State Geological Survey Contributions to the National Geothermal Data System: Accomplishments for Federal Fiscal Year 2013 October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013

For the third year in a row, the project received “good” or “outstanding” review comments during the annual sponsor peer review (scores for all elements were between 7 and 10 with the majority of scores as 8’s and 9’s). Progress this year has focused on data collection and deployment, we have successfully more than doubled the available data points from FY12, approximately 2 million, to more than 5 million at the end of FY13. The project reached a milestone of providing access to information for more than 1 million wells in December of 2012. This year, significant strides in public relations and engagement occurred, including featured articles in Scientific American, EARTH, a Geothermal Resources Council Best Presentation Award, and one of the Top 12 Geothermal Events of 2012. EARTH described the NGDS as “one of the most successful programs to date,” for data sharing and Big Data in the geosciences. In addition, the release of the Federal Open Data Policy provides a promising shift in data management and stewardship at the federal level promoting accessibility and discovery of data, for which the National Geothermal Data System is an exemplar. In the next year we will continue to pursue avenues of sustainability incorporating the new Federal Open Data Policy including a National Academy of Sciences/Association of American State Geologists supported Open Data Roundtable and Open Data Compliance eHandbook.