Introducing Geoscience Ireland; CIF’s Newest Member

Geoscience Ireland is the collaborative network of 29 Irish geoscience companies bringing integrated geotechnical expertise to civil, structural, water, minerals and environmental developments in over 50 countries.

Supported by the Geological Survey of Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, Geoscience Ireland’s network of experts provides design, consultancy and contracting services to the public and private sectors as well as to multilateral development and financial institutions.

What We Do

Geoscience is most prominent in the early stages of infrastructure development, although it is relevant at all stages in contracting works in terms of design, construction and in-situ monitoring of geotechnical solutions and environmental impacts.

What Lies Beneath

A major component of site investigation and preliminary geotechnical design is informed by a geological assessment of the terrain and topography. The geological, geophysical, geochemical and environmental services provided by Geoscience Ireland (GI) Members are critical to engineering decisions – and the deeper the foundation, the more complex the underlying geo-systems.

Our service offering of 3D modelling and mapping is now fundamental to road infrastructure and, with the advent of Building Information Modelling (BIM), now acts as a key resource in time and cost management.

Geotechnical

What is geotechnical engineering? “Everything you see around you is supported by soil or rock. Geotechnical engineers are responsible for that. Anything that is not supported by soil or rock, either floats, flies or falls down.”

Sound geotechnical design and engineering is critical for ensuring the longevity of our road and rail networks; guaranteeing load support of high-rise structures and bridges and informing the shoring and trench design required for deep excavations in urban areas.

Civil Engineering

From Ballaghaderreen to Mozambique, the GI Member Companies are involved in the early stage technical assessment and design of roads and motorways. This skillset includes:

• Understanding ground characteristics – our engineers provide solutions to complex ground conditions from soft ground to karst topography;
• Civil works associated with mining operations;
• Railway engineering;
• 3D modelling and mapping through laser scanning and BIM;
• Feasibility, preliminary and detailed design;
• Construction supervision and management;
• Airport runway and taxi-way construction;
• Offshore and onshore wind turbine foundations;
• Geotechnical expertise to understand the mechanics of the underlying soil and rock, ensuring the longevity of quality builds.

Where & How We Do It

Two-thirds of GI turnover is won in overseas markets. Our array of Case Histories is available on our website (www.geoscience.ie).

Roads

The main GI skill set includes in roads and highways include construction: project and construction management and supervision; ground, environmental and site investigation; financial and procurement management.

Major road developments include:

• The construction of expressways in Nigeria (PW Nigeria).
• The construction management and supervision of the Trans-Caprivi highway in Namibia (Nicholas O’Dwyer).
• Project management including design, technical and financial management and construction supervision for road rehabilitation in Uganda (J.B.Barry & Partners).
• Geophysical investigation and surveying for roads Norway (Apex Geoservices) and Ireland (BRG, Murphy Surveys).
• Pavement testing, evaluation and monitoring, and pavement management services for road networks and airport runways in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. (PMS.).

Water

We are skilled in a delivering a range of technical expertise in an array of water developments, from waste water treatment plants (WWTP) to pipelines. Our Project Histories include:

• Providing technical expertise in project management, procurement, civil engineering, tunnelling, access roads, environment, public health and socio-economics to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. (J.B.Barry & Partners).
• Construction supervision, commissioning, and environmental monitoring for the upgrading of the Morogoro water supply system in Tanzania (Nicholas O’Dwyer).
• Providing design and review of detailed process design of WWTP’s in Saudi Arabia and Qatar (Byrne Looby), Croatia, Turkey and Bosnia & Herzegovina (J.B.Barry ) and the UK (Trench Control ).
• Surveying and mapping the bedrock and soil conditions for water pipelines in Malawi (Apex Geoservices, Nicholas O’Dwyer).
• Pluvial Flood Risk Assessments & Scour analysis projects in the United Kingdom (IE Consulting)
• Extractive Industries & Energy
• Mining; Lining of Tailings Dams in New Caledonia (FLI); Underground development in Ireland (QME) and India (LTMS); Contract mining in Ghana and Burkina Faso ( PW Mining Ltd).
• Oil & Gas; Site investigation for the Corrib Gas Project in Ireland (Tobin and IDL); Carbon Storage in the Baltic (SLR); Drilling in the UK ( Priority Group, Meehan Drilling); M&E for training facilities in Ghana (Designer Group).
• Renewables; Site assessments for tidal energy in Canada (GDG) and wind farms in the UK (Tobin, GDG).

Environmental

• Remediation of oil polluted terrains in Nigeria (Verde)
• Capacity Building re SEVESO in Turkey (AWN); Resettlement in Ghana (Intersocial); artisanal mining in Mozambique (SLR)

Our Goal:

Geoscience Ireland’s core goal is to literally underpin and support the construction sector in Ireland through the provision of innovative geotechnical solutions across a range of sectors.

Geoscience Ireland’s members are also outward looking and keen to export Irish expertise to foreign markets, not only to improve the durability of infrastructural developments of all types in those areas but also to generate economic growth and employment at home. This outward looking perspective has the potential to offer opportunities to those who seek to expand their business overseas.

Who We Are:

APEX Geoservices | AWN Consulting | BRG | ByrneLooby | Designer Group | FLI Group | GDG | The Geological Survey Ireland | IE Consulting | IGSL | Intersocial Consulting | Irish Drilling | J.B.Barry & Partners | Lisheen Technical & Mining Services | Meehan Drilling | Murphy Surveys | Nicolas O’Dwyer Consulting Engineers | Pavement Management Services | Priority Group | PW Mining International | PW Nigeria | QME | Rubicon Heritage | SLR Consulting | Sorhill | TOBIN Consulting | Trench Control | Verde Environmental | Roadstone Ltd (GI’s newest member)

For more information contact:

Sean Finlay | Director | [email protected]

Andrew Gaynor | Business Development | [email protected]

Elizabeth Murphy | Market Advisor | [email protected]

Stephen D. Walsh | Market Advisor | [email protected]