US-Egypt Cooperative Research: A Web-based GIS for Egypt's Geological Datasets

该奖项旨在支持纽约州立大学布法罗分校地质部Mohamed Sultan博士与埃及开罗埃及地质调查和矿务局(EGSMA)副主任Zeinhom El Alfy博士之间的合作研究项目。调查人员计划为埃及的地质数据集开发一个基于网络的地理信息系统关系数据库。它将包括数字地形高程数据、数字化地质图、遥感、地震、地质年代学、地球化学和同位素数据。他们将汇编和组织数据集，开发元数据文件，并组装用于可视化的在线工具。地理信息系统和基于网络的技术将为数据集成、可视化和建模提供具有成本效益的工具，并将促进跨学科研究。范围：开发大型数据库(如GERM、PETDB、GEOEC、UNAVCO、TRANES)的需求正在增加，特别是通过将化探、地质年代学、地球物理和遥感数据进行时空整合来解决全球规模的地质问题。开发地方数据库，例如这里为埃及提出的数据库，将在地方和/或区域范围内服务于类似的目的，并有可能与全球数据集相结合。该项目是朝着建立中东和北非综合网络地理信息系统数据库迈出的重要一步。美国和埃及的私人投资机构在处理栅格和矢量数据以及遥感和地理信息系统技术方面拥有丰富的经验，并有能力实施这一项目。该项目的成果将直接应用于埃及的科学研究以及资源管理的实际问题，如该地区的水资源和矿产资源研究。目前正在计划通过互联网与科学界共享这些数据。该项目得到了美国-埃及联合基金计划的支持，该计划为两国的科学家和工程师提供资助，以开展这些合作活动。

0318540SultanDescription: This award is to support a cooperative research project between Dr. Mohamed Sultan, Department of Geology, SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York and Dr. Zeinhom El Alfy, Associate Director at the Egyptian Geological Survey and Mining Authority (EGSMA), Cairo, Egypt. The investigators plan to develop a web-based GIS relational database for geological datasets for Egypt. It will comprise digital terrain elevation data, digitized geologic maps, remote sensing, seismic, geochronologic, geochemical, and isotopic data. They will compile and organize datasets, develop metadata files, and assemble online tools for visualization. The GIS and web-based technology will provide cost-effective tools for data integration, visualization, and modeling and will promote interdisciplinary research. Scope: Demand for the development of large databases (e.g., GERM, PETDB, Georoc, UNAVCO, PLATES) is increasing, especially to address global-scale geologic problems through spatial-temporal integration of geochemical, geochronologic, geophysical, and remote sensing data. The development of local databases such as the one proposed here for Egypt will serve similar purposes on local and/or regional scales and could potentially be integrated with global data sets. The project is an important step towards the construction of a comprehensive web-based GIS database for the Middle East and North Africa. The US and Egyptian PIs have considerable experience in manipulating raster and vector data as well as in remote sensing and GIS technology and are capable of carrying out this project. The products of this project will be directly applicable in scientific studies as well as practical issues of resource management in Egypt, such as in studies on water and mineral resources in this region. Sharing the data with the scientific community over the Internet is being planned. This project is being supported under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to carry out these cooperative activities.