COMMUNICATING NEW QUATERNARY MAPPING RESULTS TO NONGEOLOGICAL END USERS

A new mapping program at the Kentucky Geological Survey is generating digital maps and databases of nonlithified geologic materials in western Kentucky. Although the project is geological in nature, using traditional field methods, and is funded as a geological deliverable, many of the end users of the data are not trained as Quaternary geologists. Prospective audiences include seismologists, geophysicists, land-use planners, transportation engineers, municipal engineers, groundwater hydrologists, and producers of raw materials such as aggregate and clay. Increasing use of GIS software by these clients allows them to more easily use digital information, but limited training and education in geology limits their ability to interpret geologic maps and data.

Traditional geologic maps commonly use a vocabulary focused on depositional environment and geologic history. Many end users use vocabularies focused more on geotechnical behavior or other industry standards such as grain size variation. To further complicate this situation, different industries and end users utilize different standardized classification systems and definitions, sometimes with the same word having different meanings.

To support improved communication with the end users of the data, we are collecting relevant geotechnical, hydrologic, and analytical data from prospective end users, and spatially incorporating those data into our geologic database. These data are associated with the stratigraphic and lithologic information collected for each geologic map unit. The use of GIS software and databases allows for management of these diverse data, and they are used to quickly produce specific derivative draft maps for varied applications. This facilitates more effective communication of the relevance and significance of map information to the diverse audience of end users for the geologic map data.