MANILA – The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) aims to make its geologic maps even easier to use.
The maps are available to the public in "JPEG" format but some MGB clients are requesting to have these documents also in shapefile format which is a geospatial vector data format for geographic information system (GIS) software, said geologist Kevin Tee from the agency's General Geology Section.
He noted MGB is looking into the matter since such clients still need to convert maps they bought from the agency into shapefile-formatted documents, increasing their workload.
"Having ready-to-use shapefile-formatted maps will help facilitate their work," he said.
There is clamor for the shapefile -- a simple, nontopological format for storing the geometric location and attribute information of geographic features. Geographic features in a shapefile can be represented by points, lines, or polygons (areas) -- since this is more flexible than JPEG and is easier to use with geographic information system software, Tee noted.
Ease of use is important so the public can better access information in MGB's geologic maps, he said.
He said among such information is data on different rock types in an area.
Geologic maps are used in activities like land use planning, geohazard preparation as well as water, energy and mineral resource development, he noted.
Tee said MGB continues preparing geologic maps of different areas nationwide.
MGB is also updating its existing geologic maps to reflect the latest conditions in areas these documents cover, he said.
He said geologic mapping of the country may conclude within this decade. (PNA)
