1:100k Geological Map for SW Greenland

Check out the new Detailed geological map for SW Greenland: http://geuskort.geus.dk/gisfarm/gis_svgreenland.jsp

The WMS behind the application is developed using ESRI ArcGIS tools. A lot of work was put into updating the geological maps and harmonizing the geology for the rather large area covered - The project was an important first step for harmonising the geological map of Greenland on a 1:100k scale. One of the main obstacles for making the map available on the internet was performance. We tried different ways of optimizing the WMS on our ArcGIS server 10 - Most significant improvement was the simple step to base the WMS on a .msd file rather than the standard .mxd.

The application is based on MapServer CGI. The WMS is so far only available through the application. In addition to the geological map it is also possible through the application to view a long list of geological and geophysical data, as well as field photographies.

A more detailed description of the project is given here: http://www.geus.dk/swgrmap/swgrmap-uk.htm

GeoSciML

GeoSciML is an international effort by geologists to set up an XML language for geological information. I recently had some fun playing with GeoSciML - Believe me, it is not easy to standardise geological information into GeoSciML.

I think the beauty of GeoSciML (or the grammar of any language) is very nicely described through the following Wittgenstein quote: Like everything metaphysical the harmony between thought and reality is to be found in the grammar of the language.

I recently wrote the following short paper on GeoSciML (in danish)

GeoSciML_2-11-2010