From paper to drones: GSI celebrates 175 years
Today (31/7) marks the 175th anniversary of the Act of Parliament that created a Geological Survey of Ireland.
The Act was to ‘facilitate the Completion of a Geological Survey of Great Britain and Ireland, under the Direction of the First Commissioner for the time being of Her Majesty’s Woods and Works’.
In the 1800s, surveyors would walk the land to gather information for Ordnance Survey 6-inch maps. Today, GSI work includes mapping Ireland’s marine territory, geological heritage, understanding soils, studying groundwater systems and underground minerals resources, along with aspects of climate change.
The initial requirement was to map the bedrock and overlying sediments and to look for coal and other economic minerals. Since its inception, time, history and world affairs have shaped the Geological Survey and have altered its work focus.
Earth sciences
Today, the GSI is a division of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and has evolved into a ‘world standard’ national Earth science centre of over 100 scientists, cartographers and support staff, working on national and international projects.
Its work supports Ireland’s economic, social and environmental development, with an emphasis on climate change, increased pressure on land use and the need for secure renewable energy sources.
It uses modern and innovative technologies installed on a fleet of research vessels, to geophysical equipment mounted on planes, drones, satellites and drill rigs to carry out the work. These tools also support modern field and laboratory work, along with modelling methods to refine the geological maps and data.
International projects
INFOMAR – the national marine mapping programme, managed in conjunction with the Marine Institute – and Tellus Ireland (Ireland’s airborne and ground sampling environmental baseline mapping project) are among their internationally-recognised projects.
To support climate change policies, GSI is developing a number of initiatives:
- a roadmap for using Ireland’s geothermal potential
- monitoring coastlines for sea-level change
- using soil geochemistry data to improve farming methods
- supporting the Just Transition in the Midlands for a move away from peat
- gaining a better understanding of groundwater systems
- looking at sustainable processes for extraction and management of economic mineral resources
Eamon Ryan, Minister with responsibility for the GSI said a robust understanding of the rocks, soil, water along with onshore and offshore physical features was the basis of planning for a sustainable future:
“We need to continue to build on the good work of the GSI and use their data, maps, science and expertise to make informed decisions on energy resources, smart farming, water protection, planning and resource management.
“Ireland has been, and can continue to be, a world leader in geoscience data acquisition,” he noted.
GSI Director, Koen Verbruggen said he was proud to be part of a “dedicated team of people” who worked hard to further our understanding of the natural systems for the benefit of all aspects of society:
“As we face the challenges of climate change, the need [to transition] from fossil fuel to more sustainable sources such as geothermal and offshore renewables, and the need for protected sources of water, the staff at GSI are ready to meet these challenges through our expertise, high-quality data collection, national and international collaboration and innovation solutions.”
The GSI supports economic development through high-quality, free data for all stakeholders. It promotes the sector through the Geoscience Ireland business cluster, and provides financial and technical assistance to the Irish UNESCO Global Geoparks.
In 2017, the geoscience sector was worth €3.3bn to the Irish economy. The sector contributes to research and education by through funding and through national and international research projects.
