Digital Mapping Techniques '02 -- Workshop Proceedings
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02-370
Got Digital Map Data. Now What?
How the Idaho Geological Survey Distributes
Digital Geologic Map Data
By B. Benjamin E. Studer and Loudon R. Stanford
Idaho Geological Survey
Third Floor, Morrill Hall
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID 83844-3014
Telephone: (208) 885-7479
Fax: (208) 885-5826
e-mail: bens@uidaho.edu
INTRODUCTION
The Idaho Geological Survey has been collecting and disseminating digital geologic data for 10 years. Recently, the Idaho Geological Survey released the first publication in a new Digital Data Series: Digital geologic map of the St. Maries 30 x 60 minute quadrangle, Idaho.
The Digital Geologic Mapping Lab at the Idaho Geological Survey currently distributes its compiled geologic maps, when possible, as three products: a color, print-on-demand, paper map; a Portable Document Format (PDF) version of the paper map; and a digital geologic map complete with FGDC-compliant metadata and a structured data model for storing map data such as contact, fault, or symbol attributes.
Key to the success of Idaho digital geologic map data is the adoption of a digital geologic map data model. The Idaho Survey's model is a variant of version 4.3 of the North American Digital Geologic Map Data Model (NADM http://geology.usgs.gov/dm/). Unlike the NADM, which is designed to be a catalog of separate, digitized geologic maps, the Idaho model is designed to be a statewide database of the best available geologic map data collected in edge-matched tiles. More information is available at the Idaho Geological Survey Web site: http://www.idahogeology.org/Lab/datamodel.htm
TILES OF EDGE-MATCHED DIGITAL GEOLOGIC MAPPING
The Idaho Geological Survey is compiling digital geologic map data in 30 x 60 minute tiles. The map data are designed for merging with adjoining, edge-matched data sets.
- When possible, new field work is melded with existing mapping to create a more complete data set. Updated geologic data will then be released with a new version number.
- Original geologic mapping, if possible, is compiled at 1:24,000 or the most detailed scale possible.
- The original publication source and other geologic information about each feature (contacts, faults, symbols) is tracked with geologic object metadata and data-model attributes.
- When possible, both a paper map product and a digital data set are released. Both publications have the same authorship. The data sets are released as Digital Geologic Maps in the Idaho Survey's Digital Data Series. A digital compiler credit also is included with the digital publication.
BACKBONE OF THE IGS DIGITAL GEOLOGIC MAP
A data model for digital geologic maps provides a framework to support the many different components that create a geologic map. The Idaho Survey variant (some might call it a deviant) of the NADM was designed to meet the following objectives:
- To provide a framework on which to store geologic map data and corollary legend information created by the Idaho Survey.
- To work with in-house systems and procedures for collecting and attributing geologic map data.
- To use the structure and design developed for the NADM v.4.3, where possible.
- To be expandable to handle new data types as the need arises.
- To permit data updates and transfers to future formats and structures.
- To develop tools to access the stored data.
SUMMARY
The Idaho Geological Survey has released the first publication in its new Digital Data Series: Digital geologic map of the St. Maries 30 x 60 minute quadrangle, Idaho (Lewis, and others, 2001). The format includes a digital spatial map, a PDF version of the paper map, geochemistry, and more. Five more data sets are to follow in early summer 2002. A Print-On-Demand paper map also will be available for many of the digital maps. Digital data is available online on our Web site http://www.idahogeology.org/ and may be purchased as a CD.
By creating the digital geologic map tiles and their associated data sets, a group of highly useful statewide databases are produced as a by-product: map units, geochemistry, geologic map sources, formal stratigraphic units, colors, symbols, and metadata.
This paper is the condensation of a poster presented at the Digital Mapping Techniques 2002 conference in Salt Lake City. The poster is available for viewing, in PDF format, on the Idaho Geological Survey's Web page: http://www.idahogeology.org/Lab/DMT/
WHAT'S TO COME
The Idaho Survey will continue to release more digital geologic-map data sets. Currently, the power of the digital map and data model is limited to users who have a working knowledge of geology and GIS techniques. IGS tools planned for the near future are: an ArcIMS-WWW Interface, ArcView software query tools, geochemistry management and distribution tools, and color and symbol selection tools.
REFERENCES
Lewis, R.L., Burmester, R.F., Kauffman, J.D., and Frost, T.P., 2001, Digital geologic map of the St. Maries 30 x 60 minute quadrangle, Idaho: Idaho Geological Survey Digital Geologic Map 1.
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