Compilation of Geospatial Data (GIS) for the Mineral Industries and Related Infrastructure of Select Countries in Southwest Asia

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled a geodatabase containing mineral-related geospatial data for 10 countries of interest in Southwest Asia (area of study): Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, and Thailand. The data can be used in analyses of the extractive fuel and nonfuel mineral industries and related economic and physical infrastructure integral for the successful operation of the mineral industries within the area of study as well as the movement of mineral products across domestic and global markets. This geodatabase reflects the USGS ongoing commitment to its mission of understanding the nature and distribution of global mineral commodity supply chains by updating and publishing the georeferenced locations of mineral commodity production and processing facilities, mineral exploration and development sites, and mineral commodity exporting ports for the countries in the area of study. The geodatabase contains data feature classes from USGS, foreign governmental, and open-source sources as follows: (1) mineral production and processing facilities, (2) mineral exploration and development sites, (3) mineral occurrence sites and deposits, (4) undiscovered mineral resource tracts for copper, phosphate, and potash, (5) coal occurrence areas, (6) electric power generating facilities, (7) electric power transmission lines, (8) liquefied natural gas terminals, (9) undiscovered, technically recoverable conventional and continuous hydrocarbon resources (by USGS geologic province), (10) cumulative production and recoverable conventional resources (by oil- and gas-producing nation), and (11) major mineral exporting maritime ports.