About www.mine-explorer.co.uk
This website (as the name suggests) is a resource built for those who enjoy the exploration of the disused underground mine workings found all over the U.K. To explain it's purpose it is best to explain why I (Miles) decided to build it.
Mine-Exploring as an interest seems to me a little unrepresented on the Internet. There are several excellent websites already on the subject though I feel not enough. Moreover, the websites tend to relate to a particular individuals or groups experiences.
The idea behind www.mine-explorer.co.uk is that anyone with photos, trip reports or other information can add it in to the database. Being "Open-Source" in this way, I hope that through time the website will grow in a way that is not dependant on any particular individual and prove rich in material for all mining regions in the country.
The website will hopefully grow to become the no.1 resource on the subject, including a valuable research tool. I also hope it will bring like-minded people together, for 'meets' and debate. The website also serves to provide safety and access information where possible, as shared knowledge is ultimately better for everybody.
If you're a mine-explorer with photographs and information that you have gathered, please consider registering on this website so that you can upload your content. It's easy to do, and obviously free. It will be of great help to other mine-explorers to learn from your own endeavours, plus you'll get access to more photos.
The following table shows the up-to-date totals for the various data stores within the website:
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a club website or is it run by a club?
No and No. It's an independent website which is not part of any body, society, charity or company. It's simply an online database for mine enthusiasts to publish collective information. By being a registered member on this website is not joining a club. I (Miles) run it because I built it (and pay for the hosting!), not because I was democratically voted in to do so!
Does it cost anything to join? will I get junk emails trying to sell me male enhancement drugs?
Registration is totally free, this is not a commercial website. No you won't get any spam as I don't give anyone else your email address. That's just so I can contact you if I need to, to chat about a picture you've uploaded or whatever. I don't send out junkmail!
Why are certain pictures and files designated as Members Only?
Because many sites or areas are a little sensitive and their details should not be broadcast to the whole world, or be readable by Google etc. If an individual is prepared to register and say a bit about themselves and why they are interested, then that's good enough for me to allow these details to be seen. I can always (and frequently do) delete an account if it isn't convincing.
What is the Classified Database?
There are many pictures and other files which are on the system that frankly are just too sensitive for even registered members to see. These may include pictures of rare, newly discovered artefacts, or photos from within mines that for one reason or another it would be best not to encourage visits to.
If you're wondering why I'd bother storing photos nobody can see, well, the answer to that is simply that historical archiving is very important because one day what's in the pictures might be gone forever. Photos can declassified as situations change and they become suitable for public viewing.
For instance, there are many photos in the Classified Database of presently active mines that record the machinery and workings in much detail. The present owners might not want the information published to discourage people trying to get in, which is a fair request. But who knows, in 50 years that mine might not be working and be deeply flooded. Releasing photos then of what once was will be of great historical value. It's still important to collect and record.
Can any members see the Classified Database?
No. Only myself and a few other very trusted users (they can be counted on one hand) can see these files. I'm not dishing out accounts for the CD, they are only available to people I know personally to be very trustworthy and have a good reason to have one.
What file formats are used?
I've decided on JPG as the standard photo format on this website. It's the most common on the Internet and offers great quality to compression ratio. The .NET code in the site automatically resizes images on the fly. So, images can be stored at high resolution, but delivered at a lower one over the browser. This means there is no need to upload separate thumbnail graphics etc, it's all automatic.
For the documents, such as Trip Reports, I've decided after much thought to standardise on PDF. HTML would have been the preference as content could be read right off the site as web pages, but HTML doesn't group graphics and text together like PDF does and that would be a problem. Besides, the site is supposed to act as a store for a collection of documents, rather than the documents forming pages in one big site.I'm also thinking of individuals who might go out into the 'field' with handheld computers. Such devices can often read PDF files, so it's handy to be able to drop in a collection of downloaded documents to be able to refer to. Trying to browse the Internet to access information whilst half way up a mountain is sometimes possible but usually a complete hassle.
PDF documents can be read on any machine with a free reader from www.adobe.com - and if you've got some documents (in MS Word or similar) you need to convert to PDF, you can send them to me and I'll convent them for you. You can also do it online on Adobe's website.