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Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) web services offer a cost efficient technology that permits transfer of standardised data from distributed sources, removing the need for data to be regularly uploaded to a centralised database. When combined with community defined exchange standards, the OGC services offer a chance to access the latest data from the originating agency and return the data in a consistent format. Interchange and mark-up languages such as the Geography Markup Language (GML) provide standard structures for transferring geospatial information over the web. The IUGS Commission for the Management and Application of Geoscience Information (CGI) has an on-going collaborative project to develop a data model and exchange language based on GML for geological map and borehole data, the GeoScience Mark-up Language (GeoSciML). The Australian Government Geoscience Information Committee (GGIC) has used the GeoSciML model as a basis to cover mineral resources (EarthResourceML), and the Canadian Groundwater Information Network (GIN) has extended GeoSciML into the groundwater domain (GWML). The focus of these activities is to develop geoscience community schema that use globally accepted geospatial web service data exchange standards.

Geoscience Australia is supporting the exploration and development of offshore oil and gas resources and establishment of Australia's national representative system of marine protected areas through provision of spatial information about the physical and biological character of the seabed. Central to this approach is prediction of Australia's seabed biodiversity from spatially continuous data of physical seabed properties. However, information for these properties is usually collected at sparsely-distributed discrete locations, particularly in the deep ocean. Thus, methods for generating spatially continuous information from point samples become essential tools. Such methods are, however, often data- or even variable- specific and it is difficult to select an appropriate method for any given dataset. Improving the accuracy of these physical data for biodiversity prediction, by searching for the most robust spatial interpolation methods to predict physical seabed properties, is essential to better inform resource management practises. In this regard, we conducted a simulation experiment to compare the performance of statistical and mathematical methods for spatial interpolation using samples of seabed mud content across the Australian margin. Five factors that affect the accuracy of spatial interpolation were considered: 1) region; 2) statistical method; 3) sample density; 4) searching neighbourhood; and 5) sample stratification by geomorphic provinces. Bathymetry, distance-to-coast and slope were used as secondary variables. In this study, we only report the results of the comparison of 14 methods (37 sub-methods) using samples of seabed mud content with five levels of sample density across the southwest Australian margin. The results of the simulation experiment can be applied to spatial data modelling of various physical parameters in different disciplines and have application to a variety of resource management applications for Australia's marine region.

The Australian National Gravity Database (ANGD) contains over 1.8 million gravity observations from over 2,000 surveys conducted in Australia over the last 80 years. Three processes are required to correct these observations for the effects of the surrounding topography: firstly a Bouguer correction (Bullard A), which approximates the topography as an infinite horizontal slab; secondly a correction to that horizontal slab for the curvature of the Earth (Bullard B); and thirdly a terrain correction (Bullard C), which accounts for the undulations in the surrounding topography. These three corrections together produce complete bouguer anomalies. Since February 2008, a spherical cap bouguer anomaly calculation has been applied to data extracted from the ANGD. This calculation applies the Bullard A and Bullard B corrections. Terrain corrections, Bullard C, have now been calculated for all terrestrial gravity observations in the ANGD allowing the calculation of complete bouguer anomalies. These terrain corrections were calculated using the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission 3 arc-second digital elevation data. The complete bouguer anomalies calculated for the ANGD provide users of the data with a more accurate representation of crustal density variations through the application of a more accurate Earth model to the gravity observations.

GeoSciML v3 (www.geosciml.org) and EarthResourceML v2 (www.earthresourceml.org) are the latest releases of geoscience data transfer standards from the IUGS-CGI Interoperability Working Group (IWG). The data standards each comprise a UML model and complex features GML schemas, extending the spatial standards of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), including GML v3.2, O&M v2, and SWE Common v2. Future development of GeoSciML and EarthResourceML will occur under a collaborative IUGS-OGC arrangement. GeoSciML covers a wide range of geological data, including geological units, structures, earth materials, boreholes, geomorphology, petrophysical properties, and sampling and analytical metadata. The model was refactored from a single application schema in version 2 into a number of smaller, more manageable schemas in version 3. EarthResourceML covers solid earth resources (mineral occurrences, resources and reserves) and their exploitation (mines and mining activities). The model has been extended to accommodate the requirements of the EU INSPIRE data sharing initiative, seeing the addition of mineral exploration activity and environmental aspects (ie, mining waste) to the model. GeoSciML-Portrayal is a simple-features GML application schema based on a simplified core of GeoSciML. It supports presentation of geological map units, contacts, and faults in Web Map Services, and provides a link between simple-feature data delivery and more complex GeoSciML WFS services. The schema establishes naming conventions for fields commonly used to symbolize geological maps to enable visual harmonization of map services. The IWG have established a vocabulary service at http://resource.geosciml.org, serving geoscience vocabularies in RDF-SKOS format. Vocabularies are not included in GeoSciML and EarthResourceML, but the models recommend a standard pattern to reference controlled vocabularies using HTTP-URI links. GeoSciML and EarthResourceML have been adopted or recommended as the data exchange standards in key international interoperability initiatives, including OneGeology, the INSPIRE project, the US Geoscience Information Network, and the Australia/NZ Government Geoscience Information Committee.

Part-page item on matters relating to stratigraphic nomenclature and the Australian Stratigraphic Units Database (ASUD). This column (59) discusses names that do not meet the recommendations of the current International Stratigraphic Guide, and why they are in the ASUD database. ISSN 0312 4711

The quality and type of elevation data used in tsunami inundation models can lead to large variations in the estimated inundation extent and tsunami flow depths and speeds. In order to give confidence to those who use inundation maps, such as emergency managers and spatial planners, standards and guidelines need to be developed and adhered to. However, at present there are no guidelines for the use of different elevation data types in inundation modelling. One reason for this is that there are many types of elevation data that differ in vertical accuracy, spatial resolution, availability and expense; however the differences in output from inundation models using different elevation data types in different environments are largely unknown. This study involved simulating tsunami inundation scenarios for three sites in Indonesia, of which the results for one of these, Padang, is reported here. Models were simulated using several different remotely-sensed elevation data types, including LiDAR, IFSAR, ASTER and SRTM. Model outputs were compared for each data type, including inundation extent, maximum inundation depth and maximum flow speed, as well as computational run-times. While in some cases, inundation extents do not differ greatly, maximum depths can vary substantially, which can lead to vastly different estimates of impact and loss. The results of this study will be critical in informing tsunami scientists and emergency managers of the acceptable resolution and accuracy of elevation data for inundation modelling and subsequently, the development of elevation data standards for inundation modelling in Indonesia.

This extended abstract describes the 1:1 million scale Surface Geology of Northern Territory digital dataset and advances in digital data delivery via WMS/WFS services and the GeoSciML geological data model.

The Australian National Marine Data Group was formed by the Heads of Marine Agencies (HOMA) to promote improved interchange of marine data in Australia. The ANMDG held a workshop of practitioners in May 2002 with the intention of identifying major areas of interest and tasks for working groups to address in order to make progress with development of marine data interchange in Australia. This Proceedings CD contains the presentations by speakers in the form of PowerPoint slides and a few Acrobat documents. It was distributed to participants in the workshop.

As interpretations of sequence stratigraphy are published in increasing numbers in the petroleum exploration literature, the potential for confusion also increases because there are no rules for the classification or naming of the identified sequences. At present it is difficult to apply databases and geographic information systems to sequence stratigraphy, particularly when organisations with different outlooks and approaches attempt to collaborate and merge their databases. Despite sequence stratigraphic concepts having been in the literature for over two decades, no scheme for standardisation has achieved consensus in the geoscientific community, either within Australia or internationally. Three areas in particular need to be agreed on: (1) how sequence units should be defined; (2) the hierarchy of those units, and on what basis; and (3) a standard scheme for naming units. The two basic ways of subdividing a succession into sequence units, the Vail-Exxon and Galloway methods, both rely on the enclosing boundaries being defined first. Various hierarchies of units have been proposed, in which there is often a clear desire to link the scale of sequence units to phases of geological evolution or stratal boundaries of different orders. In addition, most workers use informal names, but formal names are becoming more common. Consequently, it is essential that workable national guidelines be developed to ensure that communication and computer compatibility are not impeded.