STRATLOGGER & GEOFIELDBOOK: REAL-TIME DISPLAY OF STRATIGRAPHIC AND STRUCTURAL FIELD DATA USING TABLET-BASED APPLICATIONS

Tablet technology now allows for the real-time display of spatial (structural) and temporal (stratigraphic) field data as well as very easy in-field navigation. At this poster users will be able to work with GeoFieldBook and StratLogger; two tablet-based Apps that we have developed.

As field geoscientists, techniques and methods for data acquisition and mapping in the field have dramatically advanced and simplified how we collect and analyze data while in the field. We have developed two applications (Apps) that are used to digitally record and display structural (GeoFieldBook) and stratigraphic (StratLogger) data measured in the field. These are not geologic mapping programs, but rather a way of bypassing the analog field book step to acquire digital data directly that can then be used in various analysis programs (GIS, Google Earth, Stereonet, spreadsheet and drawing programs).

GeoFieldBook is an iOS and Android-based app that can be used to collect structural and other field observations. Records log location and date information, orientation measurements, formation names, text observations and photos taken with the tablet camera. Records are customizable, so users can add fields of their own choosing. Data are displayed on an image base in real time with oriented structural symbols. The image base is also used for in-field navigation, replacing paper field maps. All data can be exported to a .csv file for use in other analysis applications.

In StratLogger, the user records bed thickness, lithofacies, biofacies, and contact data in preset and modifiable fields. Each bed/unit record may also be photographed and location referenced by the iPad’s onboard camera and GPS. As each record is collected, a column diagram of the stratigraphic sequence is built in real time, complete with lithology color, lithology texture, and fossil symbols. The recorded data from any measured stratigraphic sequence can be exported as both the live-drawn column image and as a .csv formatted file for use in spreadsheet or other applications.

These Apps are useful for both geoscience professionals and students. As a learning aid, initial evaluation suggests that students more quickly progress towards synthesis and interpretation of the data as well as an understanding of complex 4D field relationships.