Outline

Driven by the advancement of green technologies, global demand for metal resources is increasing. In parallel, the mining industry is facing challenges such as declining ore grades, deeper mining operations, and a shortage of skilled mining engineers.

Our research group aims to address these issues by developing a rock and mineral identification system that integrates hyperspectral/multispectral imaging with machine learning. This technology is designed to support field operations by compensating for the shortage of experienced engineers and improving work efficiency. To ensure the reliability of such systems and enable their practical application, close collaboration is essential between geologists, who select geological and geochemical information as training data, and computer scientists, who develop the underlying algorithms. I am working on various case studies—arsenic contamination in tunnel construction sites, mineral exploration and environmental impact assessments of mining projects both in Japan and abroad as a geologist to achieve an advanced integration of geosciences and information technology through continued interdisciplinary efforts.