BGS makes significant advance in mineral data accessibility

A groundbreaking development by BGS in mineral data accessibility uses the Open Geospatial Consortium Application Programming Interface (OGC API) ‘Features’ standard, transforming how users interact with and interrogate an invaluable resource.

A wealth of data at your fingertips

The BGS World Mineral Statistics Database is the cornerstone for understanding global mineral production and trade. It houses decades of meticulously collected data on over 70 mineral commodities across numerous countries. Previously, this information was only accessible from pre-formatted reports or by requesting manual extraction for data.

Adding this treasure trove of data to our OGC API Features service allows users to query the data for themselves. This means it is now readily accessible to a much broader audience. Developers, researchers, policymakers and industry professionals can now seamlessly integrate mineral statistics into their applications, analyses and decision-making processes.

Harnessing the power of OGC API Features

The decision to adopt the OGC API Features standard is a strategic move that ensures interoperability and compatibility with a wide range of software and systems. This open standard ensures that the data will work with existing tools for data discovery, retrieval and visualisation, empowering users to explore and analyse mineral statistics data with unprecedented ease.

Key benefits of using OGC API Features include:Key benefits of using OGC API Features include:

• standardised data access: consistent API structure for easy integration
• flexible data retrieval: ability to query specific data subsets based on various criteria

Example URLs:

• get all coal data
• get all Australian gold production data

An example Juypter Notebook is also available.

Unlocking new possibilities

BGS’s new API opens a world of possibilities for data-driven insights and innovation. Potential applications include:

• historical market analysis: tracking global production volumes and UK trade flows
• policy development: informing resource management and sustainability strategies

By making the BGS World Mineral Statistics Database more accessible and user friendly, BGS is fostering a vibrant ecosystem of data-driven applications and services. This move aligns with the growing trend towards open data and data-driven innovation, driving economic growth and sustainable development.

BGS’s commitment to open data and collaboration sets a commendable example for other data custodians in the public and private sectors.

Edd Lewis, data standards lead at BGS.

Other data services

BGS’s OGC Catalogue service for the web (CSW) provides a standards-based interface to discover, browse and query metadata about BGS datasets and data services.

• BGS OGC API service (beta)