Geological map fusion: OneGeology-Europe and INSPIRE

Abstract

Geological maps can be seen as a type of model and can be implemented in digital systems as geological spatial databases. In this context, geological map fusion can be implemented at different levels: harmonization of the conceptual data model describing the map objects; the use of shared concepts to describe properties in the model to give semantic harmonization; and ensuring geometric consistency. GeoSciML has been developed as an interchange language for geosciences information, derived from a common conceptual data model, along with common vocabularies of concepts to populate the object properties. GeoSciML and the vocabularies were used in the OneGeology-Europe project where a 1:1 million scale geological map of Europe was delivered using disseminated web services from 20 different data providers. The lessons learnt from the OneGeology-Europe project informed the development of the INSPIRE Geology Data Specification. The INSPIRE data specification is used to define what information must be made available through web services under the INSPIRE legislation, so has to be kept simple. The INSPIRE data model can be extended with GeoSciML and will provide a basis for geological map fusion.

Data Science for Geoscience: Recent Progress and Future Trends from the Perspective of a Data Life Cycle

“…Through the OneGeology map service tool kit, the online services of those maps are made consistent to each other and can be browsed in a centralized map window. The OneGeology-Europe project (Laxton, 2017) has developed extra work on multi-lingual vocabularies and used them to develop innovative capabilities for the online geologic maps of participating European nations. New functions of OneGeology-Europe include the multi-lingual user interface, federated queries across distributed geologic map services, consistency with other regional and international data standards, and more.…”

Semantic Models for the Geological Mapping Process

“…administrative boundaries). A semantic approach to data representation (referring to existing ontologies and vocabularies) was used as an essential tool for providing data interoperability, as recently done at a transnational scale by [6,13]. Initiatives such as GeoSciML and INSPIRE, as well as the recent terminological shepherding of the Geoscience Terminology Working Group (GTWG), have been promoting information exchange of the geologic knowledge, providing the authoritative standard for geological knowledge encoding.…”

“…1). In particular, -GeoScience Markup Language (GeoSciML) 13 a standard data interchange format supporting structures for geologic and earth science information, expressed in a number of UML schemata (classes, features, attributes, associations) and statements in natural language, for the major core geological concepts; -INSPIRE (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community) 14 , a EU Commission directive of the Thematic Working Group Geology, aiming at creating a European Union spatial data infrastructure which will enable the sharing of environmental information among public sector organizations; INSPIRE encoding is based on a simplification of GeoSciML (GeoSciML+INSPIRE cookbook, addressing the major vocabularies) and is expressed through natural language statements; -SWEET (Semantic Web for Earth and Environmental Terminology) , and the ICS Geological Time Scale Ontology [18] as a subtaxonomy of the Geochronologic Unit class of SWEET Representation. There were many cross-reference issues to address during the encoding: for example, the Geochronologic Unit class of OntoGeonous referes to SWEET GeologicTimeUnit class (actually the hierarchical path Representation -NumericalEntity -Interval -Duration -GeologicTimeUnit).…”

Introduction to integrated environmental modelling to solve real world problems: methods, vision and challenges

“…For example, a common theme in the experience of the British Geological Survey (Peach et al 2016) and the Environment Agency in the UK (Farrell et al 2016) is the requirement to be able to utilize and link existing models that have often required significant investment in resources to create, and so to establish methods of linking together and adapting existing modelling systems (Sutherland et al 2014). A key area of research highlighted by several authors is the building upon a well-developed data and information framework in which appropriate standards of data quality and semantic interoperability are maintained (Sutherland et al 2014;Laxton 2016). Whilst the resulting model is often more widely reported, the underlying data and information structure sometimes receives less attention in terms of organizational investment but forms the basis upon which successful integrated modelling is built.…”

“…The paper by Laxton (2016) describes the process of fusion of different geological maps within the OneGeology-Europe project and draws some parallels with the process of model fusion: in particular, the semantic relationships between concepts are important, as are an understanding of the differences in scale.…”