Canada has digitized first data from drill cores taken in the Northwest Territories as it drives development of the Canadian Digital Core Library (CDCL) in Calgary to create a national, standardized, AI-ready consolidation of data from core repositories throughout the country.
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) launched the project in March after committing $40 million in government funding in 2026–2027 to the project. In June, 10 provinces and territories signed memoranda of understanding to participate, while the government granted $15 million to Creative Destruction Lab, a startup accelerator in Toronto, to develop the CDCL platform.
Scanning of legacy core data started on 14 September with samples from the Northwest Territories, according to NRCan.
A Model From Down Under
Canada’s initiative is attempting to do what Australia has been doing for more than 20 years to develop large-scale digital core libraries and open geoscience data platforms.
The CDCL site identifies Australia's National Virtual Core Library (NVCL), a nationwide initiative led by AuScope, CSIRO, and state and territory geological surveys, as its model.
“An independent economic assessment of Australia's AuScope infrastructure program, conducted by Lateral Economics in 2016, estimated a net benefit of approximately A$3.7 billion in net present value terms against an economic cost of approximately A$261 million—a return of approximately A$15 in benefit for every A$1 invested,” the CDCL site states.
“A separate 2023 analysis by Deloitte Access Economics found that government-funded precompetitive geoscience data and analysis supported approximately A$76 billion in economic value and around 80,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the Australian economy in 2021–22,” the statement continued.
The NVCL uses CSIRO-developed hyperspectral HyLogger scanners to digitize drill cores and make the data publicly accessible through an online platform. It describes itself as the world's largest online drill-core mineralogical database, containing more than 1.6 million m of drill-core data, according to AuScope, Australia’s national provider of research infrastructure and data and analytics for earth sciences.
Australia’s initiatives are similar to Canada's in several respects.
- National scope. The NVCL integrates data from multiple Australian states and territories into a common platform rather than maintaining data in separate regional repositories.
- Advanced core scanning. The system relies on CSIRO-developed HyLogger technology, which combines hyperspectral imaging, mineralogical interpretation, and high-resolution photography.
- Open-access geoscience data. Researchers and exploration companies can access digital core information through web-based portals.
According to the Western Australia government, its Geological Survey operates major physical core repositories in Perth and Kalgoorlie and has invested significantly in digital scanning. Its Perth Core Library houses a HyLogger system, and the state recently upgraded to the more advanced HyLogger 4 scanner. The resulting data feed into the NVCL and other public databases.
The US, in contrast, maintains a decentralized system of digital core repositories comprising state geological surveys, the USGS Core Research Center in Denver, Colorado, and university and regional repositoriesm but lacks an integrated national system, according to the USGS.
Why Canada Is Following Australia’s Lead
By digitizing physical core data in a national, AI-accessible platform, Canadian officials aim to
- Lower early-stage exploration risk and uncertainty.
- Accelerate discovery and mineral extraction timelines.
- Improve data transparency and accessibility.
- Attract domestic and international investment.
- Support jobs across the mining value chain.
NRCan is reviewing applications from provinces and territories for CDCL funding. Saskatchewan has already received $2.16 million to make its provincial core library compatible with the national platform.
Chris Beaudry, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Energy and Resources, said the investment made to his province “will provide new data from mineral exploration cores stored in Regina and will make Saskatchewan’s geological data more accessible and useful, supporting exploration, innovation, and investment across the province.”
“By making Canada’s geological data easier to access and use, we are leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to reduce exploration risk, catalyze investment, and accelerate the development of critical minerals projects,” Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson, said.
“Canada has generations of valuable geological information stored in drill core across the country. The Canadian Digital Core Library is about bringing that information above ground and into the digital age,” Claude Guay, parliamentary secretary to the energy minister, added.
“By turning physical core into high-quality digital data, we can give geoscientists, explorers and investors new ways to understand Canada’s mineral potential and identify opportunities that will drive our economy for years to come,” Guay added.