Open AccessGeological Survey of Canada 8.0: mapping the journey towards predictive geoscience
Author(s) -
D Lebel
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
special publication - geological society of london/geological society, london, special publications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.673
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 2041-4927
pISSN - 0305-8719
DOI - 10.1144/sp499-2019-79
Subject(s) - earth science , geological survey , geologic map , geology , data science , remote sensing , computer science , geomorphology , geophysics
The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) has been furthering thegeoscientific understanding of Canada since its inception in 1842, theequivalent of seven generations ago. The evolution of the activities of theGSC over this period has been driven by evolving geographic, economic andpolitical contexts and needs. Likewise, new technologies and evolvingscientific methods and models shaped broadly the successive generations ofGSC geoscience activities. The most recent GSC generation presented a mixedportfolio of large framework mapping geoscience programmes, and moretargeted, hypothesis-driven geoscience research, and the development ofdecision support products for a range of government, industry and otherstakeholders needs. Entering its eighth generation, the GSC and relatedorganizations are embracing digital technologies for applications such asthe evaluation of mineral resource potential, the evaluation of risks andthe early warning of earthquakes. In order to do so, the GSC will need todevelop new methods and systems in co-operation with other geological surveyorganizations, and target its data acquisition and research to furtheradvance its ability to respond to the evolving needs of society to navigategeology through space and time, from the past to the present, and from thepresent to the future.