Annual Report 2005
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Databanks and information |
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Harmonisation of data
from Danish counties
Danish counties and municipalities are under restructuring so that by 1 January 2007 Denmark will consist of 98 municipalities and five large regions. It is important that the new municipalities, regions and state environmental centres, from the start, have the best possible data basis for managing the environment, drinking water and natural resources.Today, Danish counties have independent databases, which are managed and updated differently and therefore vary considerably with regard to content. GEUS worked closely with the counties during 2005 to harmonise data, so that in future all data will be available in one place and in the same format.The data in question are geological data from drillings and data on groundwater resources and water chemistry. All the data will be included in the Danish Regions' Environmental Portal, planned for launch in 2006. The groundwater section of this portal is GEUS' national Jupiter database, which contains data on: drillings, drinking water and groundwater quality, groundwater resources, and groundwater level. Work in 2005 also covered a survey of new data from the counties which have not previously been registered.This is data on e.g. photos and other records from drillings, sample data from pumping tests in selected aquifers, as well as sedimentary-chemical analyses, age determination of groundwater and printed drilling reports, which are scanned into the database. |
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Expansion of databases
and online access
In 2005, GEUS expanded two national databases: the Jupiter database, which holds information about groundwater and drillings, and the GERDA database, which contains geophysical data for the environment and raw materials area. Jupiter was expanded to make it integratable with the Danish Region's Environmental Portal.The database was set up so that it can now receive a series of new data types from the counties, such as data on water extraction licenses, and so that data can be transferred automatically to the Environmental Portal. Furthermore, it is possible to record historical data on fixed points and coordinates for drillings, while scanned copies of original drilling reports from the counties are available for some areas.Towards the end of 2003 information about the 240,000 drillings in the database was made available via the Internet, and the public has made ample use of this online access to geology and groundwater information. In 2005 access to the Jupiter database was expanded, which means it is now possible to find groundwater chemistry information and see graphic illustrations and tables of raw-water analyses.The GERDA database contains different geophysical data, mainly from regional mapping of areas of special drinking water interest, as well as GEUS well-logging data from water wells. GERDA was expanded in 2005 to include the possibilities of extracting data in different spatial referencing systems and storing helicopter electromagnetic (HEM) data. GERDA was developed in close cooperation with the University of Aarhus,Aarhus County, the Danish Forest and Nature Agency, and consultancies. |
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GeoKnowledge – a new magazine for
upper-secondary schools
2005 saw the launch of a new popular science magazine called "Geoviden – Geologi og Geografi" (GeoKnowledge – Geology and Geography).The magazine is published by GEUS in cooperation with the Geocenter partners: the Geological Museum, the Geological Institute, and the Geographical Institute, all of which belong under the University of Copenhagen.The magazine was published in four issues, in both printed and electronic form, dealing with themes about the mineral resources of Greenland, the formation of Danish landscape in the Ice Age, the coasts of Denmark, and earthquakes and processes in the earth's interior.The magazine aims at readers with an interest in nature and it is targeted especially at teachers and students at Danish upper-secondary schools.The first issue of the magazine was well received and the number of subscribers of the printed version went up during 2005 from 3500 to more than 4000. Interest in the magazine is also reflected in a tripling in visits to the Geocenter's website, where GeoKnowledge can be read or downloaded. |
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Geology “on the air”
Several GEUS employees participated in TV and radio programmes during 2005, explaining their work and contributing with expert knowledge. In "Natursyn" (Nature vision), a radio show broadcasted by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), listeners could hear the story of Greenland's first World Heritage site Ilulissat Icefjord, and they could hear facts on Greenland's geological development and accounts from geological field work in Greenland. On television, the popularscience series "Viden om", also broadcast by DR, allowed viewers to follow researchers' hunt for groundwater as well as their hunt for methane in the seabed that, if released, can affect the climate. Furthermore, GEUS researchers contributed knowledge and interviews to a theme section on earthquakes on DR's website ”Viden + IT” (knowledge + IT), a website with information about the natural sciences, IT and technology.The theme section in question include the webpages: "Farvel Californien" (Goodbye California!); "Jordskælv giver ny viden om vores planet" (Earthquakes – a source to new knowledge about our planet); and "Kan det ske i Denmark?” (Could it happen in Denmark?) You can hear or see these programmes in Danish via the GEUS website under the Danish menu title "Geologi for alle.” |
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Almost four million years
of geology on paper
GEUS published a comprehensive popular science book in 2005 called: "Grønlands geologiske udvikling – fra urtid til nutid" (The geological history of Greenland – from the prehistoric to the present).The rocks and mountains of Greenland tell the story of the earth's geological development going back 3800 million years.The book takes us all the way back in time and around the world's largest island. It summarises the results of more than 60 years of geological surveys on land on the continental shelf off the coast of Greenland, explaining the geological processes and shedding light on the economical resources present in Greenland's rocks.The book was well received by critics.The Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende wrote: "How was the world's greatest island created? What is it made of? And what are the powers that formed its mountains, rocks and highlands? A unique new work on Greenland's geology gives us the answers to all of these questions. Surely, this is the ultimate book about Greenland! 270 pages, illustrated lavishly and in large format, about the creation of the largest island in the world". Since its publication in mid-October last year, interest in the book has been great – not only in Denmark, but also in Greenland, Norway and Sweden. |
