MODELING DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS WITH THE W3C XML SCHEMA

Interchange and storage of geological data require translating geological concepts and non-standard data structures into structured, domain-specific markup languages. Domain (discipline) concepts, such as plate, fault, or earthquake, modeled and designed with UML, can be mapped into the elements of the XML Schema to compose discipline-specific markup languages which could be shared across the field. These languages require geologists to assign precise definition, meaning, syntax, data structure, and type to concepts within each discipline. The languages minimize the loss of information in transit from one source to another, and allow efficient sharing, storage, and management of geological information. The XML Schema can be mapped into a relational database schema, allowing a one-to-one correspondence between the data storage and the markup language.

Developing efficient, discipline-specific, modular, and reusable components, based on the XML Schema’s namespace and the principles of object-oriented design, reduces redundancy, increases efficiency, scalability, and extensibility, and simplifies the maintenance and future extension of the XML code and database schema. Applying the best practices of XML Schema composition and reuse, we present a UML conceptual model and markup language for the main concepts of plate tectonics knowledge base (TectML) and related concepts of orogeny, fault, deformation, rock, and earthquake.