A review of data processing in the earth sciences in Canada

Much effort is presently being given in Canada to the development of a national system for storage and retrieval of geologic data. Coordination of these efforts is directed by the secretariat of the National Institute for Geoscience Data under guidance of the Geological Survey of Canada. Most files are project oriented but archival files are justified for data whose observations cannot be repeated, such as those for mineral deposits. Presently, extensive file systems have been created for storage of information obtained in petroleum exploration and exploitation, mineral deposits, field mapping, and geochemistry and geophysics. A Canadian Index to Geoscience Data has been prepared and contains references to all maps and reports, published or unpublished, data banks, and all documents on open file for the federal and provincial agencies.SAFRAS, a general, self-adaptive free-format retrieval and storage system, is employed to retrieve data in plain language. Although geologists are using data systems, it will be the coming generation of geologists who will make maximum use of data processing in geology.presented to the Geological Society of Washington, 8 December 1969.