The management of water and groundwater resources is increasingly dependent on the integration of large complex datasets to visualise and model hydrological systems. The development of conceptual geological and hydrological models in the Broken Hill Managed Aquifer Recharge (BHMAR) project has involved the integration of high resolution LiDAR, remote sensing (Landsat, SPOT), airborne electromagnetic (AEM), ground and in-river electrical surveys, and point datasets from surface sites and drillholes (borehole NMR, induction and gamma logs as well as hydrogeochemical and lithological data). Products derived from the integration of these datasets include 3D maps of hydrostratigraphy, groundwater quality, hydraulic conductivity, recharge maps, 2D displays of data (e.g. potentiometric surface maps), 3D volume shapes of groundwater resources and managed aquifer storage targets, and lithological, hydrogeochemical and hydrological data in drillholes. These datasets will be used to parameterise groundwater models at regional and borefield scales. To facilitate effective communication of such large and complex geoscience datasets and project results to a wide range of stakeholders, Geoscience Australia (GA) has recently developed an interactive 3D virtual globe viewer. The interactive virtual globe is built on NASA's open source World Wind Java Software Development Kit (SDK) and provides users with easy and rich access to geoscientific data.The BHMAR project required further development of the existing viewer platform in order to display complex 3D hydrogeological, hydrogeophysical and hydrogeochemical data (points, lines, 2D surface and 3D shapes). The final product includes support for a variety of geo-referenced raster data formats, as well as vector data such as ESRI shapefiles and native support for a variety of GOCAD data types including TSurf, SGrid, Voxet and PLine.

Geoscience Australia has developed an interactive 3D viewer for three national datasets; the new Radiometric Map of Australia, the Magnetic Anomaly Map of Australia, and the Gravity Anomaly Map of the Australian Region. The interactive virtual globe is based on NASA's open source World Wind Java Software Development Kit (SDK) and provides users with easy and rich access to these three national datasets. Users can view eight different representations of the radiometric map and compare these with the magnetic and gravity anomaly maps and satellite imagery; all draped over a digital elevation model. The full dataset for the three map sets is approximately 55GB (in ER Mapper format), while the compressed full resolution images used in the virtual globe total only 1.6GB and only the data for the geographic region being viewed is downloaded to users computers. This paper addresses the processes for selecting the World Wind application over other solutions, how the data was prepared for online delivery, the development of the 3D Viewer using the Java SDK, issues involving connecting to online data sources, and discusses further development being undertaken by Geoscience Australia.

3D visualisation of the Mount Isa Crustal Seismic Survey

Extended abstract reporting on status of geophysical work being conducted within the Remote Eastern Frontiers project.

The new Australian geodetic VLBI network operated by University of Tasmania (UTAS) started regular observations in October, 2010. Three 12-meter "Patriot" radio telescopes are focused on improvement of the celestial and terrestrial reference frames in the southern hemisphere. We present first results from analysis of an eight-month set of geodetic VLBI data.

Scientists within Geoscience Australia create complex models of 3D geological structures. These models are built using specialised 3D modelling software to which very few people outside of Geoscience Australia have access. To overcome this access problem, Geoscience Australia has developed 3D VRML (Virtual Reality Modelling Language) models, to display interactive 3D data using a web browser plug-in - hence 3D web mapping. VRML is an open source standard for 3D graphics on the web. Geoscience Australia's 3D web mapping development is unique and has proved to be a very effective method for communicating large amounts of complex 3D geoscientific and geospatial information to a wide audience. Geoscience Australia has produced nearly 40 unique 3D VRML models during the last five years, some of which are available for online interaction on the Geoscience Australia website. The next challenge for Geoscience Australia's visualisers is to move from VRML to X3D - the XML successor to VRML. This paper outlines the motivations for developing 3D VRML models, explains the technologies used, and takes a brief look at possible future developments.

Seismic line 07GA-GC1, described here, forms part of the Isa-Georgetown-Charters Towers seismic survey that was acquired in 2007. The seismic line is oriented approximately northwest-southeast and extends from east of Georgetown in the northwest to south of Charters Towers in the southeast (Figure 1). The acquisition costs for this line were provided jointly by the Geological Survey of Queensland and Geoscience Australia, and field logistics and processing were carried out by the Seismic Acquisition and Processing team from Geoscience Australia. Seven discrete geological provinces have been interpreted on this seismic section (Figure 2). Two of these, the Abingdon and Sausage Creek Provinces, only occur in the subsurface. The upper crustal part of the seismic section is dominated by the Etheridge and Cape River Provinces, but the seismic line also crossed the Broken River Province and the Drummond and Burdekin Basins.

A 3D map of the Cooper Basin region has been produced over an area of 300 x 450 km to a depth of 20 km (Figure 1). The 3D map was constructed from 3D inversions of gravity data using geological data to constrain the inversions. It delineates regions of low density within the basement of the Cooper/Eromanga Basins that are inferred to be granitic bodies. This interpretation is supported by a spatial correlation between the modelled bodies and known granite occurrences. The 3D map, which also delineates the 3D geometries of the Cooper and Eromanga Basins, therefore incorporates both potential heat sources and thermally insulating cover, key elements in locating a geothermal play. This study was conducted as part of Geoscience Australia's Onshore Energy Security Program, Geothermal Energy Project. This 3D data release constitutes the first version of the Cooper Basin region 3D map. A future data release (version 2 of the 3D map) will extend the area to the north and east to encompass the entire Queensland extension of the Cooper Basin. The version 2 3D map will incorporate more detailed 3D models of the Cooper and Eromanga Basins by delineating the major internal sedimentary sequences within the basins. Thermal properties will then be incorporated into the 3D map to produce a 3D thermal model. The goal is to produce a 3D thermal model of the Cooper Basin region that not only matches existing temperature and heat flow data in the region, but also predicts regions of high heat flow and elevated temperatures in regions where no heat flow or temperature data exists.

PowerPoint presentations presented at the NORTH QUEENSLAND SEISMIC AND MT WORKSHOP in Townsville, June 2009.

A brief summary fo the highlights of the Paterson AEM survey and planned future work of Geoscience Australia's Airborne EM Project.