| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 8, 1997 |
Contact Nick Claudy: (703) 379-2480 E-mail: nclaudy@agiweb.org |
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David Stevens (orders): (703) 379-2480 E-mail: geopubs@agiweb.org |
ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- Throughout most of this century, petroleum companies, minerals companies, and geological surveys in the United States have systematically acquired a vast amount of information about our nation's physical resources. Much of the data was stored in company offices, warehouses, and repositories for decades. But as more and more U.S. corporations transfer their oil, gas, and minerals exploration activities overseas, the American Geological Institute (AGI) is coordinating a nationwide effort -- involving industry, academia, and government agencies -- to preserve the data in public repositories. As part of that endeavor, AGI has just published the first National Directory of Geoscience Data Repositories to enable all users to locate the geological data that they need.
Data listed in the new directory include maps, well logs, core, seismic data, and a variety of other types of geoscience information.
To prepare the directory, questionnaires were mailed to state geologists, more than 60 geological societies, private-sector data centers selected from oil and gas directories, and to the membership committee of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, one of AGI's member societies.
The directory contains 124 repository listings, organized alphabetically by state. Listings include the repository's name, address, contact person, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address. Facts about the size of the staff, repository type (Public/Academic, Private/Commercial-Proprietary), data-access fee, catalog and index type, data delivery media (online, paper, film, fiche), quantity and type of holdings, data-center services, and geographic areas (i.e., Colorado Plateau, mid-continent, Eastern onshore) of the holdings (by type and media) are also included.
Appendix I consists of a cross-referenced matrix of broad data types (such as geophysical data, drill-hole data, field/pool information, maps and location information, and geographic areas of holdings). Appendix II is the survey questionnaire. AGI plans to issue new editions of the directory on a two-year cycle, and a continuously updated version will be available on the World Wide Web later this year.
The National Directory of Geoscience Data Repositories, edited by Nicholas H. Claudy, costs $9.95, including shipping. Prepayment is required, and checks should be made payable to the American Geological Institute. To order, contact David Stevens at AGI, 4220 King St., Alexandria, Va. 22302-1502. Telephone: (703) 379-2480; fax: (703) 379-7563; e-mail: geopubs@agiweb.org.