UCP ScanIT

ScanIT allows geologists to photograph, record, interpret and validate their drill core in an intuitive and effective manner. By capturing undistorted images of the core using a smartphone, the geologist can undertake digital geological logging encompassing lithological, structural and geotechnical parameters. This digital core logging platform ensures accurate and consistent recording of geological information. The versatility of the software enables off-site logging and thus improves efficiency and management of the core logging process. As a field-based system, it allows the core trays to be photographed at the drill site or core shed and the data to be immediately transferred, either wirelessly or manually to the geologist for logging and monitoring drill site operations. The system uses an iPhone mounted on a custom designed cradle, which is manually pushed along the Unique Core Products (UCP) Africa core tray to capture the image via an in-house app. ScanIT automatically crops the image, determines the core size, recognises the depths from the Core Depth Markers (CDM) and marks the temporary up-hole and down-hole depths. Once the natural gaps or the forced breaks in the core have been identified and marked by the user, the software determines the Core Recovered (CR) and calculates the core loss or core gain. After the loss or gain has been manually allocated to specific drill breaks, the software automatically meter-marks the core and accurately depth references the image. The depth referenced image can then be used to log the borehole and record the orientation of structures relative to the borehole survey, independent of the final down-hole survey. The survey can be imported at any time during the logging process, and all the previous structural recordings are immediately realigned to provide an accurate real space orientation of the structures. Recording the orientation of planar and linear structural features and lithological contacts that are exposed in the images is accomplished by simply clicking on the trace of the feature three times; the program statistically computes the best fit plane and calculates the Dip and Dip Direction (if the core is orientated) or Alpha Angle (if no core orientation tool was utilized) of the planar structure. The data is plotted on stereographic and 3D orthographic projections. The core is cropped, and a composite spliced image of the core, with all the gaps and depth marks removed, is also produced. The software is extremely accurate, Dip and Dip Direction to an accuracy of 1.5°, with a precision of <3°, and offers several options that can be used to audit and verify the data to ensure cleaner, uncluttered data sets. The program is versatile as it allows the user to import the down-hole survey data, and to create customized, site-specific dictionaries and database (with their unique RGB colours) for the various geological logging characteristics, such as lithologies, structure and stratigraphy.

The data is processed and outputted in excel format in discreet worksheets. Some of the key outputs include a detailed hierarchical plot of the stratigraphy together with the lithological description and a tabulation of all recorded geotechnical data and its associated information incorporating RQD.