OneGeology—Making geological map data for the earth accessible

摘要

Those who know it—and there can be few by now who don't—will readily acknowledge that Google Earth revolutionised the way that the average web user viewed spatial data. There, in one easy to use and free internet tool, is access to geo-rectified aerial imagery of the whole globe. You can wander across a virtual world at will, locate the nearest petrol station, zoom in to get a better view, and even take a look at the terrain in 3 dimensions. For the majority of society, who don't have the privilege of sophisticated GIS and modelling software on their desks, the experience is spectacular and while the data coverage may not always be the best available, to criticise the combined achievement of the easy-to-use application plus its data content, would be miserly.