{"id":52792,"date":"2019-02-01T14:22:49","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T22:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&p=52792"},"modified":"2023-08-04T16:44:21","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T23:44:21","slug":"fixing-the-fissures-in-georgias-geologic-knowledge","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/fixing-the-fissures-in-georgias-geologic-knowledge","title":{"rendered":"Fixing the Fissures in Georgia\u2019s Geologic Knowledge"},"author":1312,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10682],"tags":[161232,161222],"arcnews_issues":[25212],"class_list":["post-52792","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-esri-story-maps-apps","tag-field","tag-geology","arcnews_issues-spring-2018","arcnews_sections-your-work"],"acf":{"short_description":"Lacking a legislative mandate that would afford reliable funding, the Georgia Geologic Survey was abolished in 2004 after serving the state...","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":52802,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Lacking a legislative mandate that would afford reliable funding, the Georgia Geologic Survey was abolished in 2004 after serving the state for 168 years. Because state geologic surveys provide scientific, economic, and educational functions, they are generally considered a fundamental element of state government. Recently, samples collected by a state geologic survey were used to verify mineral deposits for commercial mining operations, while work by the survey in another state precipitated an investigation into a natural gas seepage through fractured bedrock that resulted in a series of dangerous explosions.\r\n\r\nWhen the Georgia Geologic Survey was abolished, its extensive collection of minerals, core samples, fossils, geologic maps, historical documents, and ongoing research was widely dispersed throughout the state. Some of the materials were relocated to museums, schools, and storage facilities. However, a significant portion was either lost or discarded due to a lack of space.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe loss of Georgia\u2019s Geologic Survey has created a real gap in the knowledge about the geology of our state,\u201d said Katayoun Mobasher, an associate professor of geology at the University of North Georgia\u2019s Institute for Environmental & Spatial Analysis.\r\n\r\nTo try to narrow this gap, Mobasher began digitizing both old and new information about the state\u2019s geology in a geodatabase. But she felt that she could do more to share this information widely and fill the increasing fissures of knowledge among geologists, geoscientists, and geology educators and students.\r\n\r\n\u201cI wanted to create a multimedia publication,\u201d said Mobasher. \u201cI found that the Esri Story Maps format works really well.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnd so, the interactive\u00a0Geology of Georgia<\/em>\u00a0field guide<\/a>\u00a0was born.\r\n

A Digital Field Guide<\/h2>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":52812,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Having gaping holes in knowledge about geology\u2014and lacking a central organization through which this information flows\u2014affects economic and social development, as well as education.\r\n\r\n\u201cGeology is dynamic,\u201d said Mobasher. \u201cThe processes that took place in the past to form our geology are still happening today, which provides us with important insight into our geologic, and potentially economic, future\u2014particularly for those natural resources that are exploited commercially, such as crude oil, natural gas, and a variety of minerals. In addition, because state geologic surveys regularly publish information that can be used by geoscience researchers and educators, there was a lack of current information available that I could use in my geology classes\u201d\u2014especially for trips to the field, which are an important component of all geology classes.\r\n\r\nThe 2013 publication of\u00a0Roadside Geology of Georgia<\/em>, by Dr. Pamela Gore and Dr. William Witherspoon, was welcomed by the geologic community, since it provided much-needed updates about Georgia\u2019s geology. But it was only available in print.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe book does provide excellent material that I have used in my classes,\u201d said Mobasher. \u201cBut as a GIS professional, I began thinking about the advantages of merging the information contained in the book and developing a field guide that could be published digitally.\u201d\r\n\r\nMobasher wanted her students to be able to use their smartphones and tablets to access the guide in the field. She thought a field guide could also include links to additional information about each location. And she wanted to be able to make updates more quickly and foster greater collaboration.\r\n\r\nIn 2014, Mobasher began developing a geodatabase by field verifying and digitizing the site information contained in the\u00a0Roadside Geology of Georgia<\/em>, as well as other field information about Georgia outcrops. She also examined the voluminous geologic reports, papers, and data related to the state\u2019s geology. Her plan was to use this geodatabase to produce her digital field guide.\r\n\r\n\u201cAt present, the geodatabase contains more than 300 field-verified collection points with descriptions of the sites and other geologic information,\u201d said Mobasher. \u201cSixteen of those are among the most significant geologic locations in Georgia, and I have enhanced their descriptions with a range of other information, which has been included in the initial release of the guide. Often, there are professional controversies about the age or composition of a particular outcrop, and I think\u00a0[it]<\/em>\u00a0is important to include the information that led to the final conclusion in the field guide, as it provides needed perspective.\u201d\r\n\r\nBecause Mobasher uses various ArcGIS software products to collect and maintain the geodatabase, she first attempted to produce a field guide with ArcGIS Online. But it didn\u2019t provide the visual context she was looking for. So she turned to Esri Story Maps apps.\r\n\r\n\u201cI began\u00a0[with a prototype of]<\/em>\u00a0the layout and included photos of the geologic outcrops and rock samples, petrographic thin section images, geologic sketches, and related videos,\u201d she said. \u201cThe\u00a0Geology of Georgia<\/em>\u00a0field guide was the result of this publishing effort, and it was released during the summer of 2017.\u201d\r\n

Getting Help from the Community<\/h2>\r\nDevelopment of the\u00a0Geology of Georgia<\/em>\u00a0field guide is an ongoing process. As researchers complete information about geologic sites around Georgia, Mobasher adds it to the guide. And because the guide is interactive, it provides directions on how to get to each site through Survey123 for ArcGIS or Collector for ArcGIS.\r\n\r\nBoth professional and amateur geologists use the guide, as do geology students in both undergraduate and graduate classes. To help everyone get the most out of the field guide and further collective knowledge about Georgia\u2019s geology, Mobasher has written challenging questions and included references from other geologists concerning the outcrops to promote speculation and analysis about them based on existing evidence.\r\n\r\nBut building a geologic geodatabase for the entire state of Georgia is a complex and time-consuming project. To maintain its momentum, Mobasher is enlisting the help of the geologic community.\r\n\r\n\u201cContributors to the database include students in geology courses that use the exercises as part of their final projects, research assistants, current and retired geologists, and geology department faculty members,\u201d she said. \u201cContributors can download the Collector for ArcGIS app and\/or Survey123 to their smartphones or tablets and then go out into the field to collect geologic data. I have designed a template-based form so that the data can be easily entered into the database. I am actually maintaining two databases for this project\u2014one for my students, which I check very carefully for accuracy, and one for professional geologists.\u201d\r\n

Infusing the New with the Old<\/h2>\r\nOne important aspect of the project is preserving the handwritten notes and sketches of retired geologists and geoscientists.\r\n\r\n\u201cTheir personal collections of geologic data provide a unique contribution to rebuilding the Georgia geodatabase in a digital format,\u201d said Mobasher. \u201cThis is a special part of the project for me. I retype some of the information I receive, while other notes and drawings are scanned for use in the field guide.\u201d\r\n\r\nBecause the geology of Georgia is complex, there are sometimes different interpretations of outcrop formations.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe information provided by the more experienced geologists stimulates thought and dialog among the new generation of geologists,\u201d said Mobasher. \u201cThe availability of the previous observations by experienced geologists in the easily understandable story map format helps motivate discussion and new hypotheses.\u201d\r\n\r\nWitherspoon, who is president of the Georgia Geological Society, and Dr. Timothy LaTour, professor emeritus at Georgia State University, are two of several geologists who have given Mobasher invaluable material. When LaTour gave her all his personal geology field notes, he said, \u201cThis new era of technology provides great opportunities in making geologic information available to many more people with the potentiality of producing new discoveries.\u201d\r\n

Implementing Advanced Technologies<\/h2>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":52822,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"It is sometimes difficult to examine outcrops closely in nature, even with binoculars. So Mobasher is implementing another new technology in the field guide: Gigapan, a special camera technology designed by NASA that takes tremendously high-resolution panoramic photos of a specific area.\r\n\r\n\u201cYou set your perimeters for the photographic series of an outcrop and the photos are taken automatically,\u201d explained Mobasher. \u201cThen they are seamlessly stitched together with the provided software to create high-resolution panoramic views. You can zoom in and examine things in great detail.\u00a0[\u2026]<\/em>\u00a0Geological details are revealed in the photos that you can\u2019t see in any other manner.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe Gigapan imagery, as well as the other photos, videos, sketches, and field notes Mobasher includes in the\u00a0Geology of Georgia<\/em>\u00a0field guide, enables those students with physical limitations to participate fully in her classes by allowing them to take virtual field trips.\r\n\r\nMobasher also plans to soon begin taking georeferenced images of the outcrops using ground control points with Drone2Map for ArcGIS. The data will be converted to 3D imagery for publication in the field guide.\r\n

Applying Geology to New Disciplines<\/h2>\r\nThe field of geology is evolving, and Mobasher is designing the\u00a0Geology of Georgia<\/em>\u00a0field guide to keep pace with that.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere is an emerging scientific field called medical geology that examines the relationship between natural geologic factors and their effect on health. Basically, you look at different diseases and try to determine if there is a statistically significant cluster of people suffering from a disease in a particular location,\u201d she explained. \u201cI am working with a colleague, Captain Joseph Hughart, a senior environmental health officer in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and a geology instructor at the university, and plan to create a geologic story map of Georgia that features a health layer.\u201d\r\n\r\nUsing a handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, Hughart and Mobasher are going to perform chemical analyses of rocks, minerals, and soils in targeted locations to determine if their composition includes radioactive elements, such as uranium or potassium.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe want to ascertain if there is a link between the geology of certain areas and the health of the inhabitants,\u201d Mobasher said. She will then make a story map of their findings.\r\n\r\n\u201cI think that the story map format can make some scientific information clearer, which promotes collaboration and understanding,\u201d she concluded.\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0Geology of Georgia<\/em>\u00a0field guide is made possible by the continuing support of the University of North Georgia through both its Institute for Environmental & Spatial Analysis and its Presidential Award program.\r\n"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nFixing the Fissures in Georgia\u2019s Geologic Knowledge | Spring 2018 | ArcNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lacking a legislative mandate that would afford reliable funding, the Georgia Geologic Survey was abolished in 2004 after serving the state...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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