Professionals responsible for procuring, producing or using geotechnical data are being encouraged to complete a short industry survey to support the British Geological Survey’s (BGS) Common Ground Project.

The research, being carried out by Difference Engine on behalf of BGS, is seeking input from users of ground investigation (GI) data, producers of GI data, those who specify, procure or interpret ground investigations, and developers, asset owners and infrastructure teams managing ground risk.

The survey provides an opportunity for practitioners to help shape the development of a proposed national geotechnical properties data service. The initiative forms part of the Common Ground Project, through which BGS is working to unlock greater value from existing ground investigation data. The project has secured second-phase funding from the Government Office for Technology Transfer.

Ground investigation represents a major area of investment across the UK, with approximately £1.2bn spent annually on GI activities. Despite this, unforeseen ground conditions continue to contribute to project delays and an estimated programme overspend of around 10 per cent — equivalent to approximately £120m each year.

The Common Ground Project aims to improve how existing data is accessed, shared and applied, with potential benefits including earlier risk reduction, improved planning decisions, reduced duplication, increased efficiency and support for carbon reduction.

Input is particularly valuable from professionals who have experienced challenges accessing or using ground investigation data, have had to repeat investigations due to unavailable historic information, have encountered unforeseen ground conditions late in project programmes, or have struggled to benchmark geotechnical parameters with confidence.

Stakeholders who wish to contribute are invited to complete the survey as soon as possible:
👉 https://cobaltskysurveys.com/mrIWeb/mrIWeb.dll?I.Project=J2025sketchbook005_BritishGeologyS1&ID=client420

Alternatively, those interested in taking part in the wider research can contact the Common Ground team at commonground@bgs.ac.uk.