Geosciences and Remote Sensing

Kenya enacted a new Mining Act in 2016, replacing the old one of 1940. Considered Africa’s most progressive mining law, the Act seeks to transform Kenya’s mining sector by making key provisions for transparency and inclusivity in managing the critical issues of land, environment, benefits sharing, stakeholder rights and community expectations. Under Kenya Vision 2030, the share of mining in the GDP should increase from 1% to double digits. Looking beyond a project-level scale is critical to operationalizing progressive mining regulations, since decision makers need to visualize regional dynamics and recognize the big picture in the environment. These facts motivate a study on optimizing mine planning by integrating geospatial models into system dynamics. The background study justifying this research revealed a weak integration of spatial metrics into the existing decision support models. A case study of Kenya’s mineral and conservation belt in Taita Taveta County is used to demonstrate how integrating geospatial models into system dynamics can enhance decisions across extensive spatial and temporal scales. Data layers on topography, cadastre, human settlements, mining hotspots and natural resources constitute the spatial criteria, captured using ground surveying and remote sensing techniques. Weighted spatial and regulatory criteria are integrated to develop a dynamic systems model that supports decisions on measures and scenario simulations for sustainable mining practices and policies. GIS is applied to achieve spatial integrity and transparency in operationalizing the regulations, hence generating location-specific insights for enhanced utility of model-based systems engineering through the stages of a mine’s life cycle.