Mine Map Grants have been awarded to seven recipients, including California University of Pennsylvania ($85,934); Harrisburg Area Community College ($122,101); Harrisburg University of Science and Technology ($299,534); Indiana University of Pennsylvania Research Institute ($484,631); St Vincent College ($110,832); and the University of Pittsburgh ($225,000).

The Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation also will receive $321,968.

“The Mine Map Grant Program provides funding to learning institutions and incorporated non-profit organizations to process mine maps and mine data into electronic formats that can be used in Geographic Information Systems and other computer applications,” Corbett said, noting that the funds also could provide funding for mine map and document restoration and preservation.

The selected grant-funded projects will geo-reference 7200 maps and also digitize 3100 maps, scan 26,900 maps and restore or preserve 259 maps.

Once digitized, the maps will be uploaded to the DEP’s Mine Map Atlas, an online database of 15,000 mine maps. Users can search the system using an address or latitude and longitude, and can view the atlas from three terrain, topographic or bird’s-eye perspectives.

“These grants create an important partnership with higher education, develop a skilled workforce for the energy sector, and continue to ensure a safe working environment for Pennsylvania’s miners,” Corbett said.

“The projects funded by the Mine Map Grant Program will enhance the quality, quantity and delivery of mining information to the millions of residents living in Pennsylvania's mining regions … [and] gives learning institutions and nonprofits the opportunity to train individuals in the use of the emerging geospatial technologies.”

Pennsylvania’s Mine Map Grant Program is financed by Pennsylvania Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act funds, state Mine Subsidence Insurance funds and the Acid Mine Drainage Abatement Fund.