Visualisation of Geological Observations on Web 2.0 Based Maps - Maps for the Future Children Education and Internet - page 165

Chapter 14
Visualisation of Geological Observations
on Web 2.0 Based Maps

G ´ sp ´ r Albert, G ´ bor Csillag, L ´ szl ´ Fodor, and L ´ szl ´ Zentai

Abstract The method of geological mapping has changed during the last decades
and the collected data have been recently stored in the records of databases instead
of hand-written notebooks. In the Geological Institute of Hungary, a special data-
base structure was designed for primarily scientific purposes, but also for storing
and classifying the geological observations according to their importance for geo-
tourism. The relational database of the geological observations can be queried by
different subjects and transcribed into KML files, which are useful for the dissemi-
nation of geological data via web 2.0 map applications like Google Earth.

14.1 Introduction

Before the digital era, the methods and main objectives of a geological description
during mapping were worked out in details by several authors (e.g. Compton 1985 ;
Barnes 1995 ). These methods were both restricted and unobstructed at the same
time. Restrictions pre-defined those criteria that were indispensable for the under-
standing and for the localisation, but the details and lengths of the description were
up-to the documenter.
Working out the requirements of a database, which would store the field
observations, is usually problematic. The problems originate from the contradiction
between the logic of the traditional documentation system and the uniform methods
of the technical processing of the data. People, who want to use a common database,
think differently, and the database would be usable for them only in the case the
logic of the querying methods corresponds with their own logic.