On November 6, 2017, the first national geological information sharing service platform—“Geological Cloud 1.0”—officially went live. Construction of “Geological Cloud 2.0” began this year, and in the future, the platform will be gradually upgraded to versions 3.0 and 4.0.

　　From April 16 to April 17, 2018, the deployment meeting for the construction of “Geological Cloud 2.0” was held in Beijing. Information disclosed at the meeting indicated that, as information technology continues to advance and the level of informatization in geological work keeps rising, the construction of Geological Cloud will remain an ongoing journey.

　　The charm of Geological Cloud begins to shine.

　　“Just over four months after its launch, ‘Geological Cloud 1.0’ has already surpassed 870,000 visits, with an average of more than 2,000 visits per day and over 10,000 downloads of data products—totaling more than 3,817 GB of downloaded data,” revealed Xing Lixia, Deputy Director of the Information Office of the China Geological Survey and Deputy Director of the Bureau’s General Engineering Office, at the deployment meeting. These figures demonstrate that, despite being only in version 1.0, Geological Cloud has already attracted considerable attention from professionals in the industry.

　　Why does Geological Cloud have such appeal? More than 100 representatives—geological cloud builders and users—who attended the conference engaged in in-depth discussions and analyses.

　　First, data acquisition has become much more convenient. Geologists no longer need to run around frantically as they did in the past when searching for geological data. Now, by simply accessing the 75 national geological data databases hosted on the Geological Cloud, they can access data across ten major professional categories: foundational geology, energy resources, minerals, hydrogeological and environmental studies, marine geology, geophysical, geochemical, and remote sensing data, borehole and core samples, literature and documentation, comprehensive research results, and management support systems—amounting to a total data volume of 2 PB. At the same time, they can also access a wealth of newly added data, such as physical core samples, electronic journals in the geosciences, and geological maps at various scales.

　　Second, the range of geoscience products has been enriched. By using the Geological Cloud, the general public can conveniently access 8 major categories and 53 subcategories of geoscience information products, including geological map spatial data, geological maps, geoscience popularization materials, geological databases, publications, technical methods and standards, software, and instruments and equipment—exactly what they need.

　　Third, geological surveys have become smarter. Leveraging technologies such as “artificial intelligence + big data + cloud computing,” we have initially established an intelligent geological survey model based on the Geological Cloud, which has already been successfully applied in three geological survey projects. With the support of the Geological Cloud, in the future, traditional, manual, workshop-style geological surveys will gradually be replaced by a new, modern, and intelligent approach to geological survey work.

　　Fourth, business management has become more convenient. By leveraging the “Geological Cloud 1.0” one-stop business management and decision-support service system, projects, personnel, finances, materials, office operations, and production safety can all be managed, scheduled, and monitored in a unified manner. Notably, the office software system has, for the first time, gone beyond China’s borders and has been successfully promoted and applied within the CCOP international organization (the Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programs in East Asia and Southeast Asia).

　　Fifth, large-scale general-purpose software can now be shared. There are many types of geology-specific software, each requiring significant investment, and some of these software programs are still underutilized. In the Geology Cloud environment, you can use the general office and specialized analytical software provided on the cloud to efficiently carry out the professional tasks you need to accomplish.

　　Despite the demonstrated appeal of “Geological Cloud 1.0,” there are still some shortcomings. In this regard, Xing Lixia pointed out: The geological data and products included in the shared services are not yet sufficiently abundant—there is still a shortage of data and products that can truly “quench the thirst”; moreover, some of the data uploaded to the cloud are merely images, while the actual physical data have not yet been migrated to the cloud, directly affecting the system’s attractiveness. Additionally, the system’s operation remains relatively complex, and its stability and convenience need to be improved; the degree of system integration also needs further enhancement. Furthermore, the regularized and standardized operation and maintenance of the Geological Cloud are still inadequate, and the relevant teams and mechanisms need to be further strengthened and refined. Finally, the mechanisms and technologies for protecting the intellectual property rights of geological data still require in-depth research.

　　To address these issues, an upgrade is imperative.

　　Aim for the Four Major Goals

　　Building on the successful experiences of “Geological Cloud 1.0” and benchmarking against international advanced standards, this conference has proposed four landmark indicators for the construction of “Geological Cloud 2.0”: First, all existing databases of the 29 directly affiliated units will be brought online and made available as services; second, all existing geological data held by the National Geological Data Archive will be accessible through the Geological Cloud; third, a multi-disciplinary information system for natural resources and resource-environment carrying capacity will be established; and fourth, a city-level geological information platform (system) will be built in accordance with the geological survey standards for the Xiong’an New Area.

　　“To achieve the four key objectives, the Geology Cloud development team has decided to upgrade ‘Geology Cloud 1.0’ by focusing on both cloud functional modules and content,” said Tan Yongjie, Deputy Director of the Cyberspace Administration of the China Geological Survey and Chief Engineer of the China Geological Survey’s Research and Development Center, as he introduced the construction plan for “Geology Cloud 2.0.”

　　He said that “Geological Cloud 2.0” consists of one cloud platform, one cloud portal, six subsystems—including geological surveys—and commonly used cloud-based software tool modules, such as the Geological Cloud Drive, as well as specialized geological information service modules covering topics like natural resources.

　　The construction of “Geological Cloud 2.0” consists primarily of nine major components:

　　First, the node system of “Geological Cloud 2.0” should, on the basis of covering all directly affiliated units of the China Geological Survey, pilot the integration of 1 to 2 provincial-level geological data center nodes and complete the construction of both in-city and off-site backup centers.

　　Second, on the basis of perfecting the national geological database system, we will promote the comprehensive sharing of geological survey data, bringing the number of shared databases in “Geological Cloud 2.0” to 100 and the total number of data service interfaces to 500.

　　Third, we will build a multi-category natural resource database categorized by land, minerals, water, forests, grasslands, marine areas, islands, and other such categories, and develop a resource and environmental carrying capacity assessment system.

　　Fourth, we will build a urban geological information platform, leveraging more than 300 existing products—including databases from ongoing urban geological surveys, urban resource and environmental atlases, and three-dimensional geological models—and, after organizing them according to cloud-computing requirements, providing them as online services.

　　Fifth, we will build and refine a comprehensive geological information product system, providing socialized services for over 3,000 products. Among these, we will develop, integrate, and assemble more than 1,000 new products. We will intensify efforts to produce authoritative geological information products such as geological atlases, mineral resource atlases, and basic geological maps, and newly compile approximately 50 maps in the basic geological series, making them available via cloud-based services. We will also create unified geological and geographic base maps and imagery base maps, making them available as public products for general use.

　　Sixth, we will intensify the promotion of intelligent geological survey technologies, develop and promote multi-source geological data processing systems, conduct innovative research on geological big data technologies, and advance the modernization of field surveys.

　　Seventh, we will upgrade and enhance the functionality of the business management system, promote the integrated application of business management information systems, and essentially establish an information-based working model for the core processes of geological survey business management, thereby significantly improving the efficiency and standards of geological survey business management.

　　Eighth, continue to strengthen infrastructure and cybersecurity development to provide robust foundational support for the informatization of geological surveys and the Geological Cloud.

　　Nine, strengthen the development of institutional standards to provide support for the informatization of geological surveys and the construction of the Geological Cloud.

　　“Geological Cloud is not only a platform for sharing geological information but also a supporting platform for carrying out geological survey operations,” said Tan Yongjie. As geological survey work continues to develop and information technology keeps advancing, the Geological Cloud will continue to undergo upgrades.

　　Join forces and work together to pursue upgrades.

　　At the deployment meeting, heads of the science and technology offices from all directly affiliated units of the China Geological Survey, technical leaders responsible for the construction of various sub-nodes, and key technical personnel engaged in an in-depth discussion centered on how to complete the task on schedule after clearly defining the objectives and tasks.

　　Everyone agrees that, in the construction and upgrade of the Geological Cloud, we must abandon the outdated notion that cloud development is solely the responsibility of IT personnel and instead adopt a new perspective: cloud development is a shared responsibility of all staff across the entire system. During the construction and upgrade of the Geological Cloud, every member of the system not only serves as a provider of various types of data but also stands to benefit directly from the outcomes of cloud development and upgrades. Only by embracing this approach can we create a positive working environment for the construction and upgrade of the Geological Cloud.

　　In the production and sharing of geological information products, we need to establish a mechanism that allows for simultaneous production and sharing, and ensure that this mechanism is fully integrated into every project team. Only in this way can we enhance the timeliness of sharing geological information products, thereby boosting project staff’s motivation to actively provide data and support cloud construction and upgrades.

　　In terms of investment effectiveness, a mechanism for checking for duplication and integration should be established at the bureau level. After integrating similar projects, the types and quantities of geological information products to be produced should be uniformly planned.

　　In terms of synchronizing geological information products with projects, we need to establish a system that integrates the planning and design of geological information products with the planning and design of projects themselves, fundamentally addressing the disconnect between geological information production and the production of service-oriented products.

　　In terms of cybersecurity, we must strengthen the enforcement and implementation of cybersecurity regulations, continuously promote awareness of the importance of cybersecurity, and broadly enhance cybersecurity consciousness. At the same time, we need to intensify cybersecurity inspections and oversight efforts to minimize cybersecurity risks and meet the demands of business management, data sharing, and information services for robust cybersecurity measures.

　　During the discussion, delegates also engaged in lively exchanges on how to ensure the smooth operation of the cloud, how to comprehensively complete the work according to the scheduled milestones outlined in the plan, and how to effectively balance the relationship between the project and information technology development. They shared their own insights and offered suggestions.