USING DIGITAL APPLICATIONS FOR MAPPING AND INTERPRETATION OF GEOLOGIC FIELD DATA

For the last 12 years we have been using the GeoFieldBook App for iPads that we developed to record and map in-field structural measurements. The app allows for the real-time display of spatial (structural) field data as well as easy in-field navigation.

GeoFieldBook is not a mapping program, but rather a digital method of collecting field data and displaying it in real time on an image base, essentially replacing the traditional “Orange Field Book”. Each record (bedding, contact, joint, fault, “other”) includes location/date/time information, orientation measurements, formation names, annotations and photos. Observations are displayed on an image base in real time with strike/dip, plunge/trend symbols correctly oriented essentially building a pseudo geologic map in real time. The image base also provides for in-field navigation.

Data are exported as csv files (with accompanying images) which can then be used in a variety of other digital applications (Google Earth, Stereonet apps and graphic design programs). Having the data collected digitally also saves the step of transferring from analog to digital format with associated transcription errors. We then use Adobe Illustrator to produce publication-ready columns, maps and cross-sections.

Digital acquisition/mapping of geologic field data has many advantages, especially for geoscientists new to the process. Each page of the digital field book has entries for information that would typically be recorded at an outcrop. This helps ensure that a complete set of information is taken for each observation. The real-time mapping allows the user to see the development of the map, assess where they are relative to what data have already been collected and to make decisions on where to spend their limited time to obtain a complete data set. Having data collected prior to the introduction of the app, we are able to document the efficiency and efficacy of digital mapping. Since data can be stored in “folders” for each collection day, we have also been able to track progress on a daily basis.

There are also longer-term benefits of the digital mapping. Given that the data are stored in digital files that can be reloaded into GeoFieldBook, we have a long-term repository for the data that can be easily incorporated into subsequent mapping seasons. Long-term digital compatibility is a concern.