Geosoft - Exploring With Data

Five Best Practices for Handling the Data Explosion

First there were megabytes, then gigabytes, and now terabytes, and petabytes. “A petabyte is the equivalent of a stack of DVDs stretching from here to the moon.” -- GigaOM Network and they are coming to an exploration office near you. Geosoft has five suggestions for best practices to help you handle the data explosion and improve exploration data management.

Where to start?

1. Clear the clutter. Identify which applications and formats are essential for your business and cull the rest. 
2. Find your coordinates. Ensure geographic coordinates are accurately recorded in the field, and managed as part of the data.
3. Use classifications. Using classifications, such as continent, country, state/region, project name, and data type to organize the data, makes the discovery of data more efficient.
4. Add descriptors. Establish and maintain a standard set of minimum required metadata fields for every dataset.
5. Make it flow. Streamline your workflows to move the data through the system from collection to collaboration and ensure that all users know where to find existing data and where to put new data.

You can read more on this topic in the latest issue of Earth Explorer – Handling the Data Explosion.   

How to download SRTM topography data

SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) are the most popular datasets on the Geosoft DAP Server.  These grids make a great base group on a regional scale map or a relief surface to drape other data on in 3D.  The entire dataset – 90m World or 30m US – is very large (originally, it was delivered on a stack of DVDs).  Using DAP, any chunk can be downloaded in a few easy steps.  Here’s how:

1. Using Seeker through Oasis montaj, Target, ArcGIS (with Target for ArcGIS or the Plugin for ArcGIS), or MapInfo (with the Geosoft Plugin for MapInfo), open Seeker.

2. Define the Area of Interest, by repositioning the red Area of Interest outline, double clicking on the longitude or latitude values to edit them, selecting a region from the list, loading an area of interest from a file (there are a number of supported formats), or refreshing from your open map (if applicable).

  

3. Optionally, narrow the results by adding text search criteria such as a keyword like “SRTM”.

4. In the Results for the Geosoft DAP Server, the SRTM World Elevation 90m and SRTM US Elevation 30m will appear (as long as they intersect with your area of interest).

Note that these data do not extend past 60N or 60S.  If you are looking for topography data in these regions, GLOBE DEM and SRTM30 Plus are also available on the Geosoft DAP Server.

5. Select the topography dataset.  Move to the Cart tab and adjust the download options to your preferences. This may include changing the format or reducing the resolution (often, the original resolution is desired so select the Do Not Resample option if you have selected several datasets).

6. Click Retrieve, and the topography for your area of interest will be downloaded to your Destination Folder.

If you are not using a Geosoft application or plugin, then the same datasets are also available from the Geosoft DAP Server web interfaces. Visit http://dap.geosoft.com/geodap or http://dap.geosoft.com/flamingo.