INTEGRATED MAPPING AND 3D MODELLING AT THE ALBERTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: COMMUNICATING COMPLEX GEOSCIENCE INFORMATION TO EVERYONE

The Alberta Geological Survey (AGS) is responsible for devleoping a 3-dimensional (3-D) geological framework of Alberta’s subsurface geology (covering 660,000 km²). However, to ensure that the ‘3-D Geological Framework’ will meet our internal needs as well as those of our stakeholders, we realized that it needed to be much more than a standard 3-D geologic model. Our goal is to develop the 3-D Geological Framework as a sophisticated platform, capable of integrating a variety of data types from multiple sources enabling the development of multi-scale, interdisciplinary models with built-in feedback mechanisms, allowing the individual components of the model to adapt and evolve over time as our knowledge and understanding of the subsurface increases. This presentation will include highlights from a recent geological characterization study that required the integration of both groundwater and hydrocarbon resources within a geospatial context.

The 3-D Geological Framework is supported by a holistic grid metadata systems designed to capture and store model input parameters and output statistics ensuring that modelling procedures are fully-documented, transparent, and reproducible. Uncertainty has been quantified and integrated within the 3-D Geological Framework to facilitate the communication of uncertainty to decision makers and the general public, as well as utilize the results to strategically prioritize future work.

This presentation will provide an overview of the processes used to build the geological framework of Alberta, lessons learned, and how were are proceeding with the construction of a dynamic, multidisciplinary, multi-scalar, geostatistically optimized geological model of Alberta.