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HEADS-UP DIGITIZATION OF GEOLOGIC MAPS USING AN INDEPENDENT USER 
INTERFACE 
AND CONVERTING INTO THE GIS 
E. Kansu, C. T. Vur, B. Kurucu 
TPAO Genel Müdürlügü, 06100 Esentepe, Ankara — (ekansu, cvur, bkurucu)@petrol.tpao.gov.tr 
PS WG IV/7 
KEY WORDS: Digitisation, Geology, GIS, Mapping, Interface, Software, Standards 
ABSTRACT: 
Digitization of the geologic maps is confusing and time consuming process. If the same person is digitizing the data and converting 
it into the GIS, the way is not so important, but the result is. However, for parallel digitization, which means digitization of two or 
more geological maps by different users at the same time, user intervention brings confusion problems while converting digitized 
data into the GIS. For this reason, before initiating the project, the standards of geological map digitization should be well 
performed. A geological map can contain limited number of common features such as faults, folds, types of formation boundaries 
and dip-strike measurements. They should be represented with common attributes in all maps. For that reason a task bar is prepared 
for use in any digitization software that standardizes the attributes of digitized data. This task bar provides the attributes of common 
geological features. While digitizing, user finds the icon of the feature on the task bar and pushes that button. The attribute is copied 
into the PC's ram and user pastes it into the necessary field. One advantage of this method is to simplify the digitization process and 
so it is much faster than non standardized and unorganized digitization. Another advantage is the digitizing may be done by people 
having no geological background. Using this method, 80 pieces of 1/50,000 scaled geological map are converted into the GIS for 
about 4 months with two digitizing person. 
1. INTRODUCTION as faults, folds, formation boundaries, dip and strike 
measurements. In order to decrease the time of converting 
Today Technology forced companies a transition from paper digitized data into GIS, all digitizing people should state those 
maps to digital maps. That is why the paper maps need to be features identically. 
converted to GIS for many purposes. Some organizations 
developed their own digitization software and standards. For 2. PREREQUISITS AND METHODOLOGY 
example, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has converted their 
maps via GSMAP or GSMCAD (Lane et al, 1999). Before digitization of geological maps, the information in them 
was divided into two main groups. Attribute of formations were 
The digitization of geological maps and converting them into expressed by points that were placed into the formation 
the GIS is a time consuming process which begins with polygon. Dips and strikes should have been expressed by points 
converting the paper maps into raster format of digital world by also. However they were initially digitized as straight lines 
scanning them. having two vertices. All other features in the geological maps 
were digitized as lines. Polygons were constructed at the time 
The stage after scanning geological maps is the digitization via of conversion of digitized lines into the GIS. 
mouse or equivalent hardware in suitable software. In this stage, 
digital pictures of geological maps having only visual NDS - NeuroMap was the digitization software in this study. 
significance is converted into digital, smart, geological maps. Nevertheless any other digitization software might have been 
used. 
Digitizing geological maps of a wide area including tens of map 
sheets is a time consuming effort for a person. On the other 2.1 Point Data 
hand the resultant errors would be consistent and personal. If 
digitization and converting into the GIS were done by same 2.1.1 — Formation Attributes 
person, it would even not be necessary to follow a stable 
procedure. A point was digitized within the polygon of the formation in 
order to enter the name or attributes of the formation into the 
The digitization of many sheets of geological maps with two or related fields. 
more people (parallel digitization) will reduce the digitization 
time. However, the variety of errors will increase and the time 2.2 Line Data 
of converting data into GIS will increase also. 
2.2.1 Formation Boundaries 
Standardization of digitization will decrease or remove many 
resultant errors. For this reason, before digitization, all 
geological features on maps are determined and grouped. 
Geological maps are including limited amount of features such 
Four types of formation boundaries exist in the geological maps 
of the project area (Fig. 1). “Definite” formation boundaries are 
boundaries that the geologist observed in the field and 
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