USING GOOGLE EARTH AND GIS TO FACILITATE ACCESS TO GEOLOGICAL INFORMATION IN STATE AND LOCAL GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY GUIDEBOOKS: NORTHERN ALABAMA PIEDMONT, 1973 TO 2008

Field trip guidebooks produced by state and local geological organizations provide a valuable, but often not easily accessible, resource for studies of regional geology and for teaching purposes. A combination of GIS and Google Earth provides an effective mechanism for organization and delivery of geological information contained in local guidebooks.

This project is based on eight Alabama Geological Society guidebooks published from 1973 through 2008 for the northern Alabama Piedmont. KML files prepared by the USGS based on the 1988 geologic map published by the Alabama Geological Survey provide the base map. Locations of field trip stops are based on GPS or on determination of approximate coordinates based on road logs included in the guidebooks.

Difficulties in design include changing interpretations of geologic features and concerns related to public safety and private property rights. The primary goal of the project is to increase awareness of the wealth of geologic information contained in guidebooks published by the Alabama Geological Society and to facilitate their use by providing a guide to types of features and locations using Google Earth.