USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TO COLLECT, MANAGE, INTERPRET AND DELIVER GEOLOGIC MAPPING DATA IN KENTUCKY

Despite a long heritage of quality geological mapping at the Kentucky Geological Survey, changing societal needs and public priorities continue to necessitate new geological mapping in Kentucky, especially of unconsolidated deposits and soils. With funding from the USGS STATEMAP and Landslide Hazards programs, the KGS has an active mapping program underway to address these various needs and priorities. Since 2003, KGS personnel have mapped Quaternary deposits in more than 20 quadrangles near the Ohio River valley in Western Kentucky to assist with seismic hazard assessment, geotechnical/construction planning, water supply studies, and land-use planning. A new project which started in 2006 focuses on colluvial deposits and landslide susceptibility in Eastern Kentucky to assist in economic development.

The mapping efforts use traditional geological mapping of unconsolidated sediments and landforms. Mappers incorporate landform delineation, shallow soil probes, cores, measured sections, seismic profiles, and geochronology into their data collection and interpretation effort. The KGS is making extensive use of digital technology to collect, process, store, and deliver the new mapping data.

Field observations and measurements are being stored in a new database, and data entry of mapping observations is facilitated by a web-based data-entry tool developed by KGS personnel. A similar web-based tool is used to process data from extensive digital databases of petroleum, water, and coal logs at the KGS; these databases provide mappers with subsurface lithologic and bedrock-elevation data. A recent subproject has begun integrating geotechnical data from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet into our mapping effort. GIS technology allows the use of digital base maps—including scanned topographic maps, aerial imagery and digital elevation models (DEMs)—when planning field work and digitizing new geologic maps. Previous geologic maps typically focus on bedrock and economic geology and have been digitized into GIS formats. The new geologic maps are being produced in digital format, which provides flexibility and enables web delivery of data and products, facilitates integration with databases for rapid production of derivative maps, and supports communication to a wide audience using the World Wide Web.