Integrating Geological Information in City Management to Prevent
Environmental Risks― GeoInforM ― LIFE06 TCY/ROS/000267
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Study tour of Russian experts to Hamburg
1-5 July, 2007
Report
Originally the study tour was planned for 10 to 14 September, 2007. However, at the 1st Steering Committee Meeting it was proposed to organize it as early as in July.
In accordance with GeoInforM tasks the study visit was organized in order to get acquainted with the experience of storage and processing of geological information in the city environment of Hamburg(Task 5), and of its utilization in city management decisions (Task 2).
Four representatives of the Committee for Nature Use, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety (Beneficiary) and one representative of Mineral company (Partner 4) took part in the study tour.
- Ivan A. SEREBRITSKY, Head of Department for the State Regulation in the Field of Nature Use and Environmental Protection, Committee for Nature Use, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety
- Marina A. KOROBEINIKOVA, Head, the Division for International Cooperation and Environmental Education, Committee for Nature Use, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety
3. Alexey P. VISHNYAKOV, Chief expert, Division for the State Regulation in the Field of Environmental Protection
4. Liubov B. BOROVITSKAYA, Leading expert, Sector of Sustainable Use and Protection of Mineral Resources
5. Igor V. BOGATYREV, Deputy Director, “Mineral” state unitary company
The following Hamburg experts were participating in the meetings:
- Mr. Dirk Spengler, coordinator o the Project from Hamburg side
- Dr. Renate Taugs, Head of the Geological Survey of Hamburg
- Dr. Jürgen Ehlers, Head of the geological surveying and mapping
- Dipl. Geol. Giesela Kersting, geological data, geological surveying and mapping
- Dipl. Geol. Ingolf Stüven, Geoinformationsystem, geological surveying and mapping
- Dipl. Min. Jens Kröger, Hydrogeology, geological 3D Modelling
- Dipl. Hydr. Lothar Moosmann, Hydrogeology, Groundwatermodelling
The experts of the company FUGRO, Berlin
1.Donat, Jörg
2.Donat, Elena
3.Remus, Wolfgang
July 1, Sunday
arrival of the Russian experts, meeting the Hamburg team
July 2, Monday
Meetings at the State Ministry for Urban Development and Environment; main topics:
-borehole data and geological GIS mapping database structures,
-transformation of borehole data
July 3, Tuesday
Meeting at FUGRO Consult GmbH, Berlin, a company which is commissioned by the Hamburg Ministry to develop and maintain the geological database.
July 4, Wednesday
Meetings at the State Ministry for Urban Development and Environment; main topics:
-training course: transformation of borehole data
-3D-geological modelling, integration of geological cross-sections to 3D-Models
-groundwater modelling in Hamburg
July 5, Thursday
Departure of Russian experts to St. Petersburg
During the visit the Geological Service of Hamburg organized workshops and meetings with experts on the following subjects:
1. Techniques for collection and storage of data provided by drilling engineering and geological wells and boreholes.
Since long time ago the Geological Service of Hamburg has established and used the procedure for collection and storage of data from engineering and geological boreholes. Main stages of the procedure are as follows:
- getting data from companies, which drill the boreholes. The information comes as drill logs having a standard form (the State standard of data logging), as well as the samples of rock from all lithological layers;
- authenticity check of geological description in comparison with the rock samples. The check is made by the Geological Service. If necessary, the description is updated;
- introduction of geological description into the database. For that a specialized software is used, which makes the digital coding using the dictionary unified for all Germany;
- the information is stored using the database management system Oracle.
At present the database contains the description of more than 23000 boreholes, the oldest of them date back to the end of XIX century.
The Geological Service performs a regular modernization of the borehole description matrix to meet the requirements of new tasks to be solved and to adapt it to new methodological and technical solutions. In view of this, the retrospective information is transferred into new storage formats.
The description of geological strata uses the formalized language of formulas, which enables to give a flexible description of the core rock characteristics, including the intermediate layers.
Beside the formalized descriptions the database stores the scanned paper originals.
The 1:500 scale maps are used for the spatial links of the data.
2. Structure of the database on engineering and geological boreholes.
The following principles underlie the concept of the database on engineering and geological boreholes.
Main components of the borehole description stored in the database are the masthead data and layer-by-layer description (profile) of the borehole well.
The masthead block contains the general data on the borehole: ID (archive) number, coordinates of the collar and absolute altitude mark, depth, groundwater level, date of drilling, customer company, ownership, conditions of operation, etc.
The profile (layer-by-layer) description includes the archive number of the borehole, depth, thickness and geological characteristics (stratigraphy, petrography, genesis, color, etc.) of each stratigraphic layer.
Data of both blocks are arranged as tables having the archive number as the key. There is a possibility for storing several versions of layer-by-layer descriptions (profiles); each of them can contain the information of different types (data on the borehole structure, geological field description, post-interpretation geological description, etc.).
3. Access to the borehole data and their visualization.
Users’ access to the borehole data kept in the database is arranged in the two following ways.
Main way – access within the local net of the Geological Service. It is provided for the staff workers of the Geological Service. The access instrument is the ArcGLA – dedicated extension module for the desktop GIS of the end-user of ArcView 3.2, which has the function of data selection and analysis. Borehole search system can use one of the criteria: borehole number, address, coordinates, number of map sheet of scale 1:500. The borehole collar is shown on the map; the raster topographic layer, vector layers of geological map or of the city infrastructure can be used as the substrate. The map can also show geological characteristics of individual geological layers in the boreholes.
If requested, the borehole of interest can be presented in different ways: text description (similar to the first archive entry about the rock), table or borehole log in any specified scale. The description is compiled using the information from the database in the online regime.
At present the Geological Service of Hamburg has developed and started the trial operation of the accesses to the borehole information using the Internet-oriented interface (Bohrdatenportal). This approach provides the access of a wider group of interested users. Internet-oriented interface provides practically the same functional opportunities, as the local net, taking into account authorization of different users’ groups.
In order to popularize the possibilities of using geological information on the city territory the generalized borehole data for the Hamburg territory has been published on the Google EarthMap portal.
4. Computer means for describing geological databases, instruments for its introduction and visualization.
Software package GeoDIN developed by the Fugro Consult GMBH is used for describing sources of geological information (boreholes, monitoring wells), as well as for establishing databases; and using them and for visualization and data analysis in the conventional form for the professionals in geology.
Means of data presentation enable to determine the structure of geological information, which characterizes a concrete object. The description includes matrices of tables with the essential inventory of parameters, dictionaries, standard search criteria and models of the information presentation forms (tables, diagrams, plots, geological logs).
Means of information input provide data introduction in accordance with the mentioned structure; they use appropriate dictionaries. Freely available Shuttle module is used for the data introduction, it enables to perform the distributed preparation of unprocessed data with their further incorporation into the integrated database.
The means for information visualization provide data search and selection from the base using diverse criteria, as well as their visualization as tables, diagrams, graphs and borehole logs. There are also means for interactive plotting of geological profiles using the log data.
The complex has a modular structure; it is available in different versions. In most versions the complex is used as a desktop system for a user; the MS Access is used as the basic database management system. There is also an option of customer-server architecture, which incorporates Oracle or MS SQL Server as the database management system
5. 3-D modelling of the geological medium
The Geological Service of Hamburg uses the 3-D modelling of the geological medium mostly for solving hydrogeological problems. GoCAD software product is used for the purpose. The 3-D model of geological environment has a layer-by-layer configuration. Its information base is the data on the borehole profile, geological cross-sections and geological maps of the territory. At the first stage the interpolation is performed by the method of triangulation of absolute marks of the stratigraphical horizon roof using the borehole data; this is later specified using cross-section lines and geological maps. The staged plotting of strata results in the unified 3-D model of the geological medium.
6. Groundwater flow modelling in Hamburg conditions.
In Hamburg the groundwater flow modeling is performed for the purposes of water supply from subsurface sources and for the modeling of groundwater pollution migration, in order to protect the water quality. MODFLOW Processing software product is used for the modelling. Its information base is the 3-D model of the geological medium complemented by hydrogeological characteristics (porosity, permeability, filtration coefficient, etc.). During the discussions examples were shown, which illustrated how the models were used for the evaluation of a possible salinization of groundwater at excessive water intake, also for the solution of a problem related to the groundwater protection from pollutants penetrating from old garbage landfills.
The discussion of mentioned aspects of geological information applications in Hamburg has resulted in acquiring useful experience and extensive materials, which can be applied when the Geological Service of St. Petersburg is established.
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