Nationwide collection, recording and provision of geo-scientific data: examples from Ghana, Namibia, Germany and Kosovo : an experience report
Barth, Andreas
Over hundreds of years, geo-scientific data were collected and fixed on paper. Handmade descriptions, bore hole logs, maps, exploration reports etc. have filled up public and nonpublic archives with materials of inestimable value. The systematic capture, storage and distribution of this information is an extremely important and expensive activity. State managed geological surveys and similar organisations, as well as large private companies, make a broad use of modern data storage systems, such as text files, spreadsheets, databases, CAD and GIS, and electronic images (scans). Many systems grew independently from each other even in one organisation. The result is a jungle of information, many redundancies, problems with coding, networking and distribution of information. Traditionally, geo-scientific spatial information was collected on maps. Maps were the most important final product of any geo-scientific work. This methodology was used even after the introduction of GIS into the normal geo-scientific working process. Now, we are on the threshold of a fundamental alteration of the management and distribution of geo-scientific and spatial information. More and more, the attention is being directed to the creation of flexible and redundancy-free information systems, which allow the production of many different userdefined final products including access to selected spatial information and maps for investors or a broader public over the internet. The principles of data storage will be illustrated by case studies of large Information Management Systems for geo-scientific Authorities in Ghana, South Africa, Namibia, Germany and Kosovo in recent years. The presentation will focus on the following systems: - Non-metallic Minerals of Saxony (Germany): Access 97, ArcView 3.2 (1998) - Earth Data Namibia: ORACLE, ArcView 3, VB 6, Map Objects (2001 2004) - Geo-Database Kosova: SQL-Server, ArcGIS 8.3, VB.Net, Map Objects (2003 2005) - Information Management System for the Mining Sector of Ghana (2005 2006).
Event: 5th FIG Regional Conference for Africa : Promoting Land Administration and Good Governance
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