STANDARDS BASED WEB PRESENTATION OF GIS DATA

Geologic and GIS data, although abundant, is difficult to disseminate to people outside of technical and scientific disciplines. Expensive software and steep learning curves make data all but inaccessible to everyday people. Internet sites, however, make it possible to serve a wide variety of this data to users in a more flexible and understandable way. In this case, generalized geologic cross section data, in the locality of the Arabian Peninsula, was collected and integrated into a standards compliant website permitting easy access to the data for the common user. The site's implementation allows users to view and learn form the data assuming no additional or expensive software, nor any previous experience with geographic information systems. Site users experience image, vector, and geologic cross section data, served through the Internet, presented in a simple palatable way via open web standards and free software.