About us
In Germany, the responsibilities for geoscientific research and on issues of nature and resource protection are a matter of the federal states and their specific authorities such as the state geological survey organisations (GSO or SGD).
The main tasks of a state geological survey organisation in Germany are:
- Geoscientific survey
- Geoscientific research and investigations within the federal state
- Publication of Geoscientific maps, data and reports
- Implementation and maintainance of geoscientific information systems
- Geoscientific consultation/advice, expertises, statements, e.g. as representative of public interest
Due to different priorities in the individual federal states, the spectrum of tasks is not completely identical for all GSOs.
The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), however, is an institution of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology of Germany and the central institution to advise the German Federal Government in any geoscientific issues. The actuality of BGRs work is ensured by numerous national and international cooperation projects, by research and development projects and the representation of the Federal Government in many international committees, as for example in the Association of the Geological Surveys of the European Union EuroGeoSurveys.
The 16 state survey organisations collaborate under the premises of topic driven commissions such as the Federal Commission on Geosciences (BLA-GEO) which control ad hoc working groups and an Information Systems Steering Group (BIS).
Most of the state geological surveys are governmental organisations, fully run on public money. BGR is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economy and Technology and among others competing for funds of technical cooperation projects abroad and within the EU. The state geological surveys are funded by the state Ministries of Economy or by the state Ministries of Environment.
Form and structure of the surveys organisations are matters of recent changes. Some geological survey organisations are twinned with mining authorities, thus gaining new responsibilities, others lost significant parts of their responsibility when integrated into the bigger environmental organisations or ministries.