GEOLOGICAL MAP PRODUCTION USING GIS SOFTWARE
Gary Labelle, Paul Huppe,
Vic Dohar, and Mario Methot
Geoscience Information and Communications Division
Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada
601 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E8
KEY WORDS: GIS, Cartography, Geology, Topography, Scanning, Digitizing, Hardware, Software
ABSTRACT
Our primary goal is to produce geological maps using digital outlines of geology from AutoCad, FieldLog, scanned
images, and other systems, incorporate digital base map information with geology, add text, line work, symbols, surround
information, and output the results on colour electrostatic plotters and film imaging systems. Work has included the
development of routines to handle external digital sources of base data, development of archiving procedures,
cartographic editing routines, CMYK colour modelling specifications, font handling procedures, and plotting procedures to
obtain hard copy output from postscript files.
CARTOGRAPHY SECTION
The section's map production procedures are based on
the Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI)
ARC/INFO 6.1.1 computer assisted mapping and
geographic information management system. The
primary platform used is the SUN SPARC2 work station.
Work stations are linked in a Local Area Network (LAN).
This configuration offers the optimum combination of
digital mapping applications, workstation performance,
and network environment.
ARC/INFO software links cartographic data in vector files
(ARC) with attribute information (INFO). ARC and INFO
are both independent and fully integrated. Data files can
be separately manipulated, and updating one system
automatically updates appropriate data in the other
system.
Routines and expertise that will greatly facilitate future
map production is continually being developed in
cooperation with the Computer Technology Section.
These routines, menus or graphical user interfaces (GUI),
include procedures for creating a watermask, labelled
neatline, key maps, legends, scale bars, and streamlining
routine tasks such as attributing geological polygons and
adding complex structural symbols by providing AML
routines to prompt and present logical choices. Symbol
libraries for various fault types, colour tables for shading
polygons, and geological symbols are being created or
imported from other systems and stored in our symbol
library.
THE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY SECTION
The Computer Technology Section provides expertise by
testing and evaluating hard copy output procedures,
developing aids to import external digital data sources,
and advice on the acquisition and future direction for
automation.
WORKING WITH DIGITAL TOPOGRAPHIC BASES
Users should acquire digital base imagery from a
recognized cartographic mapping institution such as
NRCan, provincial mapping agencies, and private sector
companies with a good track record for supplying quality
digital mapping imagery. If you change the data resolution
by generalizing or weeding out vertices to make the base
digital imagery more manageable on PC based systems,
be sure to retain the original copies for Cartography to
bring the imagery back up to pre-press quality. Publication
submissions should include digital bases and geological
outlines. We will mix traditional and digital technologies to
produce hard copy maps.
PREPARING HARD COPY MANUSCRIPTS
FOR DIGITAL PRODUCTION
A. Ink all geological contacts and faults on a photolysis
image or a matte film overlay using drafting pens as
follows:
- . Contacts (4000 pen); Faults (42 pen).
- Ink density should be as black as possible,
linework should be sharp, clean and unbroken.
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