Intention
The Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) manages an extensive, comprehensive, multi-billion-dollar collection of geoscientific data, holding around four petabytes of data (the equivalent of a 33km line of 1GB flash drives placed end-to-end).
The collection is highly regarded and valued by many people from the resources industry, academia, other government agencies, and the general public. GSWA’s ability to meet the increasing demand for easier access to our data has been restricted by the limited connectivity between different data-sets, and the lack of a fully standardised and digitised data collection. In January 2021 the Geoscience Data Transformation Strategy was published, setting out the intention to transform, rationalise and modernise the geoscience data collection.
The Geoscience Data Transformation Program (GDTP) has been established to manage the development and implementation of a new data management framework that will:
“Digitally transform the wealth of Western Australia’s world class geoscience data to unlock its hidden mineral and energy resources potential, through the introduction of sophisticated data storage, access, management and interrogation systems and technology.”
Objectives
To increase accessibility and usability of all data for all users, and in particular, assist industry to maximise the untapped potential of WA’s yet-to-be discovered natural resources, the GDTP will deliver a range of technical, operational and strategic improvements to create the most advanced geoscience “intelligent data” set in Australia.
This will be done by:
- Creating a unified, simplified, standardised framework that accommodates and manages all geoscience data requirements
- Increasing connectivity between different data-sets to improve data interrogation and sharing
- Utilising modern data structure and storage management arrangements that allow flexible, adaptive responses to changing technology, future demands and new opportunities
- Improving user self-service capabilities by introducing easy to use data lodgement and retrieval online platforms
- Aligning the data framework with the State Government’s ICT Cloud Policy, increasing geoscience data usage for and between all users
- Enhancing the translation of data into valuable information, knowledge discovery and business development and innovation opportunities
Data framework
There are four foundational elements to the data framework.
These foundational elements will be brought together to create an operating framework that will increase accessibility to all GSWA’s data, as detailed below:
Program timeline
The five year, multi-phased program, has an operating budget of $10.6M.
Initial program governance, planning and discovery activities commenced in late 2021.
A variety of working groups are currently undertaking activities to determine requirements and make recommendations in the key areas of:
- Data structure, alignment, digitisation and optimisation
- Standardised vocabulary definitions and naming conventions
- Cloud storage and data management arrangements
- Online platforms for submitting and retrieving data and information
It is expected that enhancements delivered by the GDTP will be progressively released with final implementation ready by 2025/26.
Contact
For more information, contact: GDTP@dmirs.wa.gov.au