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