Previously on Tellus South West…….My last blog recalled our project media launch in early August. Since then, aircraft have
been buzzing to and fro across Devon and Cornwall
gathering data on the landscape, soils and rocks, and student volunteers have
been splashing around in streams collecting sediments and waters for analysis.
What have we found out so far?
Preliminary airborne radiometric data shown at the conference – the audience went quiet…. |
Fresh from the Tellus Border Conference in Ireland the week
before, we knew that the data delivered by Tellus projects can get diverse
groups of scientists, professionals and decision-makers together in the same room who don’t normally talk
to each other. How were we doing with Tellus South West? Well, only 3 months
into the project, we were already filling the Core conference room at the Eden
Project with a diverse collection of ‘ologists’ - geologists, ecologists, hydrologists,
archaeologists and soil scientists (OK, pedologists)
and many more. There to listen were reps from the minerals industry, local
government, heritage groups, agriculturalists, education, regulators, tourism,
small medium enterprises, boards of trade………..What were their needs? More on
those in a moment.
And here’s what to expect from the Lidar data,
showing the conference venue ( the doughnut- shaped building bottom right) at the Eden Project |
Andrew Bloodworth sums up – is that a pumpkin themed microphone? |
Over-wintering in the northern hemisphere – the airborne lidar survey team from the British Antarctic Survey |
But as the afternoon progressed, more interesting and
challenging questions emerged. Questions that require cross-disciplinary,
joined up action involving diverse groups of scientist and users. Questions
that require researchers to work with users at the sharp end of the value
chain, where the data yields real and quantifiable societal and economic
outcomes. Questions that not only seek new scientific understanding, but also progress
to follow up actions such as new exploration, economic appraisals, risk
assessments, planning and development guidance and regulation that will
ultimately make a difference.
Iain Stewart and Andy Howard, Tellus South
West Confernce @ The Eden Project 31 October 2013 |
Yes, it’s still early days with the project, there are still
surveys to complete, analyses to finish and data to publish. But we now know
the priorities for follow up, and where to focus our efforts for further support
and funding. That’s the ‘Tellus The Questions’ conference delivered, now we
start work on the ‘Tellus the Answers’ conference for spring 2014. Look out for
more details soon……
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