A new geological tool-the data

Today data processing technology offers new and attractive possibilities for creating and exchanging geological data. This technique will be of profit to policy makers and economists establishing national and worldwide reserves; to developing countries comparing their resources potentials with well-studied areas of like geological setting; to geological surveys, computerizing their archives; to explorationists making interregional and intercontinental comparisons; to conservationists keeping track of ephemeral phenomena; to environmentalists making interdisciplinary studies, and to geomathematicians.Much remains to be done, however, in this area where many enthusiastic starts have turned short and have made apparent the necessity of more coordinated efforts.From the information he could gather as Cogeodata research secretary, the author reviews the present state of the art in the subdisciplines of geology, and attempts to mention all the main aspects of geological data file building and interchange.