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The value of geodata in economic development

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Introduction

Many countries with weak economies are potentially rich in natural resources but lack the ability to attract the inward investment to effectively develop this sector.

Principal factors needed to stimulate resource exploitation:• geological information (“geodata”)• stable and responsible governance• legal systems and good infrastructure (human and

physical capital such as ports and railroads)

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MINE

Pre-competitive - geoscience infrastructure[data, systems, expertise etc]

Grassroots

Advanced

Brownfields

Geological Survey

Junior exploration Company

Major mining house

Exploration department of operating mine

AREA

Geoscience Public Information (GPI) is the start of the extractive industry value chain

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Typical geodata investment / return profile

Years >>>>>>

1 2 3 4 5 6

spend on dataExploration licences issuedMining licences issued

Dat

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Pro

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Inv

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tme

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Pre

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mp

eti

tiv

e

pu

bli

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os

cie

nc

e

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ta

Expenditure $$

Exploration area km2

feasibledeposit

Time >>>

Mining Industry / private sectorGeol Survey / public sector

(developing economies)

Geol. Survey(US, Can, Aus)

Mining Industry / private sector

Oil Ministry Oil and Gas Companies / private sector

The “hand-over” point from public to private varies by sector and location

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The type and quality of geodata, their density of coverage, ease of accessibility and price are all critically important in the process. This is because:-

• costs are a function of the quality, quantity and type of data collected;

• certain types of geodata are more relevant for the discovery or evaluation of particular commodities and therefore may vary by geological province;

• some areas may be explored by the private sector giving the state the opportunity of leveraging on those investments;

• the type and level of coverage required may vary depending on its intended use; and

• geodata that are not well maintained and easily made available in suitable formats and at a reasonable price have limited efficacy.

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approx. $/km2 from recent World Bank and other contracts excluding capacity building and data management

Prioritisation against cost-benefit

Cost

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Rank order

Type of geodata

1 Regional / country-wide processed airborne geophysical data (mag, radiometric, e-m) at ~400m line spacing or closer

2 Regional scale mineral occurrence maps3 Geological maps in vector digital (suitable for a GIS) covering most or all the country at a

scale of 1:200,000 or larger

4 Topographic data / maps5 Supporting reports / memoirs / published papers6 Geological maps (copies or scans of printed maps) covering most or all the country at a scale

of 1:200,000 or larger

7 Cadastral maps / data8 Mineral prospectivity summary brochures / booklets9 Interpretations of airborne geophysical survey data

10 Regional scale metallogenic maps11 Regional scale tectonic maps12 Regional scale geochemical survey results at density of ~1 sample per 10 sq km12 Interpreted satellite imagery14 Hydrogeological maps15 Geological maps (copies or scans of printed maps) covering most or all the country at a scale

of 1:1million or smaller

16 Geological maps in vector digital (suitable for a GIS) covering most or all the country at a scale of 1:1m or smaller

Types of (GPI) geodata required by the extractive industry (from questionnaire results)

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Existing geodata:-

• There is considerable variation between countries in terms of the types, quality and resolutions of which data exist.

• In the majority of cases it is difficult and time consuming to discover which data exist and how to make contact with their custodians.

• That many of the indicators of data availability or access paths that are shown on public websites are out of date or unavailable.

• Many data are still located in the archives of Africa’s former colonial countries, principally at BGS, BRGM and the Musée royal de l'Afrique centrale, Tervuren, and that for various reasons, these are generally only made available for inspection on personal visit.

• Many of the most easily available sources of information are of low resolution and difficult to use, such as the “pdf” images on the EU-ACP web site

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Maps showing the currently known major metallogenic zones and petroleum basins of Africa

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2

1

3

4

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Map suggesting priority areas for new or improved GPI based on the geological belts and provinces (mineral prospectivity) against current paucity of geodata

Weak institutional base

GSO collector, keeper and

disseminator of GPI

Poorly paid civil service staff

Better staff leave for private sector

Reduced functionality

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Problems with warehousing and dissemination of geodata in geological survey organisations (GSOs) – the cycle of decline

Solutions to these problems

• NGO funded capacity building programmes should require geodata to be web enabled and include financial provision for post-project sustainability

• Economies of scale and efficiency from multinational approach

• Retain key GSO staff through as parastatals or public-private partnership to enable market-rate salaries

• (… funded by) revenue from internet sales of value added geodata (freemium model)

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New geodata Five zones priority areas for the next stage investments in geodata acquisition.

Geodata to comprise small scale compilations and re-interpretations of existing information followed by large scale geological maps and high resolution airborne geophysical magnetic and radiometric surveys, for early stage mineral exploration (or magnetic and gravity for oil and gas exploration).

New geodata to be produced in digital, open format suitable for further interpretation by the companies. Heterogeneity and adherence to standards is less important than the data being released without delay.

As a condition of the development loan or grant, all new geodata should be web enabled and freely

available to everybody – at minimal charge commensurate with covering the costs of dissemination. A business model to be established whereby the long term costs of data maintenance and dissemination

may be sustained, post-project. New projects to focus on relevant geodata acquisition and management using minimal expatriate

expertise to build local skills. Trans-national regional approaches to knowledge and skills pooling should be encouraged and facilitated. Wider stakeholder involvement in project design so that private sector interests are incorporated.

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Existing geodata

Large scale holders of African geodata such as the BGS, BRGM and MRAC should be encouraged to scan and make freely available on their web sites, and elsewhere, as much as possible of their relevant geodata assets, addressing issues of copyright in pragmatic ways. Priority should be given to scanning and making available existing data “as is” without waiting for agreements on standards, inter-operability etc.

Negotiations should begin with African countries, at Ministry levels, with a view to those countries scanning and making freely available for web access existing geodata, including but not limited to maps, open-file reports, borehole logs, geochemistry and geophysical surveys. A business model should be developed to compensate countries for any minor loss of income from current sales of data and financial assistance sought to fund the costs of scanning.

Where geodata have been lost, every effort should be made to recover them, at cost if necessary, from archived copies that may be held by the original contractors or consultants involved.

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