Abstract

A Digital, Global, Interoperable Data Network for the Geosciences
Track: Mining and Geosciences
Author(s): M. Lee Allison, Linda Gundersen

Geological surveys have an estimated 3,000 databases that represent one of the largest, long-term information resources on the geology of the USA and collectively constitute a national geoscience data "backbone." The State Geologists (AASG) and the USGS are developing a national Geoscience Information Network (GIN) that is distributed, interoperable, uses open source standards and common protocols, respects and acknowledges data ownership, fosters communities of practice, and develops new web services and clients.

GIN is taking a modular approach in assembling the network:

. Agreement on using Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards and common protocols.

. A data exchange mark-up language GeoSciML, an OGC GML-based application.

. Distributed data discovery tool (e.g. National Digital Catalogue and National Geologic Map DB)

. Data integration tools developed independently, including the Geology Data Model for ArcGIS.

M. Lee Allison
Arizona Geological Survey
416 W. Congress, ##100
Tucson , Arizona 85701
United States
Phone: 520.770.3500
E-mail: lee.allison@azgs.az.gov

Linda Gundersen
U.S. Geological Survey
MS 911, National Center
Reston , Virginia 20192
United States
Phone: 703-648-6601
E-mail: lgundersen@usgs.gov