GIS Compilation of Alaska North Slope Geotechnical Data

Geotechnical and geological data relating to the North Slope of Alaska exists in a variety of sources ranging from scanned historical geological maps and reports to site-specific geotechnical investigations, typically stored in separate and sometimes proprietary reports. Obtaining historical geotechnical and geological information is difficult due to the lack of availability of the historical reports. The obstacles in accessing historical information can lead to redundant information being gathered such as expensive drilling programs in areas which have been previously drilled. To capture and provide better access to historical geotechnical and geological data, as well as to prevent drilling unnecessary boreholes on Alaska's North Slope, Golder Associates has compiled historical geotechnical and surficial and near surface geological data and placed it in a GIS database. The compiled database includes publicly available geologic mapping, historical borehole data, and field sites. In addition, a borehole reporting system tool was developed for the GIS system which includes metadata about individual boreholes and actual borehole logs as available. Finally, to incorporate future geotechnical borehole data, a custom publishing tool was developed for updating and maintaining the GIS database.