When the late Sir John Knill spoke to the AGS Committee in May 2000, he was less than complementary about the quality of many of the ground reports that he received in the course of his work as an expert witness. He suggested that the AGS should prepare guidance to signpost what should be included in an interpretative report on ground conditions and set a benchmark for good practice.

The original terms of reference were restricted to geotechnical interpretative reports but it quickly became evident that it would be inappropriate to treat interpretative reports in isolation from the other reports generated as part of the site investigation process. The concept of the Ground Report as a ‘live’ document developed from this realisation. It is ‘an account of the whole job from start to finish’ (Palmer, 1957).

it also became apparent that many of the proposals were equally applicable to some aspects of geoenvironmental projects. The extent of this applicability is explained by notes in the text.

This guidance is being made available on the AGS website in order to maximise its availability to the industry, as desired by Sir John Knill. It is hoped that it will be come the industry standard guide, and that it will be particularly beneficial to young geospecialists and those who train them.

Download (free of charge) from AGS Publications