HR: 11:08h
AN: IN52A-05 INVITED    [Abstracts]
TI: Leverage and Delegation in Developing an Information Model for Geology
AU: * Cox, S J
EM: Simon.Cox@csiro.au
AF: CSIRO, ARRC PO Box 1130, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
AB: GeoSciML is an information model and XML encoding developed by a group of primarily geologic survey organizations under the auspices of the IUGS CGI. The scope of the core model broadly corresponds with information traditionally portrayed on a geologic map, viz. interpreted geology, some observations, the map legend and accompanying memoir. The development of GeoSciML has followed the methodology specified for an Application Schema defined by OGC and ISO 19100 series standards. This requires agreement within a community concerning their domain model, its formal representation using UML, documentation as a Feature Type Catalogue, with an XML Schema implementation generated from the model by applying a rule-based transformation. The framework and technology supports a modular governance process. Standard datatypes and GI components (geometry, the feature and coverage metamodels, metadata) are imported from the ISO framework. The observation and sampling model (including boreholes) is imported from OGC. The scale used for most scalar literal values (terms, codes, measures) allows for localization where necessary. Wildcards and abstract base- classes provide explicit extensibility points. Link attributes appear in a regular way in the encodings, allowing reference to external resources using URIs. The encoding is compatible with generic GI data-service interfaces (WFS, WMS, SOS). For maximum interoperability within a community, the interfaces may be specialised through domain-specified constraints (e.g. feature-types, scale and vocabulary bindings, query-models). Formalization using UML and XML allows use of standard validation and processing tools. Use of upper-level elements defined for generic GI application reduces the development effort and governance resonsibility, while maximising cross-domain interoperability. On the other hand, enabling specialization to be delegated in a controlled manner is essential to adoption across a range of subdisciplines and jurisdictions. The GeoSciML design team is responsible only for the part of the model that is unique to geology but for which general agreement can be reached within the domain. This paper is presented on behalf of the Interoperability Working Group of the IUGS Commission for Geoscience Information (CGI) - follow web-link for details of the membership.
UR: http://www.seegrid.csiro.au/twiki/bin/view/CGIModel/GeoSciML
DE: 0525 Data management
DE: 0530 Data presentation and visualization
DE: 0599 General or miscellaneous
DE: 1819 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
DE: 9820 Techniques applicable in three or more fields
SC: Earth and Space Science Informatics [IN]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting