The 34th International Geological Congress in Brisbane attracted almost 6000
delegates from all over the world. Colin Reeves contributed a paper to the
special session on the role of geological surveys in the development of
resources under the title: Modern technology: opportunity or threat for failing
geological surveys? The talk was deliberately controversial and drew supportive
reactions from African delegates who recognised the truth about the parlous
state of many national geological surveys in Africa. A PDF file of the talk is
available upon request to Earthworks.
The abstract of the talk appears below. A longer, illustrated text on this topic
may be downloaded via the item Earthworks 2001-2011 under the News tab above.
More than 40 years’ experience with geological surveys in Africa and elsewhere
gives cause for concern over their future. Technological change brings two
powerful new tools to their function: (1) high resolution airborne
geophysical surveys that can accelerate geological reconnaissance of whole
countries and provide geoscience data attractive to the global exploration
industry; (2) ICT that makes virtually instantaneous map, data and report
distribution possible to desktops worldwide. Internet penetration has been
undeniably tardy in Africa but there has been little appetite so far for its
exploitation as a means of publication and self-promotion by geological
surveys. Few have even a website that would pass muster by international
norms. The main obstacles, it seems, are operational or administrative rather
than technical or scientific. Personal experience of several hundred
postgraduate students mostly from national geological surveys in the
less-advantaged countries is that the more capable quickly tire of the lack
of career path on their return home and they then become economic migrants or
take premature retirement. The business model under which geological surveys
operate is often punitive; ‘showing revenue’ is not a primary goal that would
suit even the most successful of western-style surveys. At another level,
they often suffer the lack of efficiency and efficacy of a wider government
machine that fails its people more generally. Until things change, geological
surveys risk both aid weariness on the part of donors and the rise of third
parties elsewhere usurping the distribution of what should be their sovereign
data.
The picture below is of the Geological Survey offices in Lobatse, Botswana, as
they were in 1973.
2012 September 15