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 (or better, Working principles? ...)

GEODESC is based on the widely used and user-approved method of capturing observational data in spreadsheets. A row represents a description interval or domain, with any number of observations as configured by the user. The first set of 13 fixed columns defines the scope of description (sample identity, sample interval, computed depth, etc.), and any number of configurable columns define observables, where each observable can have its own validation rules. A project uses multiple spreadsheet templates based on the scale, type and objective of observations.

GEODESC allows observers to use existing templates from a catalog, and to modify catalog templates or create completely new ones. The catalog templates were configured based on the experience gathered during decades of scientific ocean drilling with hundreds of expeditions.   

The two main user applications are the Template Manager application (TM) and the Data Capture application (DC), and users must be credentialed as template makers and observers, respectively, to use them for a specific project. All qualified core describers and paleontologists are observers, but not all observers need to be template makers.

All template modifications that affect the final product data files are made using TM. This includes features to add catalog observable columns or create new observable columns using specific methods for core material descriptions and micropaleontology, delete and reorder columns, set entry validations for observable columns, and set some basic formats. The unique emphasis placed on setting entry validations in TM stems from decades of practical experience in the intense 24/7, collaborative and technician-supported data gathering operations on the JR. We learned that allowing on-the-fly template modifications by each observer in DC adversely affects the data product. Entry validation features include basic concepts such as single-select and multi-select value lists and numeric controls to ensure team consensus on choice lists as well as consistent data collection by avoiding accidental spelling errors and erroneous numbers. Other entry validation features are more specific to the geological application, such as stratigraphic contiguity, and making appropriate use of the rich sample registry available to GEODESC users. The template making process typically concludes early in the project, with possible minor changes later on.

Observers select one or more templates for a hole (and optionally a subset of cores) to create worksets, which are the instantiated as workbooks that only one observer can use for data entry. Observers must release worksets for others to be able to create worksets using the same templates and cores. All observers can check the workset dashboard at any time to see who is working on what.

System architecture

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

Limitations for external use

The GEODESC tool set is taking advantage of existing tools and resources on the JR for efficient data gathering and reporting, and therefore cannot easily be used outside the JR computing infrastructure. Most importantly, GEODESC is using

• the sophisticated sample registry that evolved over decades to accommodate user needs, and
• depth computation business rules for standard depths and alternate depths

If GEODESC was to be fully used in another organization, these resources would have to be replicated or replaced.

However, external projects can take advantage of the GEODESC catalog resources and final product data files, all available in tab-delimited text format, and use them in commercial spreadsheet programs with or without adding sample registry and data validation functions.