BGS Data Products - Spring 2023

Used extensively across the insurance market, the BGS GeoSure Insurance Product gives an index-level assessment of the potential for a geological deposit to create financial insurance loss due to natural ground movement.

It incorporates the combined effects of the six BGS GeoSure hazards on (low-rise) buildings and links these to a postcode database (the derived postcode database).

The latest release, updated with OS postcodes, is now available and being shared with licensees and data partners. For further information contact digitaldata@bgs.ac.uk.

The insurance and mortgage sectors are increasingly concerned with climate change related geohazard risks across their portfolios, including:

• subsidence
• landslides
• coastal erosion
• groundwater flooding

The Bank of England’s climate-related stress testing framework allows for the exploration of impacts and exposures under a range of potential climate pathways, for which BGS datasets provide important insight.

Our sector specific climate change data webpages provide an overview of BGS data available to support climate-related stress testing and other climate change challenges.

The UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC) supports the UK in securing adequate, timely and sustainable supplies of the minerals and metals it requires to transition its economy to net zero emissions in the coming decades.

Led by BGS with support from what was the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), CMIC is working collaboratively with universities and private and public sector partners to gather and analyse intelligence on the supply and demand of critical minerals, their global value chains and their use by UK industry.

The CMIC interactive map shows UK mineral processing and refining, chemical and metal production, recycling and associated development activities, with more data being added as the programme continues.

As part of the Geospatial Commission's National Land Data Programme, BGS is working with the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission in Devon to support the design and development of a local land-use framework and decision-making tool.

The National Land Data Programme is exploring the UK’s key land-use challenges, such as energy, housing and decarbonisation, and how spatial data and modelling can support better decisions about land use prioritisation and change.

The latest of our fine-scale offshore maps to be released is that of the Yorkshire coast, showing the bedrock, sediment, bedrock structure and seabed geomorphology of the area. The Yorkshire map follows the release of our previous maps in the series: the Dorset coast, the Bristol Channel and Anglesey. All the maps can be viewed on the BGS Offshore GeoIndex.

These fine-scale (around 10K to 50K resolution) maps provide important evidence for policy and decision makers, who need to consider the increasing demands being placed on the marine environment. These demands may come from, for example, renewable energy, resource availability, recreation and marine conservation interests.

Six BGS Datasets for assessing shrink-swell subsidence hazards

Shrink–swell subsidence is one of the most significant geological hazards affecting the UK. BGS has six datasets to help assess the problem.

Property subsidence assessment: Helping to mitigate shrink-swell hazard risk

The BGS Property Subsidence Assessment dataset provides insurers and homeowners with tools to better understand shrink–swell and the risk it poses to homes and businesses.