CHANGES IN FIELD MAPPING ADVANCES IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE MAPPER

Geologic mapping, field-data collection, and map construction at the West Virginia Geologic and Economic Survey is continuously undergoing tremendous changes. Starting with paper notebooks and PDAs for collecting vector data, mapping at the Survey has transitioned to cell phones and tablets as the primary method to collect and evaluate data in the field. Over the same period, advances in consumer technology, revolutions in digital data (LIDAR), changes in map requirements and the inclusion of new criteria to accommodate seamless mapping in support of the U.S. Geoframework Initiative have all changed the way data are integrated into a map. These changes have been the driving force behind the iterative advances in our workflow. The most substantial changes have been in the automated collection of data through commercial software such as ESRI Field Maps(™), digital basemaps in the field, and the digitization of supplemental note-taking through the use of tablets. Field Maps allows for the real-time collection and evaluation of data and reduces in-office paperwork. Digital note-taking through tablets with stylii and note-taking apps create a permanent digital repository of notes and annotated photos stored as .pdfs. This presentation will discuss the evolution of WVGES collecting practices and comment on what the future holds for the agency. It will focus on the tools we have selected, their advantages and our continuing search for the next generation of tools. It will also touch on the “growing pains” associated with using new technology - both hardware and software - out in the field and the changes we have had to make in office to accommodate each new iteration. This process is summarized by a perpetual technology innovation cycle of idea - testing - deployment driven by need and technological change. This loop is perhaps more familiar to the software developer than the traditional geologist - another sign of the growing interrelationships between geology and other fields of science and engineering.