DIGITAL DATA COLLECTION AND DATABASE FOR FIELD AND THIN-SECTION DATA USING THE STRABOSPOT SYSTEM

The StraboSpot (strabospot.org) applications enable users to collect geologic data digitally and store it in a shared database. The field-based StraboSpot mobile and laboratory-based StraboMicro are designed to help geologists collect and integrate field data and laboratory (thin-section scale) observations and associated data. Both are designed to allow users to integrate images seamlessly into the database and attribute data flexibly. The datasystem was developed through community outreach workshops to establish vocabulary and data reporting needs and standards.

Data collection in the StraboSpot mobile field app was designed to follow the workflow of geologists in the field and facilitates field work by structural geologists, sedimentologists, and petrologists. The mobile app can be used for fieldwork of any sort, including research, mapping, and undergraduate field courses. StraboMicro is a desktop application that provides tools for image management and contextualizing, storing, and sharing geologic data that is observed and analyzed at the microstructural scale. Capabilities of StraboMicro include: 1) adding images, with instrument metadata; 2) hierarchical organization of images and data to preserve spatial information, scale, and orientation; 3) image annotation; 4) adding associated files (e.g., chemical, orientation data) and links to other databases (e.g., EarthChem), repositories, or websites; and 5) flexible grouping of images based on user-defined concepts.