The Role of Geological Modeling in a Web-based Collaborative Environment
…from the 2009 Three-Dimensional Geologic Mapping Workshop held by the Illinois State Geological Survey…
Keith Turner and Frank A D’Agnese
“Over the past two decades, a series of sophisticated three-dimensional modeling technologies have been developed to address the need for a precise definition of subsurface conditions (Turner, 1991). Because geological modeling requires the extension of traditional GIS methods (Turner, 2000; 2006), the modeling process remains technically challenging. In 2001, during a conference sponsored by the European Science Foundation, four major impediments to the greater use of subsurface geological modeling by a broad spectrum of users were identified (Rosenbaum & Turner, 2003). These constraints were: (1) a lack of 3D/4D mathematical, cognitive, and statistical spatial tools, (2) a lack of cheap modeling tools designed for the shallow subsurface that can be operated without specialist personnel, (3) the inability of models to depict natural variability of geological systems, and (4) a shortage of case histories. By 2008, these constraints had been largely overcome with the use of new modeling software and techniques and, importantly, with an understanding of the needs of the client (Kessler, et al., 2008).”
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