KEEPING GEOLOGIC DATABASES FRESH AND USER FRIENDLY

KEEPING GEOLOGIC DATABASES FRESH AND USER FRIENDLY:
ATHEY, Jennifer E., MONTAYNE, Simone, SEITZ, Susan, and FREEMAN, Lawrence K.,
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 3354 College Rd, Fairbanks, AK
99709-3707, [email protected]
Created for 2009 Portland GSA Annual Meeting (18-21 October 2009)
T158. Best Practices and Solutions for Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation
(GSA Geoinformatics Division; U.S. Geological Survey; Association of American State
Geologists)
Date: November 9, 2009
Published by: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Department of
Natural Resources, 2009. Digital forms of this and most other DGGS publications are
available on the DGGS Web site (http://www.dggs.dnr.state.ak.us). To purchase printed
reports and maps, contact DGGS by phone (907-451-5020), e-mail
([email protected]), or fax (907-451-5050).
Notes: Speaker comments are available by hovering over the dialog symbol in the
upper left-hand corner of the slide. The “Presentation Notes” layer must be visible.
Keeping geologic databases fresh
and user friendly
Jennifer E. Athey, Simone Montayne, Susan Seitz,
and Lawrence K. Freeman
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS)
Geological survey of Alaska, DNR
Volcanology
Energy Resources
Geologic Communications
Geologic Materials Center
Minerals Resources
Engineering Geology
› AVO’s GeoDIVA
interagency database
(USGS, GI-UAF, DGGS)
› DGGS’s GERILA
Enterprise database
(MDIRA-funded)
› MDIRA Interagency
Bibliography (USGS,
DGGS, AK-DNR, BLM,
Forest Service)
› Borehole database for
Anchorage
› AVO’s GeoDIVA
interagency database
(USGS, GI-UAF, DGGS)
› DGGS’s GERILA
Enterprise database
(MDIRA-funded)
› MDIRA Interagency
Bibliography (USGS,
DGGS, AK-DNR, BLM,
Forest Service)
› Borehole database for
Anchorage
› MDIRA program
Publications
Geochronology
Geochemistry
Alaska Geology Map
Index
 Archiving
 Geologic Materials
Center
› Quaternary Fault and
Fold
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(AVO) is a joint program of:
the USGS
the Geophysical Institute of UAF
the DGGS
Monitor and study Alaska's hazardous volcanoes
 Predict and record eruptive activity
 Mitigate volcanic hazards to life and property
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MySQL, php, and some
javascript
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Postgre SQL and PostGIS for
spatial capability?
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360 tables, 83% are populated
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1,500 geochemical samples
with ~50,000 records in
geochemical table
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17,592 images stored
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Public and internal
applications built on top of
database

Network libraries and catalog
major collections of geology
and minerals information
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Develop digital databases of
mineral data
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Develop a digital claim
information system

Preserve core and physical
samples
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Unfunded - Provide for development, archival,
management, and dissemination of new information
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Oracle, Java, and JSP

421 tables, 37% are
populated

10,522 publications with
29,583 images

25,159 samples in
geochemical tables

3,497 ages
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Public and internal
applications to access
and load data
› Project Concept and Design
› Database Construction
› Data Compilation and Loading
› Interfaces and Applications
› Maintenance
› Database vs. Compilation
 Can you provide long-term maintenance?
› Make a plan
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Have a clear vision of the project goal
Identify staff with expertise and availability
Set realistic timelines
Get everyone on board
› Make the database a priority in the organization
 Integrate it into your base funding and business process
 Databases are not sexy
› Are there competing databases?
› Do you have permission to release the data?
› Know the data before
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you design the structure
Do research on data
management theory
Use existing data
structure
Take advantage of
others’ expertise
Design approach
 Modular (GeoDIVA)
 Complete business
process (GERILA)
› Technical tips
 A robust database platform
equals longevity
 Add in flexibility
 Make the database portable
across platforms
 Make structure and
applications portable to
different locations
 Locate sections of the
database on different hard
drives
 Stick with one naming scheme
 Document everything
 Almost always takes more time than you think it will
 Use metadata to keep track of data compiled
 Be slow and thorough
 Write scripts with the intention of using them again
 Use the database’s structure in stand-alone compilations
 Watch for loading problems like special characters
 Know when to move on to the next phase
› Users need interfaces to input
and access data
› Be capable of graphical
design – apps CAN be sexy!
› Ask for user feedback
› Contracting the job means
loss of control
› Create access through
separate projects
› Consider non-traditional
access (web feature service)
› Maintenance takes more time
as your database develops
› Caretakers need certain skills
 GIS-savvy person to work with
spatial objects
 Back-end developer
 Data manager versed in
geology
 Design/graphical artist
› Keep core database people
at one location
› Allow for specialty side projects
› Allow for upward mobility of
database personnel
› Revise database structure
› Upgrade interfaces
› Migrate database to new platform
› Documentation and metadata
› Have a contingency plan if funding
is reduced or lost
http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/
› Capture of new data
 Entice authors, laboratories, entities, etc. to load their
own data
 Develop apps to grab data from set locations
 Develop a robot to find pertinent data
 Task someone to do this manually
› Data loading and quality control
› Secure agency commitment
› Identify one agency with a leadership role
› Identify one agency to provide long-term
maintenance
› Make sure database managers and
agency managers have shared vision
› Reaffirm commitments and shared vision
› Make a flexible plan
› Utilize special capabilities of agencies
› Open source cures licensing issues
In conclusion,
databases are…
…not like babies. Although children and
databases both require much initial care, your
database will never stand on its own two legs!
…like dirty laundry. Long-term maintenance is
necessary or your database (and your closet)
will become obsolete.
Thanks to Cheryl Cameron and Seth Snedigar of AVO-DGGS, and
Rod Combellick, De Anne Stevens, and Jim Clough of DGGS.