GeoSciML - Geological Sciences ML

The GeoSciML project was initiated in 2003, under the auspices of the CGI working group on Data Model Collaboration. The project is part of what is now known as the CGI Interoperability Working Group. GeoSciML is a GML 3.1.1 Application Schema. Version 2 of the GeoSciML documentation and schemas was release in later 2008.

http://www.cgi-iugs.org/tech_collaboration/geosciml.html

GeoSciML accommodates the short-term goal of representing geoscience information associated with geologic maps and observations, as well as being extensible in the long-term to other geoscience data. It draws from many geoscience data model efforts, and from these establishes a common suite of feature types based on geological criteria (units, structures, fossils) or artefacts of geological investigations (specimens, sections, measurements).

Supporting objects are also considered (timescale, lexicons, etc), so that they can be used as classifiers for the primary objects. A number of predecessor projects have had a strong influence on the development of GeoSciML. These include activities undertaken within national statutory bodies (British and Japanese Geological Surveys), in multi-jurisdictional contexts (the North American Data Model for geological maps) or oriented to an industry sector (eXploration and Mining Markup Language - XMML).

A number of external projects are leveraging GeoSciML for more specific applications, including Water Resources monitoring and management, Soils, Geotechnical and Engineering, Assay Data and Geochemistry.

Several dozen GeoSciML instance documents have been defined, including for boreholes. lithography, folds, and faults.

See http://www.geosciml.org/ for more information.

OneGeology has tutorials/cookbooks on using GeoSciML and serving data via WMS and WFS.