Ireland mapped entirely in 16 year long geophysics survey

Ireland has completed an airborne geophysics survey, mapping the entire country, and making us one of the few countries to do so.

The Tellus Programme has finished its final flight, after 16 years and over 440,000km travelled in the process. The survey started in 2011 in the border region, thanks to European Interreg cross-border funding.

The programme was managed by Geological Survey Ireland, originally part of the Department of Climate, Energy, and the Environment, and was funded by the National Development Plan.

This now makes Ireland one of the best geographically mapped countries in the world and has become a world leader in survey data across Europe.

The survey has a multitude of uses. It will first be turned into maps and will be used to support the management of national resources, assist in envirionmental monitoring, and help with geological mapping.

Koen Verbruggen, Geological Survey Ireland Director, said: “After 16 years, I am delighted to see the final survey flight and completion of the Tellus airborne geophysics survey. More hard work follows in investigating, modelling and mapping the data.

“However, this is a hugely significant moment for Ireland as we will have better scientific data to help make decisions on how we best manage our natural resources. We will be making this data freely available, and I look forward to seeing it support policy, industry and research in a variety of areas. Finally, I would like to thank all who have been involved in this fantastic project.”

This project was an impressive undertaking; the aircraft flew at an altitude of 60m, which meant there was an extensive communications programme.