Just digitize it! the J. Willard Marriott Library's endeavor to bring geological scholarship to the world.

This video is of a powerpoint presentation given on October 25th, 2012 at the Marriott Library. This was one of a number of presentations regarding the history and role of USpace, the University of Utah's Institutional Repository, during Open Access Week, 2012.

Just Digitize It! The Marriott Library's endeavor to bring geological scholarship to the world is a presentation created by Justin Sorensen, Lisa Chaufty and Donald Williams. It describes a project we have been working on in collaboration with several departments within the Marriott Library to make geologic theses and maps spanning a 25 year period easily accessible online as well as the corresponding georeferenced files of those maps. This project was the brain child of and developed by members of the Marriott Library's GSI Committee with the goal of adding digitized and georeferenced versions of geological theses as well as their maps online. The project began with an examination of the library catalog, map collections and the holdings of the thesis library for the department of geology and geophysics. A spreadsheet was generated containing the names of each thesis so the materials could be collected and scanned. Another goal for this project was to make this material available worldwide. To that end, we have been collaborating with members of the Utah Geological Survey who have a vast interactive mapping collection and have been interested in gaining access to our resources and assisting us with making this information easily available. Utilizing the information from the spreadsheet created by the Geospatial Information Committee, USpace staff collected the geology theses and maps from the special collections department and from the open stacks in the Marriott Library. The process of retrieving these materials from multiple locations was an arduous task in itself and underscored the need to have these geology theses and their accompanying maps digitized and linked together as single items to be easily accessible online. USpace staff uploaded the geology theses and accompanying map images as compound objects into USpace. Descriptive and technical metadata was applied to each object enabling users to access and retrieve these files as well as providing additional information about them. These items are now available online via the Marriott Library's catalog, the USpace search page, and are indexed by Google. By using search terms such as the title, author, or keywords, the theses and maps can be viewed and downloaded. Upon opening one of these items users can navigate between the thesis and maps by selecting the parts of the object found on the left hand side of the display window. The metadata describing the thesis and maps can be found underneath the image of the map or the text of the pdf. After the scanned maps have been uploaded, they are ready to be georeferenced using GIS software. Georeferencing is a process by which the existence of a 2 dimensional print map is defined within physical space. This process is achieved by giving the map a latitude and longitude location on the globe that is dependent upon a particular map projection. This process is very useful especially for raster data as a simple 2 dimensional map offers a limited amount of information, but being able to take the same map and load it into a GIS program where we can run different types of analysis and view the map in a 3 dimensional environment provides us with far more information. The georeferencing process begins by first loading the scanned TIFF's into a GIS program and converting them into JPEG format. The reason for this conversion is to cut down on the size of file the user is accessing. Reference layers consisting of USGS Topographic maps, latitude and longitude grid lines and satellite imagery similar to that used in Google Earth are loaded to align geologic features within each of the scanned maps. A georeferencing tool is then used to install control points, which lock features in the scanned maps to corresponding features within the reference layers. These control points are first used around the exterior of the scanned map, generally on boundaries and lines of latitude and longitude followed by internal features to fine tune the maps alignment. This process results in the scanned map being warped as it aligns to geologic features existing in physical space. It is important to note that the georeferencing process is not an exact science. The goal is to align each map as accurately as possible, but even the best maps may have a degree of error. The final step in the georeferencing process is to rectify each map, a process which creates a folder containing the JPEG map and associated world files which are files that tell the GIS program how and where to project the map. These folders are then compressed and uploaded into USpace. The following are a few examples of maps that were georeferenced using ArcGIS 10 for this project. For the 25-year span from 1950-1975, 93 Theses were examined resulting in 108 maps being georeferenced. In addition, there are also digital versions of cross section and stratigraphic maps associated with these theses that are also available; however, these maps could not be georeferenced due to their type. Once the map images are georeferenced, the resulting files (consisting of Jpeg images and world files) are compressed into a zip file and uploaded to USpace. These files are then linked to their associated thesis already available in USpace, affording anyone with internet access the opportunity to download them. Users can then load the files into GIS software to view the georeferenced maps and perform further analysis. So far you have seen how our project was initially set up and completed. At this point, we became concerned about making this information easy to use and access for those with limited GIS experience and also for those who do not have access to GIS Software. Consequently, a Google Earth interface was created. Allowing easy access to each of the theses, their accompanied georeferenced maps as well as the ability to overlay and view them in a 3 dimensional environment utilizing a user friendly and universally available platform. Currently we are working on digitizing the more recent geological theses and have been impressed with what technological advancements have allowed students to accomplish with their research. Students now have the ability to work with more advanced geological topics, including simulating scenarios, allowing them to create hazard mapping and hazard projections. These new maps are often generated in a digital format and can include interactive points representing site specific information. Today's students now have access to satellite basemaps along with other advanced imaging tools…this gives them the opportunity to perform georeferencing and analysis on the maps they created and supply these resources to the graduate school and library in an electronic form along with their thesis. Even 3 dimensional models of study areas can be created by students using new technologies. Some of which are: LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), DEM (Digital Elevation Models), NED (National Elevation Datasets, and facies mapping of photopanoramas. This 3-D model includes approximately 70 million data points with centimeter resolution encompassing 9 linear kilometers in Argyle and Parley Canyons. This project, growing from a desire to make the University's Geological theses and maps more accessible to the public has blossomed into a dynamic and collaborative effort involving several library departments, committees, and state government agencies. It stands as a testament of the results of interdepartmental cooperation, and helps fulfill the USpace and Marriott Library's mission to collect, maintain, preserve, record, and provide access to the intellectual capital and output of the University of Utah. Additional information regarding this project can be found online, as it has been featured on the Marriott Library's splash page at the address listed on the screen. Thank you.