Digging Deep for Mining Data: Meet Brenton Fairey

Data Hub geoscientist combines a passion for geology and computer science to unearth new opportunities for the mining industry

Many careers are one-dimensional, but Brenton Fairey prefers a more multifaceted experience. His role at Data Hub perfectly matches his international academic background in geology with his enthusiasm for computer science. The result? Expertise that helps enable the mining sector to break new ground based on data-driven surface and subsurface insights. We caught up with Dr. Fairey to explore why big data should be the gold standard for the mining industry.
 

What is your professional background?

I spent my undergraduate and MSc years at Rhodes University in South Africa focusing on sediment-hosted ore deposits. I then started a fully funded PhD at University College Cork in Ireland. My focus there was determining what role sediment recycling had on sediment maturity and what techniques were useful in identifying recycling processes. After my PhD and following a short stint consulting for the mining industry, I began working for an oil and gas service company, where I had a specialist role in sediment provenance analysis. I then joined CGG just over a year ago, and it’s been awesome. The Data Hub team is growing quickly, with many bright people to keep you on your toes.
 

What is your role at CGG and how has it evolved over the last year?

I am a data geoscientist. When I was looking for a new challenge at my previous company, I saw the opening and thought it suited me to a tee. I’m passionate about geoscience as well as computer science and always wanted to combine the two disciplines. My role enables me to provide my expertise in geological discussions and also offer insights into how clients might want to see the data so that we can tailor our data structures to meet their needs.

Recently, I was promoted to staff data geoscientist, which means I oversee and lead certain projects. I’m now more involved on the client side. I update them whenever needed, we discuss what they’re looking for and my team and I figure out how to meet those needs.

What does a typical day in your life look like?

Data extraction, transformation and loading are commonplace tasks and are also where the data science and programming aspects come into play. The great thing about my role is that I still get to discuss and think about geology. I consider how we’re adapting our data architecture to accommodate geological datasets.

Recently, my team and I have been working on refining our minerals and mining taxonomy to improve data classification in this space. Considering what the end-user might like to see is crucial; that’s why effective communication with our data engineers is important. I ensure that they’re producing pertinent data visualizations for delivery to clients.
 

What are some of the most impactful projects you’ve worked on this last year?

Recently, I’ve been working on a large project in southeastern Arizona. We’re drawing together legacy datasets from oil and gas wells, mineral exploration drillholes, geochronological studies, geochemical surveys … the list goes on. By combining these datasets in different ways, you maximize the potential for locating new mineral deposits.
 

How does Data Hub’s workflow and technology pipeline apply to the mining industry?

CGG technology has been extensively implemented in the hydrocarbon industry, but our technology pipeline and Data Hub workflow can intrinsically scale to meet the challenge of any industry. The difference is taxonomy. A lot of the definitions and terms used in the mining industry differ from what we see in oil and gas. This is where our Minerals & Mining team come into play. Working together, we have tailored our taxonomy to maximize the value of data in that sector.
 

What are the core benefits of data transformation for the mining industry?

Fundamentally, it’s about having data at your fingertips instead of scrolling through reams and reams of virtual paper, which is very time-consuming. Say a client wants to see assay data from a particular drill core. Instead of looking through old reports, you can simply look up the core and see not only its available assay data but all data types associated with the core. These datasets can be integrated to generate more insights into the area they’re exploring. Data integration, like what we’re doing in Arizona, enables better decision-making in shorter time frames — essentials for success in the mining industry.
 

How do you draw upon other members of the team to achieve that?

In some cases, I may not be the best person to talk to about a particular aspect of geology. Fortunately, we have a wide range of expertise that I can call upon to understand how best to refine our taxonomic terms or to solve geological data-related problems. Once we have decided on the best solution and solved any problems in the data, I work with our data engineers to translate these considerations into our data architecture.
 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I love geology, so I want to stay in this sphere while still challenging myself. In terms of role, continuing down this path and taking on more team-lead positions would be great.
 

What do you like to do outside of work?

My hobbies include fishing, cricket, bird-watching, football and golf. I’m also a bit of a gamer, which I especially enjoy on dreary days. I also like scuba diving but don’t get to do that as often.

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Watch Brenton's webinar: 'Expert geological data transformation' here 
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