CYBERNETWORKCYBERNETWORK
INTEGRATION OF INTEGRATION OF CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHIC DATACHRONOSTRATIGRAPHIC DATA
ACCESSIBLE AGE INFORMATION FOR A ACCESSIBLE AGE INFORMATION FOR A BROAD USER CLIENTELEBROAD USER CLIENTELE
Paul J. Sikora, Associate ProfessorEmil Platon, Research Assistant ProfessorEnergy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah
The ChallengeThe Challenge• How to make a database (e.g., EGI
research database) designed for the professional paleontologist available to the general public?– Constructed at Amoco Exploration (1964-1998)– Technician-based data entry and manipulation– Very user-unfriendly
• There are many such databases.
Template for Database ConversionTemplate for Database ConversionStarting System
Paleontologist(Process 1)
Geoscientist(Process 2)
General Public(Process 3)
• Ease of data entry
• Application development
• Ontological development
• Ease of age retrieval
– Absolute– Relative
• Research beta testing
• Education– Time and
time scales– Absolute vs.
relative– Methods
• Ease of age retrieval
Cybernetwork Integration
Paleontologist User Paleontologist User (Process 1)(Process 1)
• Application development – graphic correlation– StrataPlot (Emil Platon)
• Point-and-click ease of use• Software and starting composite standard available to users
as downloads• Easy data entry – Excel format
– User data– EGI research data (~2400 localities)
• Beta-testing– Calibration tool for Chronos Permian/Triassic boundary test
bed
• Taxonomic revision of EGI database
StrataPlotStrataPlot
Database Integration Database Integration (Process 1)(Process 1)
Run integration tests for shared localities in North
America
Matching Keys; e.g. Site = Location
Data retrieval; e.g.: “68-71.3 Ma”, “Early Maastrichtian, or “Late Cretaceous”
Matchsimilar
attributes
Set up uniqueattribute values
e.g.: use consistentenvironment descriptors
• e.g., EGI/Arizona linkage
Register DBs with GEON Grid
Geoscientist User Geoscientist User (Process 2)(Process 2)
• What’s the age?– Age constraints for multidisciplinary modeling
• e.g., basin models, sequence stratigraphy, etc.
• Age retrieval without need for specialist knowledge– e.g., EGI database; age stored as lines of
correlation• Algorithm to convert to relative and/or absolute age• Whole section, sample, sample range
Time Scale Time Scale (Process 2)(Process 2)
• GEON needs tie to widely recognized “standard” time scale– Chronos scale
• System centerpiece• Unveiled at IGC meeting – Aug. 2004
• EGI database– Over 700 localities need to be recalibrated
against new time scale– Development of automatic process
Data Acquisition Data Acquisition (Process 2)(Process 2)• GEON test bed support; e.g. Appalachians
General Public User General Public User (Process 3)(Process 3)
• Shared data retrieval issues with Process 2• Educational outreach
– Leverage several sources, e.g.,• Chronos timescale page• Joint development of stratigraphic definitions and
exercises/tutorials with U. Arizona• Other existing sources; DLESE, USGS, etc.
Progress ReportProgress Report
• Complete or nearing completion– Appalachian data gathering and composite standard
construction (Process 1)– StrataPlot graphic correlation software (Process 1)– EGI database table structure revision for broad-based
age retrieval (Process 2)• In progress
– Integration with U. Arizona databases (Processes 1-3)– Population of new database fields (Processes 1-3)– Recalibration of ~700 calibrated EGI localities (Processes
1-3)
Year 3 ActivitiesYear 3 Activities
• Completion of– Integration with U. Arizona– EGI locality calibration– Algorithm for Processes 2, 3 age retrieval
• Public availability for StrataPlot– Permian/Triassic boundary calibration with Chronos
• Ontological integration with GEON– Beta test = basin modeling for Appalachian test bed
• Continuation of taxonomic revisions
