Planet Earth International 2009

A
t the opening of the 33rd International and interchange standard? agreed upon a ‘Brighton Accord’. This
Geological Congress in Oslo in August Finally, could we use the project to accord gave the OneGeology initiative the
Earth sciences and energy
2008, Simon Winchester, author of the best- transfer know-how to developing countries international backing it needed and, just as
selling book about the English geologist and reduce the length and expense of their importantly, through its Brighton meeting
William Smith and his Map That Changed learning curve, while at the same time and accord, Onegeology captured the
the World, launched the web portal of a allowing them to serve maps and data that imagination of the world’s press and media
global project called OneGeology. Had you could attract interest and investment? and the story was taken up across the globe,
used the term OneGeology 32 months These aspirations, plus the chance to increasing the proﬁ le of IYPE, the relevance
earlier – or typed it into Google – you would generate a global digital geological dataset of geoscience and placing OneGeology very
have registered a blank. Neither project nor to assist in the understanding of global much in the public eye.
name existed. So what is this project that environmental problems and the opportunity
appeared from nowhere in 2006 and took to raise the proﬁ le of geoscience as part of OneGeology’s aims
centre stage at the IGC in 2008? IYPE, seemed to offer plentiful reasons to The OneGeology goals agreed upon at the
Early in 2006, and with the potential take the proposal forward. Brighton meeting are deceptively simple.
stimulus of the UN International Year of They are to:
Planet Earth (IYPE) very much in mind, an The project’s genesis • improve the accessibility of geological
embryonic idea was presented at short notice Throughout 2006 geologists and geological map data
to the General Assembly of the Commission surveys around the world were canvassed • exchange know-how and skills so that all
for the Geological Map of the World (CGMW) for their views on this proposition and by nations can participate
in Paris. Could we use this UN Year to begin autumn it was apparent the concept was • accelerate interoperability in the
the creation of an interoperable digital proving so attractive to many geological geosciences and the adoption of a new
geological dataset of the planet at a scale surveys and international bodies that the ‘standard’ (GeoSciML)
of 1:1 million? organising of a meeting to launch the
Would it be possible to design and initiate initiative was more than justiﬁ ed. The international project coordination
a multi-lateral and multi-national project Having by this time adopted the name and technical teams began work on these
that mobilised geological surveys, as part OneGeology, the initiative was taken to goals immediately and, in less than 18
of an ongoing contribution, to act as the hold the launch meeting in March 2007 in months, made astounding progress. They
drivers and sustainable data providers Brighton, UK. Eighty-one participants from made signiﬁ cant amounts of geological
of this global dataset? Could we use 43 nations and 53 national and international map data accessible – currently 94 nations
synergistically the creation of a tangible bodies discussed the OneGeology aims and are participating and up to 40 of these are
geological map to accelerate the progress of how best to achieve them. The workshop serving data. They delivered a web map
an emerging global geoscience data model was a success and participants unanimously portal and the protocols, registries and
technology to ‘harvest’ and serve data from
»
around the world. They exchanged know-
The project has devised protocols and systems how and produced guidance (‘cookbooks’)
to ensure it is available to all geological surveys,
and provided support so that any geological
regardless of development status; OneGeology is
survey can participate and serve their data.
They moved forward and raised the proﬁ le
thus open to those who possess only traditional of a crucial data model and interoperability
paper geological maps and those operating
standard – GeoSciML.
sophisticated web mapping systems.
Technically speaking
The technology needed to achieve
A geological view of
OneGeology is not complex but, in terms
Western Europe.
of the scale of the deployment, it is world
leading. A basic principle of OneGeology is
that it must be open to all geological surveys
to participate, regardless of development
status; the project has devised protocols
and systems to ensure this. OneGeology is
thus open to those who currently possess
M
O only traditional paper geological maps,
Y
.
C
G and to those operating sophisticated web
LO
O
E
mapping systems. The end-user does not
G
E
N
require specialist software, only access to

O
© the Internet via a web browser. In
www.yearofplanetearth.org PLANET EARTH 33
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