Magnetograms are records of variations in the strength and direction of the Earth’s magnetic field. Historically these magnetograms were recorded on paper using photographic techniques. In the UK, measurements were made at eight long-running observatories; Abinger, Eskdalemuir, Falmouth, Greenwich, Hartland, Kew, Lerwick, and Stonyhurst. BGS also hold magnetogram records from the Cape Evans observatory that ran continuously at Robert Falcon Scott’s Antarctic base camp during the British Antarctic Expedition 1910–13. The magnetogram collection, one of the longest running geomagnetic series in the world, provides a continuous record of more than 160 years of UK measurements. These magnetograms start in the 1840s and end in 1986 at which time digital recording of the magnetic field took over and magnetograms can be produced by computer graphic. The plots show variation in the Earth's magnetic field, typically over a 24-hour period. The collection is a valuable, partly untapped data resource for studying geomagnetic storms, space weather and the evolution of the Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetograms provide insight into: • the Earth’s outer core: long-term change (years to centuries) in the dynamo that sustains our magnetic field • space weather: short-term changes (seconds to days) in near-Earth space and on the ground • space climate: long-term change (decades to centuries) in solar activity and consequences for Earth’s environment All the above have an impact on human activities. For example, bad space weather affects technologies that we increasingly rely on, such as electrical power and GPS networks. In response to the threat of loss from degradation due to age and a desire to preserve and exploit old data, BGS undertook a programme of work to digitally photograph, archive and preserve the analogue paper records of magnetic field variation in the United Kingdom. Between 2009 and 2013, high-quality digital images of every available magnetogram were taken. These images are available to search online. Scientists and the general public around the world can now gain easy access to this historical dataset.

This dataset comprises scanned images of the manuscript geological maps produced by the Survey geologists or other recognised geologists on County Series (1:10560) and National Grid (1:10560 and 1:10000) Ordnance Survey base maps. The collection also includes similar maps compiled from other sources. Currently the dataset contains over 35,000 scanned images. Original maps date from the 1860s, and cover surveys in Great Britain, scanning started in 2003.

Groundwater temperature data from a shallow urban aquifer in Cardiff, Wales, UK between 2014-2018. Monitoring was undertaken as part of the ‘Cardiff Urban Geo-Observatory’ project . Boreholes are located within the urban area of the City of Cardiff, Wales, UK. The majority of temperature sensors were installed within boreholes that monitor a shallow Quaternary aged sand and gravel aquifer, however the made ground and the Triassic Mercia Mudstone also represented. Temperature sensors installed in 53 boreholes, between depths of 1.5m and 12- m below ground, with measurements every 30 minutes. The dataset comprises of just over 3.5 million temperature measurements. Monitoring was undertaken by the British Geological Survey and was designed to address knowledge gaps of subsurface urban heat island and it use for heat recovery and storage. Metadata Report http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/525332/

This data set is an inventory of aerial photographs held at BGS, Murchison House office and consists of a MS Excel spreadsheet containing 11 worksheets. Each worksheet contains information pertaining to the different sub-collections within the collection (9 worksheets of aerial photographs, one for aerial photograph scans, one for satellite imagery). Quality and coverage of metadata varies from worksheet to worksheet, depending on the size of the sub-collection, its pre-existing organisation, and the way in which the sub-collection was brought together (if it was not a complete entity when the inventory was started). Areal extent ranges from Shetland in the N (1200000) to the southern Lake District in the S (480000) and from Barra in the W (65000) to Stockton-on-Tees in the E (450000). By late 2001 all photos (except those being worked on by cuurently by staff) were catalogued in the inventory spreadsheet. By late 2003, the inventory spreadsheet had been updated with newly purchased and newly discovered photos as well as modified to include details of digital holdings and satellite imagery.

The official BGS photographic archive contains an estimated 300,000 photographs. The archive has been built up systematically since its founding in 1891 and is becoming a very popular educational resource for images of the geology of the UK and overseas. A wide range of topics is represented: field geology, landscapes, oblique aerial photographs, geohazards, marine operations, fossil, rocks and photomicrographs of rocks and minerals in thin section. In addition there are an estimated 225,000 photographs held with former groups, projects and individual geoscientists. The collections hold a diverse range of photographic material which includes black and white or colour negatives, transparencies and prints. The film formats range from 35mm to 10"X8" which includes both film and large format glass plates.

Between 2001 and 2003 BGS received approximately 1400 1:25 000 paper maps and associated card index from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG)). The maps, originally compiled by the Minerals Division of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (CLGs historic predecessor), contain hand drawn boundaries for permitted, withdrawn and refused mineral planning permissions, and worked ground. They also contain hand drawn boundaries for land use at each site. These 'MHLG' maps show information collated from the 1940s (retrospectively to 1930) to the mid 1980s. The index cards provide supplementary information regarding name, operator, dates and relevant local authority. Data depicted on the maps are for England only and include; [a] all planning appeals, departures and called in cases whether permitted or refused; [b] all planning permission and refusal data for various local authority areas which were obtained by Departmental officials through visits to authorities in a staged programme spread over many years. Priority was placed on areas that were giving rise to then current casework issues thus at the time when the maintenance of the maps ended (mid 1985), some authority information had been updated recently but other areas had not been visited for many years. [c] land use present at each site. Categories include: derelict areas, restored quarries (filled and unfilled), tip heaps and spoil heaps, and wet areas. The variable completeness of the data sets should be kept in mind when this material is being used. Land use polygons have been digitised from the MHLG maps and attribute information has been provided from the map legend and the appropriate card in the card index. The principal aim of the data is to show land use present in areas of land that have been affected by the extraction of minerals.

The BGS Debris Flow Susceptibility Model for Great Britain v6.1 is a 1:50 000 scale raster dataset of Great Britain providing 50 m ground resolution information on the potential of the ground, at a given location, to form a debris flow. It is based on a combination of geological, hydrogeological and geomorphological data inputs and is primarily concerned with potential ground stability related to natural (rather than man-made) geological conditions and slopes. The dataset is designed for those interested specifically in debris flow susceptibility at a regional or national planning scale such as those involved in construction or maintenance of infrastructure networks (road or rail or utilities), or other asset managers such as for property (including developers and home owners), loss adjusters, surveyors or local government. The dataset builds on research BGS has conducted over the past 15 years investigating debris flows. The model was designed to identify potential source-areas for debris flows rather than locate where material may be deposited following a long-run-out failure i.e. the track and flow of debris. This work focuses on natural geological and geomorphological controls that are likely to influence the initiation of debris flows. It therefore, does not consider the influence of land use or land cover factors.

The Single Onshore Borehole Index (SOBI) is an index of over 1 million boreholes, shafts and wells and references collections of digital and analogue records from all forms of drilling and site investigation work held by the BGS. The index covers onshore and near shore boreholes from Great Britain dating back to at least 1790 and ranging from one to several thousand metres deep. Some 50,000 new boreholes are added each year. The majority of the records contain written descriptions of the ground encountered. The SOBI index database originated in 1988 from a number of existing tables and from data input from a variety of coding forms. Therefore not all fields in the database are populated and data that should be in some fields may currently form part of the entries in another. The index is available on the BGS website via the Geoindex

A card index storing supplementary information regarding name, operator, dates and commodity worked for each planning permission boundary recorded (drawn) on the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MHLG) Mineral Planning Permissions Maps (see associated metadata). Information on the cards has been used to attribute the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MHLG) Mineral Planning Permission Polygons (see associated metadata for MHLG Planning Permission Polygons).

Magnetograms are records of variations in the strength and direction of the Earth’s magnetic field. Historically these magnetograms were recorded on paper using photographic techniques. In the UK, measurements were made at eight long-running observatories; Abinger, Eskdalemuir, Falmouth, Greenwich, Hartland, Kew, Lerwick, and Stonyhurst. BGS also hold magnetogram records from the Cape Evans observatory that ran continuously at Robert Falcon Scott’s Antarctic base camp during the British Antarctic Expedition 1910–13. The magnetogram collection, one of the longest running geomagnetic series in the world, provides a continuous record of more than 160 years of UK measurements. These magnetograms start in the 1840s and end in 1986 at which time digital recording of the magnetic field took over and magnetograms can be produced by computer graphic. The plots show variation in the Earth's magnetic field, typically over a 24-hour period. The collection is a valuable, partly untapped data resource for studying geomagnetic storms, space weather and the evolution of the Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetograms provide insight into: • the Earth’s outer core: long-term change (years to centuries) in the dynamo that sustains our magnetic field • space weather: short-term changes (seconds to days) in near-Earth space and on the ground • space climate: long-term change (decades to centuries) in solar activity and consequences for Earth’s environment All the above have an impact on human activities. For example, bad space weather affects technologies that we increasingly rely on, such as electrical power and GPS networks. In response to the threat of loss from degradation due to age and a desire to preserve and exploit old data, BGS undertook a programme of work to digitally photograph, archive and preserve the analogue paper records of magnetic field variation in the United Kingdom. Between 2009 and 2013, high-quality digital images of every available magnetogram were taken. These images are available to search online. Scientists and the general public around the world can now gain easy access to this historical dataset.