Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:59:40 GMT

Applying OPML to Earth science

I'm into geology, and like to think about ways to use the internet to enhance comprehension of geoscience. I'm already nuts about the potential of Google Earth for this.

It occurs to me that outlines are an ideal way to express stratigraphical relationships. Even simple horizontal layers of rock that haven't been messed about by tectonics need organising into stratigraphical schemes to enable geologists to understand their relationships, and how they were formed. Sometimes those relationships get quite complicated, and being able to collapse and expand views of parts of the stratigraphy in OPML Editor might make it a lot easier to comprehend the geology.

How detailed you want to get about stratigraphy is up to you: you can look at large scale features, say, the different coloured rock layers that you see when you look into the Grand Canyon. Or you can zoom in to millimetre, grain of sand size (or smaller). Each subdivision can be represented by a new subheading in the outliner.

The real usefulness of this is in the collaboration enabled by OPML inclusion. As Dave says, authorship of nested OPML directories (stratigraphic subdivisions) can be delegated, in this case to geoscientists with knowledge of the geology in question.

Geological boundaries mean that there are limits to how much of an area can be cleanly represented in an outline, but inclusion enables the linking together of as many strata as the geology allows. A ~~World~~ Earth Outline!

When I get some time I'll post an example stratigraphic outline.

Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:49:06 GMT

Last night I googled my username, and came across part of a cached post by Amyloo, mentioning my Leo McGarry header graphic. Amy's blog dumped some of her files the other day, and that post doesn't seem to be among those she recovered. So I don't know what she said because the Google cache didn't recall it all, but it's nice to know there's another West Wing fan on OPML, and thanks for noticing me, Amy!

Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:43:19 GMT

As promised, here is the direct link to the streaming Real video of Paxman's interview with Bill Clinton (13 mins). Today he met Colin Powell.

Messing About with the River

Applying OPML to Earth science