| Title | Rotorua geothermal surface feature monitoring data: An innovative approach to a unique database |
|---|---|
| Authors | A. Perks, M. Zuquim |
| Year | 2025 |
| Conference | New Zealand Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | Rotorua Geothermal System, geothermal surface features, environmental monitoring, data management |
| Abstract | The Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) manages the Rotorua Geothermal System (RGS) to support its sustainable use, while protecting its valuable natural and intrinsic qualities. Regional councils have obligations under the Resource Management Act (RMA) to collect information on the state of the environment and ensure the integrity and public access of information (including data) in a transparent way and to foster public participation. The BOPRC Geothermal Surface Features Monitoring Programme continues to generate vast datasets that require careful management to ensure accuracy, reliability, availability and meaningful interpretation. Geothermal surface feature data has been collected once every two months for over ~20 years, with some datasets going back to the 1980s, with isolated datapoints from the 1940s. These historical datasets are an invaluable source of information on what the Rotorua Geothermal System ‘looked like’ in a nearly undisturbed state, at its environmental bottom-line and at its current much improved state. BOPRC migrated data from a previous ineffective data storage system, bringing data out to the community in an effective, transparent, meaningful way. Several systems already adopted by BOPRC were used, including AQUARIUS Time-series (AQTS) and AQUARIUS WebPortal (AQWP). BOPRC now have all the data import process automated using language codes R and python. Developing these codes was a key part of this project. The project successfully imported all historical data and photographs into AQTS, establishing 38 new locations, each with ~13 geochemistry and ~10 field observation time series. Qualitative data was introduced into AQTS for the first time, necessitating the creation of new data legends for three parameters (water colour, visual clarity and odour). End users can now access and interact with comprehensive information on geothermal surface features, fostering greater engagement and understanding of this specific type of environmental data. This is a significant improvement on data management workflow, supporting BOPRC in delivering key functions under the RMA and other statutory or non-statutory requirements. This paper describes the steps taken to develop this bespoke database, from data automation, storage, presentation, and opportunities for meaningful use of similar datasets – especially those containing qualitative information. Similar processes could enable storage and display of other types of knowledge information beyond modern science, for example, from Matauranga Maori monitoring, which are strongly based on sensorial tohu. |