STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NATIONAL GEOTHERMAL DATA SYSTEM
Emphasis is first to make as much information as possible accessible, with a long range goal to make data interoperable through standardized services and interchange formats (www.stategeothermaldata.org). Depending on the status of existing data and the technical capabilities of data providers, resources may be made available as documents (files) in whatever format they are currently in, converted to tabular files using standard content models, or published as Open Geospatial Consortium or ESRI web services using the standard xml schema. Thirteen geoscience data content models are in use initially to define standardized interchange format: aqueous chemistry, borehole temperature data, direct use feature, drill stem test, earthquake hypocenter, fault feature, geologic contact feature, geologic unit feature, thermal/hot spring description, metadata, quaternary fault, volcanic vent description, and well header feature. State collaborators are compiling various other information for which the project will develop content models, including borehole lithology log, crustal stress, gravity, heat flow/temperature gradient, permeability, and feature description data like developed geothermal systems, geologic unit geothermal properties, permeability, production data, rock alteration description, rock chemistry, and thermal conductivity. Map services are also being developed for isopach maps (depth to bedrock), aquifer temperature maps, and several states are working on geothermal resource overview maps.
As of July 2011, over 33,000 data resources have been registered in the system catalog, along with dozens of Web services to deliver integrated data to your desktop for free downloading or online use. The number and size of digital resources will continue to increase. The data exchange mechanism is built on the U.S. Geoscience Information Network (USGIN) protocols and standards developed in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey.