Grey Data
A great deal of useful and relevant information on African groundwater is held in the form of reports, maps and datasets by institutions outside the African continent, such as European geological surveys. Unfortunately, much of this material is not published, or has only been published in limited quantities and so is now difficult to access. These materials, known as “Grey Data”, include unpublished books, reports, maps, notes and datasets which, whilst theoretically available, are in practice hard to obtain. Furthermore, much of this material is not in accessible formats - grey data is often found only as fragile paper copies, since much of the work was reported before the common use of computers.
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Background to “grey data”
Safe and reliable water supplies are essential to reduce poverty and improve growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of rural Africans rely on groundwater resources (wells, boreholes or springs) for their drinking water, as do many small towns and irrigation schemes. As in other areas, groundwater resource development in Africa needs better data and technical information to reduce the cost of exploitation and help management of the resource.
A great deal of useful and relevant information on African groundwater is held in the form of reports, maps and datasets by institutions outside the African continent, such as European geological surveys. Unfortunately, much of this material is not published, or has only been published in limited quantities and so is now difficult to access. It is sometimes difficult to realise exactly what is available in the first place – numerous early groundwater studies are now mostly forgotten. These materials, known as “Grey Data”, include unpublished books, reports, maps, notes and datasets which, whilst theoretically available, are in practice hard to obtain. Furthermore, much of this material is not in accessible formats - grey data is often found only as fragile paper copies, since much of the work was reported before the common use of computers.
In 2007 the British Geological Survey (BGS) initiated a progressive project to make “grey data” held in its archives on African groundwater more easily available and more widely known. It is estimated that the BGS has well over a thousand “grey data” items relating to groundwater in southern Africa alone. Much of this material is not confidential since it was gathered in partnership with an African government or organisation rather than for commercial gain. However, it is not easy to access, and few people know exactly what work has been done and what reported material is available. African governments and water supply organisations cannot afford to duplicate such works that they themselves may have lost original copies of.
Improving access to grey data holdings offers clear benefits for groundwater development and management in Africa. There are also distinct benefits for partner organizations that hold BGS “grey data”, including the dissemination of scientific findings, alignment with current initiatives for poverty alleviation in Africa, and possible opportunities for work partnerships in future.
The Grey Data project (“Groundwater Knowledge Sharing and Cooperation in SADC”)
Agreements with the BGS in 2007 led to a two-year pilot project funded by the South African Water Research Commission (WRC) to discuss copyright issues, agree on methods for “grey data” capture and dissemination, demonstrate the continuing utility of the “grey data”, and finally to develop a proposal for a larger project to facilitate the work itself. This pilot project led to an 18-month project (entitled: “Groundwater Knowledge Sharing and Cooperation in SADC”), which began in July 2009, funded by the German organisation GTZ and UK Aid. The project, planned to end in early 2011, aims, amongst other things, to compile a database of all grey data holdings on Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) groundwater held by the BGS, and to scan or digitise a sub-set of the grey data holdings which can be made freely available to groundwater practitioners and managers in the SADC region via a BGS hosted web-site. (SADC is the Southern African Development Community, a grouping of 15 southern African countries with a common economic and development agenda.) The grey data project is led by the BGS and supported by Water Geosciences Consulting and the Water Research Commission in South Africa. The SADC Groundwater Institute, to be based in Bloemfontein, will assist with dissemination of project results and coordination of research.
The “Grey Data” Project is aimed at making data, research and knowledge derived from groundwater research and development projects in the SADC region before the advent of common computer usage much more available. Such information is often difficult to access for practical purposes, and hence there is a consequent danger of re-doing work that has already been done. The BGS may be able to offer replacement material often lost during periods of conflict to African institutions. The enhanced information on regional groundwater resources that the “Grey Data” Project provides will enable more efficient and effective groundwater management.
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This article was written by Jude Cobbing and Jeff Davies. Jude Cobbing is a hydrogeologist at Water Geosciences Consulting and a former BGS employee. Jeff Davies is a hydrogeologist at BGS.
The article has been adapted from the article, Groundwater - returning to the sources, in Planet Earth, publishe by the Natural Environment Research Council. To read this article, CLICK HERE.
