Case Study: British Geological Survey opens geological data to millions with Ordnance Survey's OS OpenData

British Geological Survey - Customer Case Study

The British Geological Survey (BGS) sought to open up its geoscience data to meet the EU INSPIRE Directive and the UK Location Programme while reaching new academic, public and commercial users. To deliver interoperable online maps, borehole records, 3-D models, apps and educational resources, BGS partnered with Ordnance Survey and used OS OpenData and OS VectorMap District as the mapping backbone.

By overlaying BGS’s OpenGeoscience content on Ordnance Survey’s OS VectorMap District (via OS OpenData) and launching the iGeology app, the portal drew over 20 million hits on release and drove a 20‑fold increase in borehole record access to about 30,000 records per month. Ordnance Survey’s mapping enabled the first freely available street‑level geology maps, freed the BGS Enquiry Service for value‑added work, and significantly expanded the use of geological data in research, education and commercial decision‑making.

British Geological Survey

Keith Westhead

Head of Knowledge Exchange