A Web-based system enabling the integration, analysis, and 3D sub-surface visualization of groundwater monitoring data and geological models

Abstract

The 3D Water Chemistry Atlas is an intuitive, open source, Web-based system that enables the three-dimensional (3D) sub-surface visualization of ground water monitoring data, overlaid on the local geological model (formation and aquifer strata). This paper firstly describes the results of evaluating existing virtual globe technologies, which led to the decision to use the Cesium open source WebGL Virtual Globe and Map Engine as the underlying platform. Next it describes the backend database and search, filtering, browse and analysis tools that were developed to enable users to interactively explore the groundwater monitoring data and interpret it spatially and temporally relative to the local geological formations and aquifers via the Cesium interface. The result is an integrated 3D visualization system that enables environmental managers and regulators to assess groundwater conditions, identify inconsistencies in the data, manage impacts and risks and make more informed decisions about coal seam gas extraction, waste water extraction, and water reuse.

Keywords:

• 3D
• sub-surface visualization
• groundwater
• geological model

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge funding from the CCSG, as well as the valuable contributions to the project from the other team members: Chih-hao Yu (School of ITEE), Joan Esterle (School of Earth Sciences), Alex Wolhuter and Jiajia Zheng (CWIMI) and Jim Underschultz (Sustainable Minerals Institute ).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Centre for Coal Seam Gas (CCSG) at the University of Queensland.