The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) (Act No. 2 of 2000) was enacted to give effect to the right of access to information contained in Section 32 (2) of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.

The Council for Geoscience (CGS) is the national custodian of all geoscientific information and its dissemination to stakeholders and clients. The Geoscience Act (Act No. 100 of 1993) and its Amendment (Act No. 16 of 2010) states that geoscience data and information records published by the CGS in the form of maps, documents and databases are to be made available to stakeholders and clients.