GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE INTEGRATION AND DELIVERY OF GEOSCIENCE INFORMATION: CURRENT INITIATIVES AT THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA AND THE STATE OIL AND GAS BOARD

Over the past decade, geographic information systems (GIS) and related geospatial technologies (GT) have become progressively more sophisticated, affordable, accessible, and user-friendly, as well as becoming more fully integrated with traditional relational database management systems, other computer applications, and the Internet. In that most geoscience data are inherently geospatial (i.e., location based), GIS/GT is particularly applicable to the compilation, management, analysis, visualization, and delivery of geoscience information. At the Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA) and the State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama (OGB), GIS/GT is being employed extensively in a number of research, regulatory, and information delivery applications and comprehensive integration of these technologies into day-to-day operations is underway. At GSA, GIS/GT is a key component in many activities, including geologic mapping, fossil energy research, coastal-zone studies, geohazard assessments and delineations, water investigations, and watershed and landscape characterization. At OGB, GIS is used as an interface into several oil and gas well and field data sets maintained by the agency. Further, oil and gas field maps, depicting information such as well location and status, are maintained and updated in a GIS environment, automating many processes that were previously accomplished manually. Handheld computer GIS/database population capabilities and utility for field-based data collection and inspection activities are being evaluated at both GSA and OGB. Both agencies are increasingly finding GIS to be an effective data delivery tool and have employed interactive, user friendly, menu interface-driven CD-ROMs containing GIS data sets, open-format reports and maps (.pdf, etc.), and free browsers to disseminate information. This format has proven to be very popular with the end users. In addition, interactive, internet-based GIS for delivery of various geoscience and oil and gas data has been successfully prototyped and will be deployed on the agencies’ website in the near future.