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The Geological Survey of Austria, founded in November 1849, represents the
geo-management of the public sector of Austria. It is a government organization affiliated to
the Federal Ministry of Science, Education and Arts. Its activities are based on the National
Law of Research of 2000. Presently its staff comprises 45 scientists with university degree, 34
non scientists and a fluctuating number of non-government personnel (around 40).
According to its mandate, the Survey undertakes the following core programmes:
- Geoscientific mapping of the Austrian territory at various scales
- Complementary mission-orientated basic research in biostratigraphy, geochronology and structural
geology
- Collection and storage of unique types of rocks, minerals and fossils
- Monitoring the environment
- Administration and management of the most comprehensive geoscientific library of Austria
- Maintenance of related databases and voluminous archives of maps and unpublished reports
collected over the past 150 years
- Source of advice and information in Earth Science to the government, local authorities, industry
and the public in general
Traditional and applied tasks include such topics as
- Assessment and sustainable development of raw materials and industrial minerals
- Water management
- Natural hazard mitigation in Alpine terrains
- Feasibility studies for major civil engineering projects
- Contamination and waste deposal studies
- Nature conservation and land use planning
- Networking in global change programmes
- Membership in EuroGeoSurveys, Forum of European Geological Surveys and other international
organizations
One of its major concerns is promotion and presentation of all related geoscientific
results and data. To achieve this as wide as possible an audience is addressed through media,
periodical journals, popular scientific brochures, maps and other articles in the public interest.
All relevant data are either available in numerical form or, increasingly, as digital data sets
or computer printouts.
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