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Questions and answers

Questions with answers received prior to the Stakeholders MeetingQuestion: I would like to know how the BGS might consider a more communal relationship with universities and others to develop and deliver regional expertise to the benefit of BGS, the ‘regional’ partner and other end-users.

Answer: BGS is developing a network of partnerships with universities, agencies and institutes across the UK, Europe and internationally. In some cases the UK universities will deliver the UK earth sector national capability (NC) with BGS. BGS will increasingly work with a group of delivery partners in the UK.

NERC is launching a Doctoral Training Programme and BGS has been approached by a number of groups to partner in these initiatives. At the same time BGS funds about 70 PhD studentships in about 30 universities and institutes across the UK and also in Europe.

The concept of a regional partner is worth investigating further, this is already the case with respect to energy issues in the Midlands and Scotland and we are looking forward to stronger relationships with the Welsh Government. UK universities are likely to operate in a more communal way in the future and BGS hopes to be part of this development, which has already been exemplified in Scotland.

Question: How will BGS safeguard national capability, in the face of future NERC funding restrictions?

Answer: BGS is already making some hard choices. Our budget from NERC is declining, in particular in response to various transfers from NC baseline funding to competitively won income from NERC and elsewhere.

Partnership in delivering NC will become more important, within the NERC family, with universities in the UK and in Europe.

NERC council is being made aware of the importance and impact of NC and the NERC research centres are all involved in a review process to demonstrate our excellence in science delivery. We expect this to demonstrate the need to fund long-term underpinning earth science national capability.

BGS staff numbers are now at about 620 full-time equivalents (FTE), down from about 800 FTE in 2005. Our science delivery is still strong and our outputs using all metrics have increased in this period, Nonetheless, BGS may reach a tipping point in some areas where the science effort may no longer be considered viable. An example of this is in palaeontology, where BGS has retained a small team of top level palaeontologists, who network with those at adjacent surveys (Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands). We encourage them to develop a critical mass this way and through integration with university departments in specific delivery areas.

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Question: There is enormous potential for combining intelligence on the constitution and properties of the subsurface with the performance of the physical infrastructure that is buried in, or sits on, the ground, and with the ambition for far greater exploitation of underground space in our cities. What plans do you have in this endeavour?

Answer: BGS has developed an enhanced focused on urban geology and the subsurface of urban areas. Specifically we have several years experience in developing best practice in mapping the shallow subsurface with Glasgow City Council and; also as part of the London Basin integrated project that we have developed, BGS completed a geochemical baseline survey of the Greater London area (London Earth).

BGS is increasingly releasing its data through the web or through mobile applications. These are proving very powerful for ground engineers who have asked us to release more specific data on well logs or professionals and this has been done.

We agree with the benefit of combined information and the ability to ’mash up‘ quite disparate databases (soils, weather, land stability, vegetation .....). We are involved in a number of initiatives, including the Environmental Science to Service Partnership and the Natural Hazards Partnership with government departments, agencies and other research centres. Notwithstanding this there is a degree of protectionism of data and lack of intellectual property (IP) protocols that must change if the UK is to provide the sort of service that is implied in the question.

Question: What role do you think the BGS has in geoconservation?

Answer: BGS has a role to inform its stakeholders and provide the best scientific advice it can based on its data holdings and science knowledge. The recently approved planning permission request for Siccar Point in Scotland is a case where BGS provided information and made some clear statements, but could not make a recommendation.

Question: Given the trend towards open source software and open access publications, how do you see data access developing in the future and will this be sustainable?

Answer: Open access data and publications are becoming embedded in the UK science culture. BGS fully supports this and is increasingly making its data available free of charge in line with government’s expectations. The release of our onshore borehole data free of charge through the web has resulted in a sustained increase in downloads of these records from 2000 to 50 000 per month. The same effect can be seen from other data releases. The BGS model is to release raw data free of charge and to provide premium value-added products and services.

BGS and NERC will need to evaluate the full costs of the open access publishing route and BGS will encourage its staff to use quality open access journals such as those produced by the European Geosciences Union.

Question: What is the future strategic direction of the BGS over the next 5 to10 years?

Answer: NERC is also looking at developing its strategy and enhancing its interface with business. BGS will at the same time adapt its strategy to that of NERC and other government drivers. The hallmark will be: a greater integration with partners in delivering our science; strategic, rather than systematic geological mapping and information delivery; development of our integrated environmental observatory networks; comprehensive 3D mapping and modelling of the subsurface for resource drivers such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), unconventional energy sources, groundwater and food security; urban development — all nationally, within Europe and internationally.

Question: Are there any advantages in BGS merging/working more closely on certain projects with the French and German geological surveys, for example?

Answer: Vive la difference!

We do work with the BRGM and BGR in several EU contracts and should work more closely with them; there is a degree of healthy competition.

We have created a very productive alliance with a group that we call the North East Atlantic Geosurveys (NAG) we all share parts of the North Sea and northern North Atlantic and have several joint projects — the most productive of the projects involves the creation of a state-of-the-art North Atlantic geological database and involves 10 oil and gas exploration and production companies.

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We are also a member of EuroGeosurveys and have been actively involved both as president of the group and also leading the OneGeology Europe initiative. The creation of a European Geological Service has been mooted and we hold a watching brief, as if such a service is run well and is truly complementary to the surveys and the Joint Research Council in Europe then this will be a positive development.

BGS has very close ties, due to its strong research role with some of the main earth science infrastructure delivery agencies in Europe, with GFZ Potsdam, INGV Italy, IPGP, Paris ETH Zurich for example.

Question: BGS is currently involved in the MAREMAP project to develop a 1:50 000 scale offshore seabed character and bedform vector dataset funded by NERC. Under what licensing terms and in what format would such data be made available to developers and resellers? As NERC is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (DBIS), would the outputs be considered as open data available through the Open Government Licence free of charge?

Answer: MAREMAP (see www.maremap.ac.uk) is a pan-NERC initiative to bring together our research on the seabed and shallow subsurface marine geology. We are working with many partners across government and academia (e.g. NOC, SAMs, universities of Plymouth and Southampton, MCA, CEFAS, CCO). We will be making the underlying baseline data (including multibeam and backscatter, samples, seismic, well logs etc) available openly whenever possible, including via the Open Government Licence.

This will extend to provision through web viewing services on the MAREMAP website of our existing 1:250 000 map series (which will no longer be updated), and of any new detailed (including 50k scale) interpretations — the first examples are now available. At present we are looking at the licensing terms for access to the full shapefiles and other data associated with our new detailed interpretations.

Question: How is BGS involved in the development of shale gas as a resource in the UK?

Answer: BGS is in consultation with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on resource evaluation for shale gas in Britain. The Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI), which BGS runs under contract to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI), is consulting with local communities on shale gas potential in Northern Ireland. BGS has advised DECC and the Environment Agency (EA) on environmental concerns such as induced seismicity through fracking and on potential contaminant pathways during development of shale gas. BGS has also provided direct advice on geology and stratigraphy to the potential producers of shale gas in the UK.

Question: What sorts of map is BGS producing nowadays? Is BGS ensuring a full coverage of the British Isles?

Answer: BGS has decided to move to a digital-only delivery of its geological maps for the entire UK at the 50k scale. This will be combined with a service that will allow clients to plot maps specified to their own coordinates and also BGS will produce specific thematic map series.

Question: What is the international role of BGS now that you have created a company IGS ltd trading as BGSinternational?

Answer: NERC created IGS ltd., which trades as BGSi (BGS international). The focus of the company is on the World Bank related mineral mapping and capacity building projects that BGS has worked on in the past. In addition to using BGS staff, IGS will employ its own staff. BGS now defines its overseas work through ’BGS Global Geosciences‘ whose focus will be development of international research projects in a newly developing area of sustainability and resilience related to water, food and soils and also urban development.

Question: Does BGS work with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and how would changes to the working relationship that NERC may have with the BAS and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) affect BGS?

Answer: BGS does work with BAS and with other research centres in NERC. These projects tend to be related to joint research calls rather than shared national capability in geological mapping and monitoring, although there are synergies in looking at space weather. We expect to be in a position to help BAS undertake its role in the earth sciences if they require more resource.

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BGS has a good relationship in general with the FCO, both in our overseas work through geological mapping contracts, but also in monitoring stations that we run on British overseas territories.

Question: Is the BGS looking at different business models? Could the BGS adopt a model similar to other agencies in government departments or similar to those of other research council centres?

Answer: NERC and BGS will look at advantages of keeping or changing the business relationship that we have. NERC manages about £20 million a year in non-NERC income for BGS in a very positive way and often with BGS working across the globe; there is no reason why this cannot be augmented. However, pragmatism indicates that having certain operations outside of the organisation may be advantageous; the creation of BGSi has demonstrated this as has our licensing and joint venture activity.

Given the changing funding landscape in which BGS may win a larger proportion of its income outside the core funding from NERC, BGS with NERC should evaluate the most effective way of delivering its science for the UK; this will involve consideration of a model in which BGS is funded by, rather than owned by, NERC.

Question: BGS clearly has a role to play in research into issues of public concern such as climate change, water resources, and energy supply. But there can be a lot of confusing information about these issues. What are you doing to communicate your work to the public impartially so the science behind the research is understood by non-specialists and allows them to make an informed opinion?

Answer: BGS is faced with issues of public concern and makes clear statements on the science behind these questions. Our website contains a wealth of information, for example, on what shale gas is and how it may be exploited in the subsurface. We have also provided reports to government on key issues involving resources of various kinds (groundwater, minerals, aggregates, oil and gas, coal etc.) in the UK. The most difficult part of communication is explaining the uncertainty of our data, as often the public expect scientists to have a more certain view of the data than is possible.

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