About
The Australian Geological Survey Organisations Network (AGSON)
AGSON gives people and companies interested in exploring for minerals in Australia a single point of access for information about mineral resource exploration in all Australian jurisdictions, and to geological and geophysical data from all Australian governments.
AGSON's online resources includes:
- Links to all Commonwealth, State and Territory geological surveys;
- The AGSON Geoscience Portal - providing discovery, display, and download of geoscience data from all government geological surveys, including
- all Australia's geological maps at 1:250,000 scale
- a national view of current minerals tenements
- boreholes, mineral deposits, mines, geological maps
- supporting environmental and topographic data
- Airborne geophysical data downloads from all State and Territory Geological Surveys and Geoscience Australia;
- Links to all jurisdictional mining legislation and exploration reporting guidelines;
- The national reporting guidelines for mineral exploration "Australian requirements for submission of digital exploration data" and the associated Mineral Reporting Template software;
Australian geological surveys:
- Geoscience Australia
- New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment
- Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines
- Western Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety
- Tasmanian Department of State Growth
- Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade
- Victoria Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions
- South Australia Department for Energy and Mining
Committees and Working Groups
Geoscience Working Group (GWG)
The Geoscience Working Group (GWG) is a subcommittee of the Energy National Cabinet Reform Committee (ENCRC). Their agreed annual work program is endorsed by the Standing Committee of Officials (SCO) to the Energy Council, and includes collaborative geoscience data acquisition programs, promotion and marketing plans, geoscience research programs, trialling of new exploration technologies, and standards for management and delivery of geoscience information.
The Geoscience Working Group comprises the Directors/Executive Directors of the State and Territory Geological Surveys and the Chiefs of Minerals and Natural Hazards and Energy Divisions, Geoscience Australia, as well as the Chief Executive Officer of Geoscience Australia.
Government Geoscience Information Committee (GGIC)
The Government Geoscience Information Committee (GGIC), established in 1998, has an operating mandate from the Geoscience Working Group with all activities conducted on behalf of and with approval from GWG. The GGIC provides and promotes a coherent national strategic direction for the management and delivery of geoscience information. The committee's objectives include:
- Advise the GWG on strategic and technical direction for the management and delivery of geoscience information
- Ensure effective and uniform delivery of geoscience information
- Define and influence national and international standards/guidelines
- Ensure consistent capture and submission of geoscience information
- Collaborate with relevant national and international organisations.
The GGIC meets twice yearly, rotating the chair between the Commonwealth/State/Territory jurisdictions annually in line with the GWG chair, so that the same organisation hosts both GWG and GGIC for a year. GGIC comprises representatives from State, Territory and Australian government geoscience agencies and New Zealand. Committee members have varying backgrounds including information management, information technology, geology, geophysics and cartography.
Current GGIC member contact details [ PDF 282.2 KB]
The annual GGIC work program focuses on:
- the development and implementation of national geoscience related information standards and data models
- data access and delivery solutions and monitoring new and emerging trends in this domain
- making recommendations to GWG to sponsor projects that will improve data and information exchange
- overseeing GWG-approved geoscience information projects.
| May - June | GWG meet and develops work program and provides to GGIC |
| June-July | GGIC draft new annual work program based on GWG work program; handover of GGIC chair |
| September | GGIC meet; finalise and agree on work program and share relevant information on respective agency activities |
| February-March | GGIC meet; report on progress against work program |
| April - May | GWG meet; GGIC chair presents annual work program report and recommendations for GWG consideration for future work programs |