frames of engineering (Duff et al.). Some of the developments in mechanical systems have contributed to efficiency and safety of many mines: larger trucks, more rock crushers, and so on. However, the single most powerful influence on mining has been adopting digital media to control, integrate and mining systems. Rio Tinto’s transformative agenda document is outlined in its high profile ‘Mine of the Future’ agenda (US Federal News Service). The media to which I refer are not only those in popular culture, but also those with digital control and communications systems used internally within mines and supply chains. The global mining industry began adopting digital communication automation (somewhat) systematically only in the 1980s. Mining companies hesitated to adopt digital media because the fundamentals of mining are so risky and bound to standard procedures. Large scale material operations, extracting and processing minerals from under the ground: hardly to be an appropriate space for delicate digital electronics. Mining is also exposed to volatile economic conditions, so investing in anything major can be unattractive. High technology perhaps contradicts an industry ethos of risk-taking and masculinity. Digital media became domesticated, and familiar to a new generation of formally educated engineers for whom databases and algorithms (Manovich) were second nature. Digital systems become simultaneously controllers of objects, and mediators of meanings and relationships. They control movements, and express communications. Computers slide from using meanings to invoking direct actions over objects in the world. Even on an everyday scale, computer operations often control physical processes. Anti-lock Braking Systems regulate a vehicle’s braking pressure to avoid the danger when wheels lock-up. Or another example, is the ATM, which involves both symbolic interactions, and also exchange of physical objects. These operations are examples of the ‘asignifying semiotic’ (Guattari), in which meanings and non-meanings interact. There is no operation essential distinction between media- and non-media digital operations. Which are symbolic, attached or non-consequential is not clear. This trend towards using computation for both meanings and actions has accelerated since 2000. Mines of the Future Beyond a relatively standard set of office and communications software, many fields, including mining, have adopted specialised packages for their domains. In 3D design, it is AutoCAD. In hard sciences, it is custom modelling. In audiovisual production, it may be Apple and Adobe products. Some platforms define their subjectivity, professional identity and practices around these platforms. This platform orientation is apparent in areas of mining, so that applications such as the Gemcom, Rockware, Geological Database and Resource Estimation Modelling from Micromine; geology/mine design software from Runge, Minemap; and mine production data management software from Corvus. However, software is only a small proportion of overall costs in the industry. Agents in mining demand solutions to peculiar problems and requirements. They are bound by their enormous scale; physical risks of environments, explosive and moving elements; need to negotiate constant change, as mining literally takes the ground from under itself; the need to incorporate geological patterns; and the importance of logistics. When digital media are the solution, there can be what is perceived as rapid gains, including greater capacities for surveillance and control. Digital media do not provide more force. Instead, they modulate the direction, speed and timing of activities. It is not a complete solution, because too many uncontrolled elements are at play. Instead, there are moment and situations when the degree of control refigures the work that can be done. Conclusions In this article I have proposed a new conception of media change, by reading digital innovations in mining practices themselves as media changes. This involved developing an initial reading of the operations of mining as digital media. With this approach, the array of media components extends far beyond the conventional ‘mass media’ of newspapers and television. It offers a more molecular media environment which is increasingly heterogeneous. It sometimes involves materiality on a huge scale, and is sometimes apparently virtual. The mining media event can be a semiotic, a signal, a material entity and so on. It can be a command to a human. It can be a measurement of location, a rock formation, a pressure or an explosion. The mining media event, as discussed above, is subject to Manovich’s principles of media, being numerical, variable and automated. In the mining media event, these principles move from the aesthetic to the instrumental and physical domains of the mine site. The role of new media operates at many levels — from the bottom of the mine site to the cruising altitude of the fly-in-fly out aeroplanes — has motivated significant changes in the Australian industry. When digital media and robotics come into play, they do not so much introduce change, but reintroduce similarity. This inversion of media is less about meaning, and more about local mastery. Media modulation extends the kinds of influence that can be exerted by the actors in control. In these situations, the degrees of control, and of resistance, are yet to be seen. Acknowledgments Thanks to Mining IQ for a researcher's pass at Mining Automation and Communication Conference, Perth in August 2012. References Bellamy, D., and L. 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