The partner interview

What is the role of the Interministerial Digital Technology Department (DINUM) in addressing data-related issues, particularly those relating to the environment?

Stéphanie Schaer — DINUM coordinates the Government’s digital policies, promotes interoperability between information systems, facilitates data sharing between Government departments and leads efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of the public digital sector. Environmental data have an increasingly important role in public decision making. In particular, those relating to critical metals guide policies to extend the service life of equipment and equipment procurement strategies. The collaboration with the General Commission for Sustainable Development illustrates this convergence between digital transformation and the green transition.

In this context, what are your expectations of BRGM?

S. S. —  BRGM provides essential information for Government departments on the ground, the subsurface and natural resources. In particular, these data are used to provide information for the life cycle assessments carried out in NumÉcoÉval to measure the environmental footprint of digital technologies. They also provide insight into ministerial roadmaps on critical resources and industrial dependencies. In this context, BRGM must continue its efforts to develop its data dissemination infrastructure, which must also interface effectively with the national catalogue and major public platforms (data.gouv.fr, Géoplateforme, etc.) for easier data integration and large-scale re-use of data. We also expect the organisation to continue to improve the accessibility and geographical coverage of its data, so that it becomes increasingly comprehensive and consistent and can be used directly by public sector bodies.

How would you assess the organisation’s role in relation to geoscientific and environmental data?

R. M. — The work of collecting, storing and disseminating data via InfoTerre and Géorisques is an essential foundation for public policy. It is also part of a European initiative driven in particular by the High-Value Datasets Directive, which identifies certain public data as strategic due to their potential to contribute to innovation, economic growth and the provision of information to citizens. The geoscientific and environmental data produced by BRGM fall squarely within this category and serve as a factor that strengthens European sovereignty and competitiveness.