FOSS4G SOTM Oceania 2024

Creating a geological database using historic and contemporary information
11-06, 11:00–11:25 (Australia/Hobart), Anglesea Room

This talk will outline the tools and methods used to create a geological database using a variety of open-source software but focused on QGIS and WebODM.


Geotechnical practitioners routinely use publicly available geoscientific information to provide context to site specific investigations. However, in NZ (and in Australia) much of the information from geological survey organisations have been created at a regional scale and with time, may not reflect more recent work and datasets. Furthermore, these practitioners may not have the skillsets and resource to compile more detailed mapping. In Gisborne, NZ the availability of recent LiDAR along with a variety of contemporary and historic digital datasets provided an opportunity for me to process, interpret and package this information for the benefit of the local community, council and private consultants.
The datasets include historic orthophotos created using WebODM; drillhole data with modelled surfaces (QGIS); and geological and geomorphic vector mapping (QGIS) using appropriate data models. This talk will showcase aspects of this project with an emphasis on the tools and workflows employed.

Colin is a semi-retired geologist based in Hobart who has worked in the fields of regional mapping and engineering-geology in NZ, Australia and the USA for government entities. He is an early adopter of GIS technology and since 2016 has been teaching GIS to geotechnical practitioners in NZ, Australia and Nepal on behalf of their professional societies.

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