Development of a web GIS application and data management practices for integrating geologic and geophysical data

Geologic knowledge is often inferred from heterogeneous and sparse datasets. Thus, integrating disparate data is one of the essential phases in geologic research. Integrating geologic and geophysical observations and models is typically performed using proprietary modeling software. The methods for integrating data often utilise concepts based on the relational model for data. The relational model provides the theoretical basis for designing data management systems where the consistency of data is ensured. In this study, the relational model was used for geologic and geophysical data by designing a data model for integrating reflection seismic data from the Finnish Reflection Experiment together with chosen geophysical and geologic data. The data model was implemented in a relational database management system and the data is handled in a manner that ensures the internal and referential consistency of the data. A web GIS application was designed and implemented to visualise the Finnish Reflection Experiment data together with other relevant datasets. The application utilises a service-oriented architecture, where external services providing data or features are utilised to enhance the capabilities of the application. The external services are accessed using widely standardised web technologies and thus it is easy to extend or alter the datasets used in the application. The web GIS application makes it possible to visualise Finnish Reflection Experiment data together with other data using any device with a web browser. The web GIS application has been published as a part of the OpenFIRE service, running in the AVAA portal of the Open Science and Research Initiative. In the OpenFIRE service, additional download service has been designed for the application in collaboration with the AVAA team of the Open Science and Resarch Initiative. In the service, the web GIS application can be used to browse Finnish Reflection Experiment data in a proper context together with other datasets. By modeling data it was possible to improve the quality of the national geologic data repository from which data was used in the web GIS application. The data management processes of the national data repository are recommended to be reviewed using the data management theory methods discussed in this study. Considering that there are currently various ongoing data and research infrastructure programmes without many prototypes in production, the methods discussed and utilised in this study could be considered as examples of design and implementation of a domain-specific data visualisation service and data management practices, especially in the fields of bedrock geology and solid Earth geophysics.