Senior Consultant Dr Jackie Skipper and Senior Partner John Davis of Geotechnical Consulting Group have been involved in an industry working group related to a proposed Geotechnical Data Bill, which aims to requiring greater sharing of ground investigation (GI) data across the UK.
The proposed legislation seeks to address a long-standing issue within the infrastructure and construction sectors: valuable ground investigation data is often held in isolated project archives, rather than being accessible to support future projects. Improving the availability of this information could help engineers better understand ground conditions, reduce duplication of investigations, and improve the efficiency and resilience of infrastructure delivery.
As part of the wider industry dialogue around subsurface data sharing, Dr Skipper also presented at an industry roundtable, held at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), London. The event brought together representatives from government, industry bodies, consultancies and technical organisations to discuss how better data sharing could support national infrastructure programmes.
During the discussion, Dr Skipper referenced the large Drift Filled Hollow encountered during the drilling of the Lee Tunnel Project at Newham Hospital, highlighting how improved access to historical ground investigation data can play a critical role in understanding complex ground conditions and managing project risk.
The roundtable discussions build on wider national initiatives encouraging improved access to subsurface information, including the National Underground Asset Register.
Through their participation in the working group and industry discussions, Dr Skipper and John Davis are helping ensure that geotechnical expertise contributes to shaping future policy on subsurface data sharing in the UK.
