© NERC All rights reserved Working with industry to create applied geological data products Rachel Dearden

© NERC All rights reserved A short history to… BGS applied geological map products

© NERC All rights reserved A short history to… BGS applied geological map products

© NERC All rights reserved A short history to… BGS applied geological map products Hazards Landslides Soluble rocks Compressibility Collapsible ground Compressible ground Swelling clays Hydrogeology Permeability Aquifer designation Engineering Strength Excavatability Corrosivity Soil geochemistry Lead Arsenic Chromium… Flooding Groundwater flooding Floodplains Minerals Mineral resources Pits Historical mineral planning Geology Soil descriptions Superficial deposit thickness model

© NERC All rights reserved Example 1 Case study 1Radon potential dataset Question:Where are homes potentially affected by radon gas (a cause of lung cancer)? Why is it important? An estimated 1100 people per year die of radon-induced lung cancer. The dataset highlights where homes require radon protective measures (where annual average radon levels are at or above 200 Bq m -3 ). Business partner Public Health England (PHE) BGS dataDigital geological map (DiGMapGB-50) PHE dataLong-term radon measurements from 479,000 homes in Great Britain ImpactDefinitive dataset for the standard legal radon enquiries on house purchases. Dataset thereby protects the public who are potentially exposed to radon.

© NERC All rights reserved

Example 2 Case study 2Sale of data through value-added resellers Question:How can BGS sell and market its applied geological map data without significant investment in delivery infrastructure? Why is it important? To create stakeholder-focused delivery mechanisms for geological data, and to facilitate the delivery of that data with other environmental/planning information. Business partners F!nd, GroundSure, Landmark, ARKexm, Centremapslive BGS dataNumerous BGS applied geological map products VAR dataVaried geographic data from a range of sources and delivery infrastructure Impact£m’s generated for resellers each year. Reports generated that better match users needs.

© NERC All rights reserved Example 2

© NERC All rights reserved Example 3 Case study 3Earthing dataset Question:11kV transformers require a secure earth or ‘ground’ with a maximum 10 ohm earth-rod resistance. Rods are inserted up to 10 m bgl. But how should energy companies cost and plan jobs when they have no idea of ground conditions? Why is it important? To decrease costs, energy companies need to be able to predict ground conditions before mobilising equipment to site to install earthing rods Business partners Cranfield University, EON UK PLC, UK Power Networks BGS dataDiGMapGB-Plus (rock strength/density), superficial thickness model Company data Resistivity data ImpactImproved prediction of costs, better knowledge of machinery requirements, decreased carbon emissions.

© NERC All rights reserved Geological inputs to the earth model Parent material and Engineering geology map Thickness of Superficial deposits

© NERC All rights reserved Example 4 Case study 4 GeoVisionary Question:How can we visualise and interpret large geological 2D, 3D and 4D datasets? Why is it important? Visualising static and time-varying data in 3D allows geoscientists to interpret data, leading to better understanding. It also reduces fieldwork costs, as much preliminary work can be performed in the office. Business partners Virtalis BGS knowledge Geoscientist user requirements for visualisation and virtual fieldwork Virtalis’ knowledge Software development ImpactIn some cases, 70% geological map linework can be drawn in the office. Over 30 companies use software.

© NERC All rights reserved Example 4

© NERC All rights reserved Collaborative examples Existence of an established support team to facilitate licensing, admin and resolve confidentiality issues Established business model Experience in creating national products Staff dedicated to individual projects Existence of product delivery mechanisms External data + BGS data is combined to create a commercial product External company packages and delivers BGS data as a service External company commissions BGS to create bespoke products for their own use, using a combination of BGS and external data BGS works with an external company to develop the user requirements for a piece of software, which the external company then creates and markets. Recipe for success…

© NERC All rights reserved Benefits of collaboration between research scientists and industry Integrating industry data with BGS data can lead to new, improved and innovative products Working with stakeholders, allows us to produce products that better fulfil user requirements Allowing others to deliver our data means that we can concentrate on product development Helps foster long-term collaborative relationships Helps ensure that our associated research is relevant and timely

© NERC All rights reserved Rachel Dearden British Geological Survey