Both the sustainable use of our resources and the prevention of geohazards requires reliable information about the spatial distribution of soil and geological properties. Since direct measurements are costly, artificial intelligence (AI) methods are used to estimate these attributes, leveraging a machine learning algorithm which relates laboratory measurements or expert class information to environmental covariates derived, e.g. from relief, geology and climate data. This study evaluates random forest (RF) as an AI technique to predict the occurrence of debris on slopes of the entire Black Forest in 10 m resolution. It also examines whether RF models can be applied to measured geogenic radon potential (GRP) for assessing the risk of possibly harmful radon concentrations inside buildings in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

A suite of 6770 expert class labels indicating whether hillside debris of at least 1 m thickness occurs or not, were associated with main geological classes and various terrain attributes obtained from a LiDAR-based digital elevation model. RF classification showed very good results with an accuracy rate of 86 %. GRP mapping is currently based on 580 radon measurements in soil gas at 1 m depth and a set of covariates comprising soil attributes, climate variables and geological data such as uranium concentrations. Preliminary results indicate that the GRP map generated by using a state-specific RF model is highly useful in identifying municipalities as vulnerable areas for which action is needed to mitigate this particular threat to human health.

The increasing digital provision of geological maps leads to a growing need for data harmonisation in order to make the data usable across borders. An essential prerequisite for this is the harmonisation of the geological general legends. Therefore, the main objective of the ConSent project was to establish interoperability between the existing large-scale geological map series (GK25/50) for the example of the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. Furthermore, the project is about the automated derivation of small-scale from large-scale geological maps. First, the geological general legends of the GK25/50 of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria were implemented as hierarchical vocabularies in the thesaurus management system of BGR (RDF-enabled using standardised vocabularies based on semantic web concepts). The next step was to identify the greatest common denominator of the geological legends of the two federal states. This was done by an overarching geological general legend (OGL). Subsequently, the geological general legends of the two map series were linked semantically to the OGL using the SKOS vocabulary. Then, a merged GIS dataset of the GK25/50 was created containing the original geometries of both federal states. The polygons are attributed with both the original terms and the harmonised terms of the OGL. The harmonised map is publicly accessible via the project web application at BGR. Finally, the map was successfully generalised into three superordinate map scales (GK250, GK500, GK1000). The project shall be extended to other geological surveys.

The high-energy processes during the Elsterian glacial stage have formed a diverse relief of the base Quaternary with buried tunnel valleys, which are cut between a few tens of meters up to 400 m into the Tertiary bedrock sediments (Kuster & Meyer 1979). The Quaternary deposits host large groundwater reservoirs and are an important source for mining sand and gravel. The buried tunnel valleys also help to predict the erosion depth of future glaciations in the context of finding a site for a repository for radioactive waste in Germany. Therefore, it is crucial to provide a comprehensive geological model of the base Quaternary in order to support planning strategies in sustainable resource extraction and land use.

Kuster & Meyer (1995) published a contour map of the base Quaternary in Lower Saxony. Since then a vast number of new datasets were obtained. We started modelling a 3D surface based on these new datasets and the original contour map by Kuster & Meyer (1995) using SKUA-GOCAD™ (AspenTech). Here, we are presenting the first completed sub-region of this model, pointing out both the major advances that we achieved by integrating new borehole and seismic data (2D/3D) as well as the challenges of data harmonization. We were able to identify tunnel valleys that were unknown before and to revise the geometry and depth of known subglacial channels. The depth of the base Quaternary was adjusted by up to 150 m in certain areas.

Mapping the Quaternary base is required for various processes. Accordingly, it serves as a necessary horizon for set-up of 3D geological models of the subsurface, as well as a database for engineering geological processes. The most important field of application in Brandenburg considers hydrogeological questions such as the separation of the freshwater/ saline-water level in aquifers. Reliable and detailed working basis are needed for sophisticated modelling and to ensure the integration of all different data and information leading to area-wide maps.

At the geological survey of Brandenburg data of more than 200 000 drillings (from the beginning of 1900 until today), seismic profiles (average profile density of 0.7 km/km²) and gravimetric measurements (average point distance of c. 5 km) are available. In recent years maps of the Quaternary base were constructed independently by specific tasks and requirements. As a consequence, ten different maps were produced in the period from 1970 to 2014. Scaling varies between 1:10 000 to 1:1 000.000, while those with the higher resolution cover only parts of Brandenburg. The aim of this study is to combine all datatypes to create a holistic model, which can be used interdisciplinary. The varying quality and quantity, as well as the large age range of the incoming data pose a challenge being solved with different modelling approaches and geostatistical methods.

The Geological Data Act (GeolDG) came into force on June 30, 2020. It has replaced the Mineral Law (LagerstG) and has lead to a comprehensive new legal regulation in the field of recording, archiving and publishing geological data. The primary objectives of the Act are to safeguard geological data and make it available to the public, to ensure the sustainable use of the geological subsurface, and to be able to identify and assess geohazards.

Therewith it also affects clients of geological investigations and those commissioned to carry them out, e.g. drilling companies, etc. There is an obligation to notify the competent authority of all geological investigations at least two weeks before they begin. Data transmission and public provision is also regulated by means of deadlines. The term "geological investigation" includes all general geological, raw material geological, engineering geological, geophysical, mineralogical, geochemical, pedological, geothermal, hydrogeological and geotechnical measurements and recordings of earth's surface, geological subsurface, of ground or groundwater, obtained by means of prospecting, drilling, field or borehole measurements and other exploration methods such as remote sensing, as well as the processing of the data obtained in this way, as well as analyses and evaluations of these data, e.g. in the form of expert reports, surveys, and reports.

With the contribution here the law is presented fundamentally and for the execution of the law announcement procedures in the countries as well as processes of data transmission and administrative procedures for data supply.