Geohazard information to meet the needs of the British public and government policy

Abstract

Environmental information is increasingly valued and understood by government, commercial business and the general public. At the same time, the Environmental Information Regulations enable access to a huge amount of information, which may not be in a user-friendly format. Since 2000, the British Geological Survey has been developing nationwide geo-environmental datasets that identify the potential for subsidence and geochemical hazards. This information is provided as GIS datasets or in easy-to-use report format to meet the different needs of local and central government, commercial data providers and individuals. The information is geared to answer questions posed by the UK Planning Guidance, the EU Water Framework Directive and the UK Home Information Pack. New developments aim to provide information on groundwater flooding, soil erosion potential and mining hazards to meet growing concerns about the impact of climate change and in response to incoming mine waste regulations. The provision of digital geohazard information has enabled BGS to inform the British public and policy makers of potential hazards, and helped them to understand the relevance of environmental information to their lives.