HOW SHOULD WE DESIGN A DATABASE SYSTEM OF MULTI-DIMENSIONAL GEOLOGY?

Advanced programs for interpretation and visualization of geology have started an explosion in the use of digital tools. Facing future’s almost countless digital geological models, developed in different software and for different purposes, forces us to consider what can be derived into a common volume of knowledge which could be assembled into building blocks for a common geological multi-dimensional digital geology. The main geological observations are typically based on visual observations and measurements. There are many similarities in the way geologists and painters observe nature. Both are highly selective in their observations and what they retell about nature in paintings and reports. But what separates the geologist from the painter is that the geologist wishes to understand and explain what he sees. To make scientific interpretations of nature it is important that the geological interpretation is based on common scientific systematics. When working with such common scientific systematics, it is vital to design a database that can accommodate the main features within the geological interpretation directly extracted from apparently very different 3D models. The presentation will focus on thoughts about the basic principles for the design of the future database.