A Model for Managing Geological and Geophysical Data in Eastern Sicily (Italy) and Possible Applications

Abstract

The main aim of this work is to describe in detail how to develop an instrument, with the goal of collecting and managing a great deal of both geological and geophysical data acquired using different survey typologies in Eastern Sicily (Italy). The opportunity to manage different categories of data, at the same time, allows us to have a complete view of the complex area studied. This paper discusses a software package that has been designed to enhance the efficiency of applying a range of geological and geophysical data. More than 12000 records are archived: boreholes represent 81% of the data and 19% is geophysical data. In this paper it is illustrated how both kinds of data, thanks to the functionalities of the database and the possibility of connecting to a Geographical Information System (GIS), can be used in a variety of different geological studies. We present four studies where is relevant the use of the database, in detail, we show a morpho-structural study, an examination of the spectral analysis of the noise data, an update of the geological and geotechnical maps, and a classification of the areas on the basis of the distribution of the shear wave velocity in the firsts 30 meters (Vs30). They are just some examples of the potentialities of a relational database.