Purpose

The GEODESC application tool set was designed and built in 2019-2022 to support geological core description and micropaleontological data capture on the scientific drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution (JR). The GEODESC system includes five browser-based user applications backed by an Oracle database. The application features were designed to optimize the workflow on the JR based on decades of experience with coring projects all over the worlds' oceans, recovering a broad spectrum of Earth materials.

Design concepts

GEODESC is based on the user-approved concept of observational data capture in spreadsheets, whereby a row represents a description interval or domain, the first set of fixed columns defines the scope of description (sample identity and interval, etc.), and any number of configurable columns define observables. Observers can use existing templates configured based on corporate experience 'out of the box', modify existing templates, or create completely new templates.  

Limitations for external use

The GEODESC tool set cannot easily be used outside the JR computing infrastructure. For example, the JRSO LIMS database holds the sample registry and runs the depth calculation routines, and the GEODESC applications use those resources. However, catalog resources as well as templates and final data products are accessible in tab-delimited text form and can as such be applied, analyzed and processed outside the GEODESC tool set. 

System architecture

Figure 1: Schematic overview of GEODESC users, user applications, and database 'backbone'.

Section 2