QField setup for Australian exploration: five habits that protect your field database

Up to 70 per cent of errors in exploration databases originate in the field. When those errors stem from inconsistent data entry across a team, they compound at every downstream stage: resource modelling, JORC-compliant reporting, feasibility studies, and ultimately investment decisions. The fix is not better geologists. It is better tools configured before anyone leaves the office.

QField is the mobile field app linked to QGIS, the open-source geographic information system used across Australian exploration. It enables offline data collection with structured forms, GPS-tagged observations, and synchronisation back to a central project database. The app is free, widely adopted, and powerful. It is also only as good as the project configuration behind it.

1. Build validated dropdown lists for lithology, alteration, and mineralisation

A geologist selecting from a validated dropdown cannot invent a non-standard abbreviation. Every code in the dropdown matches the project database schema. Every entry that goes in can come straight back out without translation.

This sounds elementary, but the consequence of getting it wrong is expensive. Inconsistent lithology codes between geologists logging the same hole create interpretation conflicts at the resource estimation stage. A code that means "quartz vein" to one geologist and "quartz-veined host rock" to another can shift contact positions and grade boundaries in a block model. Build the dropdown once, in the office, and enforce it everywhere.

2. Set mandatory fields so the form cannot be submitted incomplete

QField allows project-level configuration of required fields. If collar coordinates, depth, core recovery, or lithology code are set as mandatory, the form cannot be submitted without them.

A missed field caught at the drill site costs ten seconds of the geologist's time. A missed field caught during resource estimation costs days of investigation, may require redrilling or re-logging, and in extreme cases, forces a downgrade in resource confidence classification. The mandatory-field configuration is a one-time setup that prevents an entire category of downstream failure.

3. Configure value constraints and ranges for numerical entries

A collar elevation of 50,000 metres or a core recovery of 300 per cent should not be possible to enter. QField supports minimum and maximum constraints on numerical fields, catching transposition errors at the point of entry rather than at audit.

The constraint is the cheapest QA/QC tool in exploration. It requires no additional laboratory work, no duplicate sampling, and no third-party verification. It simply stops bad numbers from entering the database in the first place.

4. Use pre-configured photo and sketching fields tied to each observation point

A geological observation without spatial context is a note in someone's field book. A geological observation with a referenced photograph and a GPS-tagged location is a verifiable data point that supports future audits, competent person reviews, and due diligence processes.

Configure QField to prompt for a photographic record at each sample station, mapping point, or core tray. The photograph becomes part of the spatial database, not an afterthought on someone's phone that may or may not be retrievable six months later.

5. Synchronise the project across all devices and test on a dummy dataset before mobilisation

A QField project that works on one device but crashes on another is a field data gap waiting to happen. Before mobilisation, load the configured project on every device the field team will use, enter a dummy dataset covering all form types and dropdown options, synchronise back to the server, and verify the data arrives intact and correctly attributed.

Resolve compatibility issues, syncing failures, and form rendering problems in the office. The alternative is resolving them at the drill pad, where the rig is running, the contractor clock is ticking, and the geologist's attention is divided.

The bottom line

The best field database is the one your geologist cannot break. Validated dropdowns, mandatory fields, numerical constraints, and pre-mobilisation testing create a data collection environment where the most common field errors are structurally impossible rather than merely discouraged.

At Norwest Exploration and Mining Services, we specialise in rapid deployment of experienced geologists and field technicians who understand that data discipline starts with the tools, not the briefing. Teams that arrive with their QField projects configured, tested, and synchronised produce cleaner data, faster handovers, and fewer downstream surprises.

Looking to build a field team with data systems ready from day one? Contact Norwest directly or visit our profile.