GeoSciML or Geoscience Markup Language is a
GML Application Schema that can be used to transfer information about geology, with an emphasis on the "interpreted geology" that is conventionally portrayed on geologic maps. Its feature-type catalogue includes Geologic Unit, Mapped Feature, Earth Material, Geologic Structure, and specializations of these, as well as Borehole and other observational artefacts. It was created by, and is governed by, the
(CGI) to support interoperability of information served from Geologic Surveys and other data custodians. It will be used in the
OneGeology
OneGeology is an international collaborative project in the field of geology supported by 118 countries, UNESCO, and major global geoscience bodies. It is an International Year of Planet Earth flagship initiative that aims to enable online acces ...
project, an effort to create a
geological map
A geologic map or geological map is a special-purpose map made to show various geological features. Rock units or geologic strata are shown by color or symbols. Bedding planes and structural features such as faults, folds, are shown with st ...
of the entire Earth, served live by merging data from many national geological surveys.
The GeoSciML project was initiated in 2003, under the auspices of the Commission for Geoscience Information (CGI) working group on Data Model Collaboration. The project is part of what is known as the CGI Interoperability
Working Group.
GeoSciML is intended for use by data portals publishing data for customers in GeoSciML, for interchanging data between organisations that use different database implementations and software/systems environments, and in particular, for use in geoscience web services. In this way, GeoSciML allows applications to utilize globally distributed geoscience data and information.
Version 3.1 was released in December, 2012. In January, 2013 a Standards Working Group was initiated in the Open Geospatial Consortium to develop
version 4 release as an OGC modular specification This release will include simple feature 'portrayal' schemes to support interoperable view services. Links to documentation, XML schema and other resources are available at th
GeoSciML resource repository
See also
*
Systems Geology
Systems geology emphasizes the nature of geology as a system – that is, as a set of interacting parts that function as a whole. The systems approach involves study of the linkages or interfaces between the component objects and processes at all ...
*
OneGeology
OneGeology is an international collaborative project in the field of geology supported by 118 countries, UNESCO, and major global geoscience bodies. It is an International Year of Planet Earth flagship initiative that aims to enable online acces ...
External links
Geoscience Markup Language(GeoSciML) - fro
IUGS Commission for Geoscience InformationXML schemas and documentationfrom the official release server.
Geologic Time Scale - model and schema as described in
paper published in GeosphereDeveloping the GeoSciML interoperability standard Geoscience Australia and CSIRO, November 2007
GeoSciML- A GML Application for Geoscience Information Interchange, USGS OFR 2007-1285
GeoSciML Version 3 Release announcement, American Geophysical Union, 2011.
XML markup languages
Geology software
Industry-specific XML-based standards
GIS file formats
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