EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

September 2024 Virtual Meeting

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Monday, September 9, 2024
6:00 - 7:30 pm

Note: ETGS members will receive an email with info for logging into the meeting.
 

September Presentation

Developing an ArcGIS Toolbox for Automated Roadside Outcrop Detection: A Case Study of Tennessee
 

By

Robert Moore
Senior Undergraduate Student
Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, TN


Abstract

A significant challenge in the geoscience community when initiating studies in new regions is the absence of a comprehensive database that includes local outcrop locations of geologic formations, their precise geographic coordinates, and their geologic ages. Moreover, accessible outcrop locations often remain unknown to researchers due to their remote nature or lack of documentation. To address this, we utilized publicly available light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, road centerline features, county and geologic polygon data sources provided by the USGS and Tennessee Geological Survey. Our study focused on the entire state of Tennessee. We systematically located, extracted, and filtered roadside outcrop data across this region. The identified locations were then organized and ranked based on multiple criteria (e.g., distance from roadway, area of exposure, length of face) to generate a quality score. This process involved two Python-based ArcGIS Pro tools and an additional custom application that we developed. The ArcGIS Pro tools function as query-based dialogue boxes, prompting users to connect and organize input data based on county, state, and geologic formation name. The custom application enables the verification of our identified locations by checking their visibility in Google Street View. Throughout development, we incrementally scaled up the quantity of data from individual LiDAR tiles to entire counties and then to multiple counties, to test processing load limitations. Our study geospatially identified a total of 9,989 outcrops. Of these, 2,336 locations (~23%) were filtered out due to the lack of available street view imagery. The remaining 7,653 outcrops (~77%) yielded usable street view imagery. The dataset produced ~78% usable locations. This increased to ~86% when the locations within city polygons were excluded. This accounted for ~33% of the 7653-location set. Overall, this research presents a novel method for detecting accessible rock outcrop locations in a region based on county, state, and geologic formation name, significantly reducing the time needed for field-based reconnaissance.
 

Biography
 

Robert Moore is a senior undergraduate student at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, TN. He is on track to graduate in December 2024 with dual bachelor's degrees in Earth Sciences (Geology) and Music Performance and Composition. His passion for science is enriched by his experiences in the arts, fostering a unique and creative perspective that benefits both disciplines.

Robert's professional experience includes working with advanced laboratory equipment such as XRD, ICP-MS, ICP-OES, AAS, and LA ICP-MS. Additionally, he earned an MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) certification during his most recent internship.

Over the past year and a half, Robert has honed his research skills under the guidance of his thesis advisor, Dr. Gourab Bhattacharya. Robert's research includes organizing and executing fieldwork, processing geological samples, creating customized scripts for ESRI's ArcGIS Pro software and app development.

 

 

Greetings, and welcome to the September 9, 2024 ETGS virtual meeting.
 

If you attend via Zoom as a courtesy please mute your cell phone or the microphone in your laptop/tablet to minimize background noise and feedback echos. We will also make an effort to mute all participants - at least until the presentation is finished. Please use the chat feature to type any comments or questions you may have. We recommend that you send questions for the speaker to "everyone" so all participants can see the question. In the interest of time, we may hold the Q&A at the end of the presentation.

We will create an in-person and virtual attendance list. It is not always possible to tell who is participating on-line, especially for those joining by phone, so please email etgs@live.com to be listed on the attendance sheet. Let us know exactly how your name should appear on the list. We will add a note explaining the lack of signatures due to remote participation and have an ETGS officer sign as usual.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we try this online format. As always, we welcome and appreciate your feedback and suggestions for improvement.

 

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President
David Carlone

Vice President
Open

Secretary
J. Brad Stephenson

Treasurer
Seaira Stephenson

Webmaster/Social Media Coordinator
Bob Gelinas

 

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Page updated August 18, 2024