The Marshall Liberal Government will be the first government globally to host a $250,000 crowd sourced open data competition to fast-track the discovery of mineral deposits in South Australia. ExploreSA: The Gawler Challenge partners with open innovation platform, Unearthed, in a world-wide call for geologists and data scientists to uncover new exploration targets in the state's Gawler Craton region. Using the Geological Survey of South Australia's historical records, primary data and research, the competition combines geological expertise with new mathematical, machine learning and artificial intelligence to increase the number of potential drill targets across central South Australia. "This state-of-the-art competition has the potential to unearth the next Olympic Dam or Carrapateena by encouraging global thinkers and innovators to interrogate our open-file data and generate new exploration models and ideas for targeting," said Minister van Holst Pellekaan. "The Marshall Liberal Government is thinking outside the square to drive investment and jobs in South Australia's vital resources sector. "Mining is one of the pillars of the South Australian economy and this competition should add to the pipeline of projects in the resources and minerals processing sector.

There's no question that artificial intelligence and data analytics are reshaping the resources sector. These new technologies bring new challenges in the way companies consider risk, adapt to new ways of working and the skills needed for the future. These issues were the topic of conversation at a business roundtable lunch hosted by professional services firm Accenture in its new Perth Innovation Hub this week as part of the Resources Technology Showcase program of events. Invited guests, including leading policymakers and industry heavyweights, heard former SAS commander and Mettle Global managing partner Ben Pronk speak about the need to take calculated risks in the battlefield. He explained how the resources industry could adopt that philosophy to take advantage of the fourth industrial revolution.

Editor's Note: Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news stories and expert opinions that moved the precious metals and financial markets. The Australian government is setting up two mining research centres in partnership with universities and commercial supporters, according to an announcement made on Tuesday. The centers will be based in Sydney and Adelaide. The Australian government said research activity at the University of Sydney "...will focus on data analytics related to the long-term impact of resource use on Australia's economy, society and environment. It will help develop the necessary data science skills for Australia's resource industries to make the best possible evidence-based decisions when using our natural resources." The University of Adelaide will focus on advanced sensors and data analytics.

Mining heavyweights BHP, Roy Hill and Alcoa have joined forces with universities and the CSIRO to develop a new data science training centre to upskill workers in the local resources sector. The $3.9 million Training Centre for Transforming Maintenance being funded by the Australian Research Council will be based at Curtin University and will be supported by Adelaide and Western Australia universities. Federal Education and Training Minister Senator Simon Birmingham says the new centre will equip engineers and graduates with data analytics skills to better manage the vast and expensive array of assets owned by mining and energy operators around the country. The centre's director, professor Andrew Rohl, said the effective maintenance of those assets is essential for the $205 billion annual output of the Australian resources sector. "However, maintenance management practices have changed little in the last 20 years and are ripe for a digital overhaul that will bring developments in computational methods, statistics, applied mathematics and artificial intelligence to determine how, when and why maintenance is conducted," said Rohl. "The new centre, which will bring together the relevant research and industry expertise, will enable the development and adoption of new practices to improve productivity and asset reliability for industry and to foster a new maintenance technology service sector for national and international markets."