Kazakhstan to Digitalize 5 Million Geological Data Using AI by the end of 2026

Kazakhstan plans to implement a large-scale project to digitalize geological data using artificial intelligence.

Kazakhstan is planning to implement AI technology for the storage, systematization, and effective use of geological data. As part of this effort, the National Geological Service implements a project to establish an AI-powered Big Data information system.

The Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Construction highlighted the need to increase the digitalization and systematization of geological information, primarily through the use of artificial intelligence.

As a result, converting historical geological records into digital became the main objective. Using AI technologies, around 5 million items created between the 1950s and 1990s and held in geological archives across Kazakhstan is made into a machine-readable format. This will give everyone in the country centralized access to organized, trustworthy, and thorough geological data, which is essential for making investment decisions in the subsurface usage industry.

Subsoil users fund the project as part of their research, scientific and technological, and experimental development activities. Kazakhstan's Subsoil and Subsoil Use Code allocates 1% of mineral extraction costs to supporting and improving science and technology.

So far, 97.5% of the total volume of main geological information has been digitized, accounting for almost 4.7 million individual data storage items. The entire digitalization and systematization of all geological information in Kazakhstan is planned to be completed by the end of 2026.

The project’s expected result is to deliver several key outcomes, including the conversion of textual, tabular and graphical data into a machine-readable format, the creation of a structured database based on a comprehensive geographic information system with spatial data filtering capabilities, the training of experts in artificial intelligence and data science, and the creation of an interactive map, analytical tools and an intelligent chatbot.