Development of a SuperCard Interface for Dynamic Digital Maps in Geology Instruction

该项目使本科生能够以新开发的独立“超媒体”编程格式（SuperCard）生成高质量的彩色地质图，该格式将辅助数据与这些地图联系起来，称为“动态数字地图”。动态数字地图“模板”将使任何地质学家能够插入地图、图形、照片和数据，并将使整个地质界受益。这些模板将为在计算机环境中出版和分发高质量彩色地质图提供一种全新的媒介，包括所有辅助数据（例如化学或结构数据），这些数据以易于获取的格式与这些地图联系起来。因为所有数据都可以从程序中保存为以制表符分隔的ASCII格式文件，所以数据很容易访问并准确地转移给其他工作人员。此外，由于采用数字格式，可以包含大量数据，所有这些数据都可以通过互联网、软盘或CD-ROM轻松分发。学习这些技术的学生将大大受益于使台式计算机成为解决地质问题的更有效的工具；此外，拥有这些技能使他们更容易被雇佣。

This project enables undergraduate students to generate high-quality color geologic maps in a newly developed stand alone "hypermedia" programming format (SuperCard) that links ancillary data with these maps, termed "dynamic digital maps". The dynamic digital map "templates" will enable any geologist to insert maps, figures, photographs, and data, and should benefit the entire geologic community. These templates will offer an entirely new medium for the publication and distribution of high-quality color geologic maps in the computer environment, including all ancillary data (for example, chemistry or structural data), linked to these maps in an easily accessible format. Because all data can be saved from the program to tab-delimited ASCII format files, the data are easily accessible and accurately transferable to other workers. Also, because of the digital format, a wealth of data can be included, all of which can be easily distributed by Internet, on diskettes, or CD-ROM. Students learning the techniques needed to do this will benefit greatly in making desktop computers a more productive tool for solving geologic problems; in addition they become more employable by having these skills.