WHO

Norges Geologiske Undersoekelse (NGU)

The Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) is the central, national institution for knowledge of the bedrock, mineral resources, superficial deposits and groundwater in Norway. NGU is a state institution responsible to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (NHD). As a research-based agency NGU is also adviser to other government departments in matters relating to geology and mineral resources. NGU has a budgeted turnover of NOK 134 million in 2001. C. 75% is financed by the national budget via the Ministry of Trade and Industry, while the remainder is funded by income in connection with commissions and co-operative projects. NGU has a staff of 220 of whom approximately half are scientific personnel.

The Marine Geology Project Group consists of 8 staff with a broad range of experience in geology, geochemistry and database management. In addition, the Marine Geology Project Group activities involves personnel from NGU's computing, laboratory and technical departments.

NGU has the national mandate to co-ordinate regional investigations of the upper part of the sea floor in Norwegian areas, and carries out this task in co-operation with five other governmental institutions, including the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority. The research also involves universities and other research institutions nationally and abroad. The primary aims of these investigations are:

• produce and supply marine geological information from the upper part of the sea-floor in Norwegian sea areas for the use of public services, industry, planning and science.
• give premises for national involvement in international co-operation with regard to issues relevant to the environment and resources.

Some recent and ongoing projects:
Compilation of reference data (literature, seismic lines, sampling stations) and structuring into ORACLE databases has been done since 1989. Seabed investigations for the industry and governmental institutions, both as commissions and co-operative projects, are irregularly performed. The Skagerrak Project (1990-1996) in the north-eastern part of the North Sea has been the main offshore activity since 1990, carried out in co-operation with other national government agencies, and national and international research institutions. The Skagerrak Project has focused on regional investigations related to geology, geochemistry and environment, with a heavy weight on pollution analyses. The EUropean MARine Sediment Information Network (EUMARSIN) project, constructed a metadatabase to provide a tool to assist integrated management of the European coastal and marine environment. Within the framework of the project, 16 organisations developed and will continue to operate a public domain meta-database network, designed to give wide access to information already obtained from our work in the European Seas, but which has not yet been fully integrated into a single European system.

NGU data and documents:
NGU data and documents:NGU has detailed or regional seabed maps from the North Sea, and an extensive collection of seabed samples and shallow cores from the Norwegian Trench and the Skagerrak. Detailed sedimentological and geochemical studies has been performed on these samples. Within the scope of the EMIDOI project NGU will use its extensive network of contacts in both the public and private sector to encourage participation by research institutes, universities, environmental agencies and the hydrocarbon industry. This approach will give access to a wide variety of relevant information, and insight in feasible cooperation procedures with these organizations. Within the scope of the prototype EMIDOI service development NGU will also provide access to metadata of all it's relevant geological, geochemical, geotechnical, biological, physiographic and geohazard data. This will consist of the large datasets and documents managed by NGU and in addition all relevant information from external organisations.

RELATED SITES:
www.ngu.no
www.eu-seased.net

KEY PERSON:
Terje Thorsnes