During the Spring 2019, the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) worked with a small team of graduate students from the UA’s Eller School of Management to assess its annual impact on the state’s economy. A key part of this assessment was an online survey with more than 170 Arizona geoscientists, hydrologists, and environmental scientists volunteering their time to assess the value of AZGS products and services.
The survey was online for several weeks in February 2019. The survey tool was complemented by interviews of 14 individuals from across the spectrum of AZGS user communities and by an evaluation of stakeholders’ use and reliance on AZGS digital materials, including online repository, mine data site, web portal, and interactive maps (e.g., Natural Hazards in Arizona). The 30-question survey focused on several key issues:
- Identifying the products of greatest interest or utility to stakeholder communities in government, mining, water resources, hazard evaluation and management, and academia
- The qualitative and quantitative value placed on those products and services
- The frequency of use of AZGS products and services
The Eller team focused on cost avoidance stemming from the use of freely available AZGS geologic products on the Arizona economy between April 2018 to March 2019. In open-ended questions regarding AZGS products, the response were voluminous and positive. For the complete update, visit the AZGS website.