ARIZONA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY’S OUTSIZED IMPACT ON ARIZONA’S ECONOMY 2019

Geologic maps, data, and reports produced by state geological surveys are undervalued in light of their contribution to state economies and constituent needs. In Spring 2019, we participated in a three-prong study - 1) 31-question survey tool, 2) web analytics of AZGS web resources, and 3) interviews with stakeholders from mineral exploration, federal and state government, hydrogeology, environmental consulting, academia and mining archaeology, - with graduate students of the UArizona Eller College of Management to quantify the impact of products and services of the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) on the Arizona economy.

This study documented a $30.4M annual value of the products and services of the AZGS to geotechnical and mining industries and government agencies – a 30-fold return on the survey’s FY-2019 state allocation of $941k (AZGS external grants for 2019 totaled $1.4M). 85% percent of survey respondents (n=176) indicated that reduced access to AZGS products and services would make Arizona a less desirable location for geologically-related economic activity; 80% stated that AZGS digital maps and reports were essential to their organization. Respondents reported that no other agency or entity provides such freely available, high-quality geologic products and services for Arizona. Importantly, small- and medium-sized geotechnical firms noted that AZGS geologic products and services make them more competitive.

AZGS products help fuel Arizona’s economic growth, enhance the competitiveness of small- and medium-sized geotechnical firms, support sustainable natural resources development, improve public safety, and make public administration more effective and efficient. The outsized impact of state geological surveys on state economies, in the case of Arizona a cost-benefit ratio of ~ 30 to 1, makes a strong case for robust state funding for geological surveys.