Annual Report 2007: FY July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007
Geographic Information Systems Committee
This GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Publications Committee is charged with advising AAPG staff on technical industry standards in GIS use and applications, and also the design and 1750 Annual Report Annual Report 1751 approval of suitable GIS projects that will benefit AAPG members in their daily work.
The GIS Publications Standing Committee was formed in late 2006 by the Executive Committee by merging the Computer Applications and Internet Committee and the ad hoc GIS committee, formed in October 2004. The first meeting of the merged GIS Publication Standing committee was held at the AAPG Annual Convention in Long Beach, California, on April 3, 2007. The meeting was co-chaired by Bret Fossum and Hannes Leetaru, and was well attended by over 15 representatives from both heritage committees, by John Lorenz, chairman of the AAPG Publications Committee, by Jim Blankenship, AAPG Geosciences Director and John Shelton, AAPG Datapages founder and consultant.
Co-chair Bret Fossum delivered a presentation summarizing the history, status and recommended path forward of the GIS Publications and Spatial Library initiative. The presentation summarized the merged committee charge, the two-year business plan and proposed projects.
The committee discussed status and path forward of the AAPG Spatial Library pilot projects-the Gulf of Mexico geographic pilot project (lead, Kirk Barrell) and the geothematic CBM pilot project (lead, Sam Limerick). Additionally, the status and path forward of the first major submission to the AAPG GIS Library, the Bally worldwide tectonic map suite, was presented by Fossum and Jingyao Gong, AAPG GIS Specialist. Sam Limerick also briefed the committee on the work that U.S. Energy Information Agency was completing on CBM field boundaries for the United States. There also were recommendations to consider other GIS projects, especially in the international arena.
The committee was concerned about what standards were being used, the implementation of a standard stratigraphic column, and the level of attribute tables necessary to describe the metadata. Bret Fossum responded with a summary of the accomplishments of the ad hoc GIS committee, a nearly two-year effort that created a business plan summarizing all related technical and strategic issues pertaining to the formation of a GIS Spatial Library. The business plan, presented to the Executive Committee in 2005 at the Calgary, Canada AAPG convention and sanctioned shortly afterwards, is being utilized as a proxy for the present merged committee.
Main issues addressed by the 36-page business plan include:
- The Business Model
- Acquisition of Spatial Data
- Management of Spatial Data
- Distribution of Spatial Data
- Implementing the Business Plan
- Appendix outlining details pertaining to metadata, portal technology, etc.
Going forward, the AAPG GIS spatial library effort will be enhanced with Bret Fossum’s membership on the AAPG Publications Committee as an associate spatial editor. One key goal over the next one-two years is for each print matter publication to be accompanied by a CD of pertinent GIS spatial data (e.g. georeferenced maps with layers, metadata, appropriate attribution).
Presently the AAPG Publications Committee required only a graphics file of maps and other figures for publication, where in reality many of the maps and figures are available in a spatial format. Once the spatial data are submitted to the AAPG and copyright is acquired, the data will be available to the AAPG for exploitation in the Spatial Library. Members of the Publications Committee (chaired by John Lorenz) were supportive of the proposal.
A key issue to be worked by the committee and validated by AAPG includes the handling of data distribution from information submitted to the GIS Spatial library. Two end members exist in data dissemination: one includes submissions such as by Dr. Bally (discussed above), where he has required that the data be offered as a free download, while other major submissions may be available for purchase by members and non-members.
An additional business complexity includes the relationship of the GIS Spatial Library to the existing GIS-UDRIL database, a corporate-sponsored database and available only to sponsor members and to Datapages (digital publications scans and in some case GIS data available on CD for purchase). One possible solution is to consider bringing all spatial data under one umbrella (e.g. portal) to facilitate more efficient data distribution and the implementation of a more streamlined business plan. Presently there are three separate GIS/Spatial libraries–Datapages, GIS-UDRIL and the newly emerging free/for-pay GIS Spatial Library.
Co-chair Hannes Leetaru discussed the possibility of establishing AAPG as a portal for all petroleum geological information available from both AAPG and other societies and also commercial vendors. The AAPG could create a Web portal for organizations to display in a spatial format data that is available from an area. The map view would allow a user to go to either the company’s Web site or a quick abstract summarizing the data and possible costs. AAPG might initially charge a minimal fee to cover administrative costs. This type of portal would generate additional interest in AAPG and provide a useful tool for its members.
The committee recommended that titles and possibly abstracts of our current AAPG Bulletin and AAPG Special Publications be made available to non-AAPG members on the AAPG Web site. This would allow for better marketing of AAPG publications and broaden our membership appeal. The title should have a link to allow the user to automatically buy the publication or article by using a check-out cart. A number of other geological societies already offer this type of service. Members could of course use the “members-only” site to obtain articles from the Bulletin.
Lastly, the committee was in agreement that the stated purpose as outlined above requires an update. Bret Fossum and Hannes Leetaru will submit a proposal to William Morgan, the AAPG Geoscience Standing Committee liaison.
Bret J. Fossum, Co-chair
Hannes E. Leetaru , Co-chair
Committee members: Kirk Arthur Barrell, Daniel Scott Beaty, Thomas C. Bergeon, Richard S. Bishop, Peter Anderson Brennan, Elizabeth Bartow Campen, David Mohon Cook, Jr., Joseph W. Cross, Bret John Fossum (co-chair), Steven Ray Gustison, Inda Proske Immega, Hannes Edmund Leetaru (co-chair), Samuel H. Limerick, James McDonald, Lawrence William Osten, and Mike Unger.