Collecting geological data in a 3D digital world

Technological advances in GPS, mobile computing and remote sensing have changed the face of geological mapping at the British Geological Survey (BGS). In the space of 15 years the process has developed from a largely paper-based ‘fieldslip’ system, to one which is entirely digital. Geological mapping has been a core role of the survey for 180 years, with early geologists colouring sections of their maps to represent the different rock types and mineral resources that lay beneath their feet. Today geologists at the BGS continue to collect observations to develop the next 3D and 4D generations of geological data, which will tell us everything we need to know from earthquakes to energy and from aggregates to agriculture. Traditional paper maps have been supplanted by digital data delivered via the web, and an entire map library of information on Britain’s rocks and soils can now be accessed using smartphone apps and carried in a small pocket. How has this changed the traditional image of field geologists with their maps, geological hammers and notebooks?