The British Columbia Geological Survey (BCGS) is the ministry branch responsible for producing and housing the public geological and geoscientific information about mineral resources and mineral potential in the province. Its core staff is made of professional geoscientists who carry out the systematic inventory and assessment of the varied and complex geology of British Columbia. Its role was initiated in 1895, and it functions today as a highly technical institution in answer to the continuing information needs of government, business, and the general public.