BRITISH GEOLOGICAL
SURVEY News Release issued by The Government News Network on 31
July 2008
Have you ever
wondered what our world would look like stripped bare of all
plants, soils, water and man-made structures? Well wonder no
longer; images of the Earth as never seen before have been
unveiled in what is the world's biggest geological mapping
project ever.
Earth and computer scientists from 79 nations are working
together on a global project called OneGeology to produce the
first digital geological map of the world. This project is doing
the same for the rocks beneath our feet that Google does for maps
of the Earth's surface. These scientists have achieved their
goal in just over one year after initiating this global project.
For a science that usually counts time in millions of years, this
is no mean feat!
OneGeology is supported by UNESCO and six other international
umbrella bodies and is the flagship project for UN International
Year of Planet Earth 2008. The key results of this project are:
1. Geological maps from around the globe are accessible on the
World Wide Web;
2. A new web language has been written for geology which allows
nations to share data with each other and the public;
3. The know-how to do this is being exchanged so that all nations
across the world, regardless of their development status, can take
part and benefit.
Explaining the significance of this project, Ian Jackson, Chief
of Operations at the British Geological Survey, who is
coordinating OneGeology explained: "Geological maps are
essential tools in finding natural resources e.g. water,
hydrocarbons and minerals, and when planning to mitigate
geohazards e.g. earthquakes, volcanoes and radon. Natural
resources are a crucial source of wealth for all nations,
especially those that need to develop and build their economies.
Identifying geohazards is often a matter of life or death. Other
challenges facing all nations in the 21st century include rising
sea levels, management of waste (nuclear or domestic) and storage
of carbon. Knowledge of the rocks that we all live on has become
increasingly important and sharing that knowledge at a time of
global environmental change is crucial".
Francois Robida, Deputy Head of Division, Information Systems and
Technologies at the Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres,
France, explained; "Today you can go to the OneGeology
website and get geological maps from across the globe - from an
overview of our entire planet, to larger scale maps of the rocks
of individual nations. You also have the ability to hop from this
web site to higher resolution applied maps and data on linked
national web sites. Participating nations are contributing to a
legacy for humankind; by acting locally they are thinking globally".
Unfortunately information about the Earth's rocks isn't
always up-to-date, joined-up, and in some parts of the world is
not available at all! This was the challenge that OneGeology
project set out to tackle and these scientists will be unveiling
the the result of their work at the 33rd International Geological
Congress in Oslo, Norway on 6 August 2008.
*Ends*
International organisations supporting OneGeology include:
1. UNESCO
2. International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS)
3. International Consortium of Geological Surveys (ICOGS)
4. EuroGeoSurveys
5. Commission for the Geological Map of the World (CGMW)
6. International Steering Committee for Global Mapping (ISCGM)
7. International Lithosphere Program
OneGeology Project
The OneGeology project was initiated in England in March 2007,
when leading scientists from more than 43 countries around the
world, from as far apart as Australia and Brazil, Canada and
Russia, Namibia and Japan met to agree and plan the details of
this global project. A movie capturing this event may be seen at
http://www.onegeology.org/docs/brighton_workshop/onegeology.html
The OneGeology project website is at http://www.onegeology.org
International Year of Planet Earth 2008
The International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE) was proclaimed for
2008 by General Assembly of the United Nations in its Plenary
Session on the 22 December 2005. The aim of the IYPE is to
demonstrate new and exciting ways in which Earth sciences can help
future challenges involved in ensuring a safer and more prosperous
world. More about IYPE can be found at: http://www.esfs.org
The British Geological Survey
The British Geological Survey (BGS), a component body of the
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), is the nation's
principal supplier of objective, impartial and up-to-date
geological expertise and information for decision making for
governmental, commercial and individual users. The BGS maintains
and develops the nation's understanding of its geology to
improve policy making, enhance national wealth and reduce risk. It
also collaborates with the national and international scientific
community in carrying out research in strategic areas, including
energy and natural resources, our vulnerability to environmental
change and hazards, and our general knowledge of the Earth system.
More about the BGS can be found at http://www.bgs.ac.uk/
Dr. Marie Cowan
BGS Communications Unit
W. http://www.bgs.ac.uk