DIGITAL MAPPING AND RECORDING OF GEOLOGIC FIELD DATA IN SED/STRAT AND STRUCTURE COURSES

In our Sedimentology/Stratigraphy and Structural Geology courses we have moved to digital collection, interpretation and presentation of structural and stratigraphic information. This is different from traditional field-based classes where students are often trained to collect field data on paper maps and in the traditional “orange field notebooks”. Since analysis and interpretation of geologic data is commonly done using digital methodologies (GIS, Google Earth, stereonet, spreadsheet and drawing programs), geologists typically spend a significant amount of time manually transferring the analog data into digital formats for processing, mapping and interpretation. The transfer process can be both time-consuming and prone to transcription error.

We have developed an iPad application (App) that can be used to digitally record and display structural data measured in the field. This is not a geologic mapping program, but rather a way of bypassing the field book step to acquire digital data directly that can then be used in various analysis programs. Additionally, the App uses Google images as the spatial data display platform. Instantaneous location information is provided using the iPad gps and recorded observations are displayed with oriented strike/dip, fault or joint symbols.

The application allows the user to select from five different structural data situations: contact, bedding, fault, joints and “other”. The user can define a folder for the collection and separation of data for each project and observations are stored as individual records of field measurements in each folder. The exact information gathered depends on the nature of the observation, but common to all records is the date, time, and lat/long. Pictures taken using the tablet’s camera may be linked to each record. Once the field collection is complete the data can be easily exported to a .csv file that can be opened in spreadsheet or other processing program.

We have tested the App in several different field situations, including an extensive undergraduate student-mapping project in Wyoming. With four years of project results (two pre- and two post-App use), we have found that App allows students to spend more time focusing on geologic interpretation, both in the field and as they produce their formal map, cross-sections and report of the project.