View source for OR/17/005 The importance of increasing the impact of NERC (BGS) data and research to cities

===Current utilisation of NERC (BGS) data within LG across the development process===
Work with GCC and other local authorities highlights a strong disparity in the awareness and utilisation of NERC (BGS) data within LG at different stages of the development process&nbsp;—&nbsp;Figure&nbsp;1. Awareness and utilisation of NERC (BGS) data and research is relatively high within geotechnical and environmental service teams in LG and it is used substantially to inform design and construction programmes towards the end of the development process. In stark contrast, awareness and utilisation of relevant NERC (BGS) data is almost completely absent within early strategic decisions of the development process, by LG development planning and policy. The city of Glasgow has, for example, the most comprehensive NERC (BGS) urban geoscience model in the UK, as well as applied 2D datasets developed to support urban planning approaches, yet none are used to inform strategic development approaches or policy.

[[Image:OR17005fig1.jpg|thumb|center|500px|  '''Figure 1'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Awareness, understanding and utilisation of NERC data and research is relatively good at project‐scale decisions and workflow processes, but almost completely absence at strategic levels.        ]]

Several factors underpin this key disconnect within strategic levels of the LG development process and development planning and policy. Fundamentally, the disconnect is a manifestation of the historical relationship between BGS and LG’s, where the organisations have traditionally interacted in the design and delivery of specific projects (the end‐stage of the city development process) and communication has largely been between geologists and geotechnical specialists. This has contributed to the different awareness in LG between early‐stage policy teams and later‐stage design teams of the existing, relevant NERC (BGS) data and information, as well as the relatively limited understanding within NERC (BGS) of what early‐stage strategic decisions local governments are required to make to deliver investment and infrastructure and therein what is the most appropriate and relevant delivery of strategic subsurface knowledgeto inform policy. These points are discussed in more detail below.

Historically there have been long‐standing relationships between BGS and geotechnical and environmental service teams in LG (e.g. contaminated land officers, geotechnical engineers, and environmental health officers). Significant investment has been expended by NERC (BGS) in data acquisition and to develop relevant regional datasets of subsurface environment and ground conditions for these service teams within LG. Formerly, this relationship was maintained by Regional BGS geologists who formed an ongoing point of contact with LG’s. In more recent years the relationship between the NERC (BGS) and LG organisations has been increasingly developed/tied to individual projects and between individual BGS geoscientists and relevant subsurface specialists within the geotechnical and environmental service teams (e.g. contaminated land officers, geotechnical engineers, environmental health officers). As a result of the past and present relationships between the organisations, there is a relatively high awareness and utilisation of existing NERC(BGS) data geotechnical and environmental LG service teams&nbsp;—&nbsp;comparable to that by the insurance industry, or by private sector geotechnical consultancies leading site investigation, remediation and construction works.

In contrast, there has been much more limited, if any, engagement by NERC (BGS) with city development planning and policy teams in LG. And as a result, there is limited awareness within LG development policy and planning teams of what NERC (BGS) data exists, or its relevance. There is also much weaker understanding within NERC (BGS) of: what is the most accessible delivery of NERC (BGS) data to these more strategic levels in LG; what capacity exists within planning teams to utilise different forms of strategic subsurface information; and exactly what range of decisions development planning teams are having to make, and what other datasets and research are required.