LIFE IN THE CLOUD: THE TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF MAPPING AND THE CHANGE IN CONSTRUCTION AGGREGATE RESOURCE MAPPING METHODOLOGIES THAT FOLLOWED

Since the 1880’s the mapping technology that allows us to capture, plot, and share spatial geologic data has been continuously evolving. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has relied on advances in mapping technology to identify and classify construction aggregate resources (sand, gravel, and crushed stone) to increase the value of State-administered lands and to produce information that assists local comprehensive land-use and zoning planning.

In Minnesota, continental glaciation produced the majority of the State's sand and gravel deposits. As geospatial tools have advanced, MNDNR’s ability to analyze Minnesota’s surficial geology using landform-sediment association have followed a similar progression. For example, from the 1950’s through the 1980’s, MNDNR geologists delineated glacial landforms using USGS topographic maps and photogrammetry in combination with field observations written on field maps and notebooks. To make maps, geologists drew interpretations on paper and then on Mylar sheets before they were printed as paper maps. In the 1980’s as computers and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) forever changed geologic mapping, MNDNR geologists digitized observations from paper sources and analyzed and plotted digital interpretations using software. The first maps used GIS tools to create the color separates before sending to a 4-color printer. Later, maps were printed or converted to digital files and distributed along with the data and metadata.

Today, MNDNR geologists rely on cloud-based and online web map technology to collect, store, and share aggregate resource information in the office and in the field. The Division of Lands and Minerals has relied on advances in GIS technology to identify, promote, and administer leases for commercial production of construction aggregates on School Trust Lands. The Minnesota K-12 Public School System are the beneficiaries of revenue generated from construction aggregate on School Trust Lands.