Rocks, code,
and bots in the field
Writing at the edge where geoscience meets automation, for practitioners who want to actually build things.
About the blog
Bots on the Ground exists because geoscience and modern datascience methods deserve to be talked about together, plainly, practically, and without the hype. Posts here cover real workflows, real code, and real tradeoffs for people who work with geological data.
- Machine learning applied to mineral exploration and prospectivity
- Python tools for geologists and geodata scientists
- Feature engineering, anomaly detection, and spatial modelling
- Field-to-database workflows and data readiness
- NLP and knowledge extraction from geological literature
About me
I'm Drew Heasman, a P.Geo and geodata scientist working at the intersection of economic geology and machine learning. I run SMCG Consulting, a boutique firm providing ML and geoscience services to junior and mid-cap mineral exploration companies.
My background covers both sides of the fence: geology in the field and data science at the keyboard. I've built prospectivity models, geochemical anomaly detection pipelines, and geological database systems for exploration clients. I'm also a member of the Digital Discovery — a specialist group combining Mineral Systems Analysis, geomechanical modelling, and supervised ML for exploration targeting.
On the research side, I completed an MSc in Geology at the University of Saskatchewan under Dr. Bruce Eglington, with a thesis focused on large-scale geological knowledge extraction using NLP and co-occurrence analysis.
Previously, I served as Director of Geodata at Atha Energy, leading geodata systems and ML targeting workflows for a uranium exploration program.
Want to talk about a consulting engagement, a collaboration, or just bots in the bush? Reach out.
✉ heasman.drew@gmail.com →