Defining best practices in the management of geothermal exploration data

TL;DR

This paper surveys geothermal data management practices across mature markets to establish best practices for designing effective, secure, and accessible information systems for exploration data, guiding future technical support.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of current practices and offers practical recommendations for data management system design in geothermal exploration.

Findings

Installing an Information System is the best practice for managing exploration data.

Recommendations include regulatory, technical, and resource considerations for system development.

The study informs future technical assistance programs and sector-wide data management improvements.

Abstract

The objective of this work is to define best practices in the management of geothermal exploration data. This study builds on a questionnaire to survey the geothermal data management practices in mature geothermal markets. The inquiry targeted public Regulatory entities with overview of geothermal resources as well as public and private developers. Topics covered in the questionnaire range from the country status to the database set up. The questionnaire focused on the specifications, usage and investments required for installing/maintaining information systems capable of managing exploration data. In addition, information on the different regulatory frameworks and company policies for managing/sharing exploration data has been gathered to identify the requirements imposed on the design of information systems. The responses were analyzed to identify commonalities in data management practices. They reveal that installing an Information System (IS) is the best practice to systematically and securely manage exploration data. They also provide recommendations with respect to the regulatory framework, data types, data collection methodologies, data storage, data quality control, data accessibility and dissemination, IS architecture, financial investments and human resources required to develop a state-of-the art IS. These results will guide the design of future technical assistance programs for beneficiaries of World Bank support to geothermal exploration activities and it is our belief that they will be beneficial for the geothermal sector at large.