Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Primarily responsible for the development and maintenance of a corporate Geographic Information System for geoscientific, topocadastral and other spatial data, for ensuring consistency of spatial data and attributes, for the integration of the data with other spatially referenced data, for setting and maintaining spatial data standards and for developing methodologies for the use of such data by other scientists. It is also responsible for the capture of spatial data and for various GIS-related projects.

Georeferenced and non-spatial databases (GEODE)

Responsible for the development and day-to-day operation of the Council’s corporate geoscientific database, GEODE. This database consists of a number of subsystems, which are managed as one. GEODE is spatially referenced, in that the locality of a record, defined by it's latitude, longitude and elevation (X, Y and Z co-ordinates), forms the main key to that record.

Cartography

Responsible for the cartographic production of maps of the various standard map series and such other special maps and figures as are required by the organization. Since 1989 cartographic production has been done mainly by digital processes, with the exception of the preparation of metallogenic maps which has been by a combination of digital and manual production. Over the past three years some cartographers have received training in the use of GIS software for cartographic production. The production of most of the recent maps have taken place via this route, which has proved to be very successful.