ACCOMMODATING INNOVATION AND RENOVATION IN GEOLOGIC MAPPING FOR OUR FUTURE: WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

Geologic mapping is fundamental for understanding the physical details of the surface of the planet, its history, its hazards, and its resources. As such, it is a fundamental part of successful and sustainable civilization. Our ability to map the earth has changed markedly in recent decades. For example, the advent and rapid evolution of the GPS, GIS technology, and high-speed mobile computing have revolutionized all aspects of mapping. Millions of people now carry a device that can reveal characteristics of the Earth, its human imprint, and changes of each in astounding detail within seconds. As geologic mappers and official supporters of geologic mapping, we should feel obligated to use the wealth of technology embodied in that device to ensure that our work meets the expectations and serves the actual needs of a perpetually changing world.

Despite the technology at our fingertips, the geologic mapping community mostly remains at the brink of changes enabling more efficient and effective methods for creating and distributing geologic map data. Breaching this brink is important because we can’t confidently rely on old maps to help understand and manage a constantly changing world. Landscapes change, science changes, and resource priorities change. We need to keep up. To meet this challenge, the geologic mapping community must adopt GIS technology that facilitates direct collaboration among mappers from diverse institutions; it must work to eliminate the institutional and cultural barriers hindering such collaboration; and geologic mappers must learn the appropriate techniques to employ modern technology to make modern, adaptive maps and accompanying databases. Additionally, for new geologic mapping to meet its potential, it will require high-quality base data, best supported by a global suite of high resolution elevation, aeromagnetic, gravity, and multi- to hyper-spectral data. These methods and data coupled with a digital catalog of legacy geologic maps would ensure more efficient, confident, and rapid mapping of large areas, and could support quasi-automated mapping of homogenous areas, as well as contribute to overall confidence in interpretation and depiction of large swaths of geology.