Transforming the exchange of subsurface data and knowledge between the public and private sectors : a pilot in Glasgow, UK

Incomplete understanding of ground conditions is, at present, a major limiting factor to effective and sustainable management in urban areas and a key factor in overspend and delay in the construction industry across Europe. Recent collaboration between the British Geological Survey (BGS), Glasgow City Council (GCC) and the private sector, including Grontmij, has demonstrated the potential for creating a major beneficial change in how subsurface data in urban areas are reported and exchanged, especially within attributed 3D models. In tandem with INSPIRE, the data can therefore be stored and re-used far more effectively.