Understand why the source was created
A geological inventory is designed to describe mineral evidence, not necessarily to identify current commercial suppliers. The USGS global occurrence database records deposits and occurrences with geological and available quantitative information. That is valuable discovery material, but it must retain its publisher classification when used in a sourcing workflow.
Before filtering by country, identify the record's purpose and date. A location may represent a geological feature, a broad project area or an industrial site. These are not interchangeable points on a supply map.
USGS: Global rare earth element occurrence database (2022) ↗
Promote a record only with new evidence
To treat a location as an operating facility, seek a named operator, supported activity, product stage and current status disclosure. Keep the original source identifier so the enriched record remains traceable. If two releases describe the same site, resolve the identity rather than counting both as independent supply.
Retain unresolved cases as research leads. Excluding them from a current-supplier shortlist does not mean discarding their value. A future project can belong on a development watchlist while remaining inappropriate for an immediate procurement comparison.
Illustrative coverage claim
A library has thousands of occurrence entries but only a subset with evidence of operations. Calling every entry a producing facility would inflate coverage and mislead buyers. A useful presentation distinguishes discovery breadth, reviewed projects and operating evidence, allowing users to choose the level appropriate to their question.
Keep record types explicit
| Record | Suitable use |
|---|---|
| Occurrence | Geological discovery and follow-up |
| Development project | Milestone and future-route research |
| Operating facility | Current capability research, subject to evidence |
Your review checklist
- Read the source's classification and purpose.
- Retain release date and source identifier.
- Require operating evidence before reclassification.
- Deduplicate releases without erasing provenance.
Investigate with Oreline
Oreline combines public-source discovery with reviewed company and facility research. Use the classifications and evidence to distinguish a potential research lead from an operation relevant to a current supplier decision.
Follow the evidence through the supply chain.
Explore Oreline’s guided investigations. No account required.
Explore the sandbox →Frequently asked questions
Is an occurrence a useless record?
No. It can be a valuable lead for geological or development research. It is simply not evidence of an operating supplier by itself.
Can multiple source entries describe one facility?
Yes. Releases, aliases and differing geographic scopes can overlap, which is why identity resolution matters before counting coverage.