Geoscience Australia

Geoscience Australia

Geoscience Australia headquarters located in the Canberra suburb of Symonston
Agency overview
Formed	2001
Preceding agencies	Australian Surveying and Land Information Group Australian Geological Survey Organisation
Jurisdiction	Australia
Headquarters	Symonston, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Employees	671 (as at 30 June 2023)
Annual budget	A$207.30 million (2020)
Minister responsible	The Hon. Madeleine King MP, Minister for Resources
Agency executive	Melissa Harris PSM, Chief Executive Officer
Parent department	Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Website	portal.ga.gov.au, ga.gov.au

Geoscience Australia is a statutory agency of the Government of Australia that carries out geoscientific research. The agency is the government's technical adviser on aspects of geoscience, and serves as the repository of geographic and geological data collated by the Commonwealth.

On a user pays basis, the agency offers geospatial services, including topographic maps and satellite imagery. It is also a major contributor to the Australian Government's free, open data collections such as data.gov.au and portal.ga.gov.au.

Strategic priorities

The agency has six strategic priority areas:

1. building Australia's resource wealth in order to maximise benefits from Australia's minerals and energy resources, now and into the future;
2. ensuring Australia's community safety so that Australian communities are more resilient to natural hazards;
3. securing Australia's water resources in order to optimise and sustain the use of Australia's water resources;
4. managing Australia's marine jurisdictions in order to maximise benefits from the sustainable use of Australia's marine jurisdiction;
5. providing fundamental geographic information in order to understand the location and timing of processes, activities and changes across Australia to inform decision-making for both natural and built environments; and
6. maintaining geoscience knowledge and capability in order to maintain an enduring and accessible knowledge base and capability to enable evidence-based policy and decision-making by government, industry and the community.

History

Geoscience Australia came into being in 2001 when the Australian Surveying and Land Information Group (AUSLIG) merged with the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO). Its history dates back almost to the Federation in 1901 when it was decided to set aside land for the national capital. This decision led to the establishment of the Australian Survey Office in 1910, when surveying began for the Australian Capital Territory.

AUSLIG's main function was to provide national geographic information. It was formed in 1987 when the Australian Survey Office joined with the Division of National Mapping, which was formed in 1947. Another important component of AUSLIG was the provision of satellite imagery to industry and government, started by the Australian Landsat Station in 1979, and renamed the Australian Centre for Remote Sensing (ACRES) in 1986.

AGSO's predecessor organisation the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics (BMR) was established in 1946; with the name changing to AGSO in 1992.

The BMR was a geological survey with the main objective being the systematic geological and geophysical mapping of the continent as the basis for informed mineral exploration.

Geoscience Australia's activities have expanded and today it has responsibility for meeting the Australian Government's geoscience requirements. This role takes the Agency well beyond its historic focus on resource development and topographic mapping to topics as diverse as natural hazards such as tsunamis and earthquakes, environmental issues, including the impacts of climate change, groundwater research, marine and coastal research, carbon capture and storage and vegetation monitoring as well as Earth observations from space. Geoscience Australia's remit also extends beyond the Australian landmass to Australia's vast marine jurisdiction.

Summary of predecessor agencies

Predecessor agencies
Name of agency	Start	End	Responsible department
Lands and Survey Branch	1911	1932	Department of Home Affairs (1911–1916)
			Department of Home and Territories (1916–1925)
			Department of Works and Railways (1925–1932)
Property and Survey Branch	1932	1951	Department of the Interior (1932–1938)
			Department of Works (1938–1939)
			Department of the Interior (1939–1951)
1951: surveying and mapping functions separated
Surveying agencies
ACT Development and Planning Branch	1951	1958	Department of the Interior (1939–1972)
Lands and Survey Branch	1958	1963
Survey Branch	1963	1974
			Department of Services and Property (1972–1975)
Survey Division	1974	1975
Australian Survey Office	1975	1987	Department of Urban and Regional Development (1975)
			Department of Administrative Services (1975–1984)
			Department of Local Government and Administrative Services (1984–1987)
Mapping agencies
National Mapping Section	1951	1956	Department of the Interior
Division of National Mapping	1956	1987	Department of National Development (1956–1972)
			Department of Minerals and Energy (1972–1975)
			Department of National Resources (1975–1977)
			Department of National Development (1977–1979)
			Department of National Development and Energy (1979–1983)
			Department of Resources and Energy (1983–1987)
1987: surveying and mapping functions reunited
Australian Surveying and Land Information Group	1987	2001	Department of Administrative Services (1987–1993)
			Department of the Arts and Administrative Services (1993–1994)
			Department of Administrative Services (1994–1997)
			Department of Industry, Science and Tourism (1997–1998)
			Department of Industry, Science and Resources (1998–2001)
			Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources (2001–2007)
Geoscience Australia	2001
			Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism (2007–2013)
			Department of Industry (2013–2014)
			Department of Industry and Science (2014–2015)
			Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (2015–2020)
			Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (2020–2022)
			Department of Industry, Science and Resources (2022–present)

Facilities

It has a free place name search and its earthquake monitoring services can be freely accessed. The Library is the premier geoscience library in Australia providing services to geoscience organisations, universities, research centres, the mining and petroleum industries and the public.

Economic Demonstrated Resources

Geoscience Australia defines Economic Demonstrated Resources (EDR) as

resources for which profitable extraction or production under defined investment assumptions is possible

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For EDR, tonnages and grades are computed from samples of the resource taken from points spaced to provide assured resource continuity.

See also

• Joint Geological and Geophysical Research Station
• Geological Survey of South Australia
• Geological Survey of Western Australia
• List of national mapping agencies

External links

• Geoscience Australia home page.
• Geoscience Australia Data Discovery Portal.
• Geoscience Australia Geological Digital Twin.
• Community and Education Geoscience Discovery Digital Atlas.
• Australian Mines Atlas.
• Atlas of Australian Mine Waste.
• Australian Fundamental Gravity Network (AFGN).
• AusSeabed Marine Data Portal.
• Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative.
• Geochronology and Isotopes Data Portal.
• Geophysical Archive Data Delivery System (GADDS).
• AusH2 - Australia's Hydrogen Opportunities Tool.
• MinEx CRC National Drilling Initiative.
• Positioning Australia National Positioning Infrastructure.
• Geoscience Australia in Google Cultural Institute.
• As the cocky flies distance calculator
• International Map of the World
• XNATMAP's home page preserving NATMAP's (The Division of National Mapping) history and maintaining contact with the people who were part of that history.