ARTICLE IN PRESS

Computers & Geosciences 32 (2006) 16991708

www.elsevier.com/locate/cageo

A GIS-based borehole data management

and 3D visualization system
James D. McCarthy, Phil A. Graniero
University of Windsor, Windsor, Ont., Canada
Received 30 August 2005; received in revised form 23 February 2006; accepted 18 March 2006

Abstract
The use of subsurface data for problem solving is limited in part by the freedom the user has in their choice of data
structures. If a user is allowed to work with the data in a familiar way, they can spend more time performing analysis tasks
and less time restructuring data, thus increasing productivity and reducing the risks associated with a series of data
modication cycles. Borehole information system (BoreIS) is based upon this principle. Design was guided by interviews
with geologists who were targeted as potential users of the software, and BoreIS was developed as an extension to ESRIs
ArcScene three-dimensional (3D) GIS environment. BoreIS uses borehole or well data supplied by the user to develop a 3D
GIS representation which can be queried, visualized, and analysed. By asking relevant questions about data stored in Excel
spreadsheets, BoreIS can automate many high-level GIS functions so that an inexperienced GIS user can still use the
system. By matching table elements to spatially and geologically signicant terms through the interactive setup, users can
work with the data more closely matched to the geological problem domain. This allows the novice user to use powerful
GIS functions to discover spatial patterns in their data. BoreIS interactive manipulation of terms in complex queries,
simple addition of contoured surfaces, and masking by lithology or formation helps geologists nd spatial patterns in their
data, beyond the limits of data tables and at maps.
r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: 3D GIS; Borehole logs; Well records; Querying; Visualization; Lithology masking; Data integration

1. Introduction
Much of the subsurface research which is being
done is centred on mining, petroleum and oil, and
groundwater and contaminant testing. The process
of discovering patterns in spatially distributed
subsurface data is an important component behind
problem solving in these elds. It is necessary for
Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 519 253 3000x2503;
fax: +1 519 973 7081.
E-mail address: mccartr@uwindsor.ca (J.D. McCarthy).

0098-3004/$ - see front matter r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2006.03.006

those performing research to have enough accurate

data available to them that these patterns may
emerge and reasonable conclusions can be drawn.
Large volumes of subsurface data can be difcult to
manage, and analysing it can be even more difcult.
Trying to nd spatial patterns simply by viewing
tabular data can be nearly impossible. Geologists
sometimes resort to the hand plotting of well log
charts or paper maps, overlaying them to try and
make visual correlations. This procedure can
produce reliable results, but is very time-intensive.
Having computer software which allows interactive

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1700

J.D. McCarthy, P.A. Graniero / Computers & Geosciences 32 (2006) 16991708

displays and visual correlation can save the user

both time and effort and thus increase productivity.
Commercial software packages such as EVS
(www.scienticsoftwaregroup.com) and VIEWLOG
(www.viewlog.com) are example tools which are
used for problem solving with subsurface data. EVS
is a tool primarily used for geologic modelling using
three-dimensional (3D) visualizations, as well as
geostatistical analysis. The aim of EVS is to produce
presentation-quality imagery and animations to be
used by those in elds such as public relations and
risk management. EVS uses the ODBC framework
for database connectivity. VIEWLOG is a tool
which is grounded in its data management functionality. It contains tools for borehole editing, drawing
cross-sections, and mapping. It also contains many
tools for statistical analysis of data, visualizations,
and data exploration. VIEWLOG handles data
from a range of popular databases such as Microsoft Access, SQL Server, and Oracle. It uses
connections based on both ODBC and ADO,
depending on the data source. While both systems
contain many powerful features, they may not t
the workow of smaller-scale companies and
research groups.
Many geologists store and manipulate their data
in spreadsheets. Although tabular in structure, they
often do not easily conform to the strict relational
database structure requirements of systems such as
those mentioned above, which are targeted at
enterprise-scale organizations. The commercial
tools are geared to a more large-scale market,
delivering a large number of diverse features which
may not be suitable for smaller scale or independent
research. For some organizations it may not be
feasible to acquire these types of large-scale
enterprise systems, especially if they only need to
use a subset of the tools they provide. The work in
this paper presents an alternative to these large-scale
enterprise-level systems by combining the functionality of a commercial GIS package with tools geared
directly to users of subsurface data. BoreIS offers
users greater exibility when it comes to the
structure of their data.
Some research tools have been developed in a
similar vein. Chang and Park (2004) developed a
web-based GIS for the management of borehole
data. They used a standardized format for storing
borehole data in a database. Their system allows
web clients to search the archived borehole database
and perform statistical functions. The system
contains information on more than 10,000 bore-

holes in Korea, which is effective for those requiring

use of that particular database. It would be difcult
for an individual user to add data or to supplement
the database with samples stored in a different
format.
Camp and Outlaw Jr. (1993) devised a procedure
for constructing subsurface proles based on well
log data using a GIS. Their system uses a well
database to create user dened cross-sectional
proles which can be interactively viewed using
ArcInfo, with the goal of monitoring groundwater
resources and contaminant ow. ArcInfo at that
time did not easily allow for 3D visualizations.
However, GIS technology has advanced considerably over the past decade since their early work.
Geotouch (Lees, 2000) is open source software
developed for exploratory data analysis. It is a
standalone system written to run in a Unix
environment. It performs much of the same
functionality as a traditional GIS, including support
for multiple data types (line, point, vector, etc.). It
also has facilities for working with data that has a
time element involved such as volcanic eruption or
earthquake data. Data for Geotouch has strict
structural requirements which allow it to perform
complex tasks, however this limits the freedom the
user has in structuring their own data. Also, while
running on the Unix platform provides for faster
operation, it does not easily interoperate with other
tools.
The Borehole information system (BoreIS), introduced in this paper, was developed as a tool to
aid in the management, visualization, querying, and
analysis of borehole data building on ESRIs
established ArcScene 3D software, part of the
ArcGIS software package. If the user is already
familiar with GIS software, then it is an easy
transition between ArcScene and BoreIS. For a user
with no GIS experience a small learning curve will
exist while learning the basic navigation tools,
though most of the complex GIS issues are
automated. BoreIS is intended to provide a subset
of the functionality of larger enterprise-scale subsurface visualization systems with a streamlined set of
features tailored for well and borehole data.
BoreIS interactively explores the users data
stored in Excel spreadsheets, a common format
used by geoscientists to store and organize their
data. Through the use of the BoreIS data discovery
wizard, the restructuring of datasets is minimized,
saving time and reducing the risks associated with
these types of change. The second section of this

ARTICLE IN PRESS
J.D. McCarthy, P.A. Graniero / Computers & Geosciences 32 (2006) 16991708

paper focuses on the design process used during

BoreIS development, including the insights we
gained into our geologists methods and thought
processes that were uncovered. Section 3 is a
description of BoreIS features and implementation,
illustrated with an example project from the CoeurRochester site, a Nevada silver mine. The last
sections point to some future development directions and some general conclusions.
2. Design approach
Regular interviews were conducted with potential
users of this software system, and were key to the
development process. This step of requirementsgathering was the driving force behind the overall
structure of BoreIS. It was an important goal to
understand and accommodate how working geologists organize and think about their samples and the
measurements drawn from them. Our interview
participants conduct research projects which use
samples from wells and boreholes in order to look
for patterns and correlations among geophysical or
geochemical properties. The information gathered
from these potential users resulted in user stories,
which are narrative text documents which attempt
to encapsulate their activities, drawn from the
interviews. This concept is similar to the idea of
scenarios (Carrol, 2000) which are used in usercentred design. Once developed, the stories are
edited by the eld experts to ensure that all details
of the interviews were completely understood by
both sides. This step ensured that all parties
involved in the development of the system had the
same understanding of the concepts involved. These
documents provided a structure upon which the
initial terminology and concepts of the system could
be based. The information gathered in the interview
process included, but was not limited to: (1) the
extraction of rock samples from boreholes and the
subsequent sub-sampling and measurement processes involved in collecting borehole data; (2) the
different formats, organization and structures used
for storing borehole data; (3) the types of data that
are stored and their geological context; and (4) the
different ways in which the data are used.
Samples tended to be collected from boreholes,
but often included surface samples from exposed
benches in open pit mines. Regions within a mine
and separate sample collection campaigns were
usually stored in separate spreadsheets. Each
sample was given a row in a spreadsheet, but the

1701

way in which the sample attributes were organized

and described varied considerably among interviewees. Samples were labelled with different naming
conventions, typically following a hierarchical
organization that included a borehole identier as
one component. Data stored regarding each sample
included visual descriptions and interpretations as
well as the results of geochemical, paleomagnetic, or
statistical analyses.
The user stories guided design decisions which
attempted to maximize usability while minimizing
the load on the user with respect to restructuring
their data and learning new software. The
general sense was that many geologists are aware
of what GIS is and what it can do, but they have
not used GIS themselves. The goal was to design a
system in which the user could use the data
that they had collected without forcing them to
adhere to certain data storage guidelines. Whenever
a user is forced to manipulate their data and its
underlying structure, it may hinder their work on
other aspects of a project. Many of the experiencebased, intuitive insights a geologist draws from a
data set rely on the fact that the geologist has
viewed other data in the same familiar format over a
period of time, and that the most effective format is
unique to the individual geologist. Reorganization
may also open up the risk of data loss and version
inconsistency.
Although those involved in the interviews organized their data in different ways, one common
desire was to nd a way to visualize spatial patterns
in the data that may not be obvious in the tabular
data. They often rely on the difcult process of
scanning data tables or the tedious effort of
producing large numbers of comparative charts or
graphs for visual exploration of the data. The
borehole data was typically stored in Microsoft
Excel spreadsheets, and so browsing or aggregating
the numbers would typically only expose numerical
patterns in the attributes rather than more subtle
spatial patterns. The desire for querying tools
emerged as a way to visually sort or group the data
in order to nd areas which have a certain
characteristic or set of characteristics, and seek
insights from their locations and distribution. In
particular, being able to see that the relative values,
frequencies, or distributions of some attribute
change across different lithologies or formations
was deemed critical to establishing working hypotheses regarding the operative geological processes.
Discovering these spatial patterns and relationships

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1702

J.D. McCarthy, P.A. Graniero / Computers & Geosciences 32 (2006) 16991708

is one of the important goals of geological research,

management, and exploration.
Geologists must use the data for reconnaissance
and planning, so the ability to view data in a 3D
spatial setting without having to resort to paper
maps is a must. Working in a 3D environment was
important, so BoreIS was developed as an extension
to ESRIs 3D ArcScene environment instead of the
two-dimensional ArcMap environment. A decision
was made early in the design process to integrate
BoreIS as an extension for ESRIs software rather
than to design BoreIS as a standalone application,
which is the more common approach among the
systems we reviewed. Since many academic and
research facilities already have access to the ArcGIS
suite of tools, delivering an extension as opposed to
a new tool increases usability and minimizes the
learning curve typically associated with a new piece
of software. By loading the extension into the
ArcScene environment, BoreIS adds on to the
already extensive functionality of ArcScene. The
user can use ArcScenes existing tools, along with
any custom tools they may have already developed,
in conjunction with the BoreIS suite of tools. This
meant that development was largely focused on the
creation of new features. Although the interviewees
were quite aware of the capabilities of a modern
GIS system, they had minimal GIS training
themselves. Therefore, BoreIS was also designed to
manage and guide many of the GIS-centric operations typically associated with GIS systems. Existing
operations such as shapele creation and symbology
denition, which are commonplace to an experienced GIS user but may be problematic for a
novice, are handled automatically by BoreIS.
3. Implementation
The ArcGIS suite of tools can be extended
through the use of COM-based languages. Visual
Basic 6 was chosen since it matches the ArcGIS
development environment and it also interacts well
with Excel data through the use of Microsofts
ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) technology. ADO
allows Excel spreadsheets to be handled as relational databases. Since many organizations are
already familiar with the ESRI family of GIS tools,
users can apply BoreIS on its own, or use it with the
other tools provided by ArcScene.
Using BoreIS is essentially a three step process.
The rst step is the interactive data discovery phase,
during which the user supplies the information

which describes their data. The second step is to

create a shapele from this information. The
shapele creates a spatial representation of the
users tabular data in 3D space. The third step is a
visualization and analysis phase. This is an openended phase where the user can query, visualize, and
analyse their data in any way they see t. The
BoreIS toolbar organizes the tools into three
categories: Project Management, which handles the
rst two steps; and the Visualization Tools and
Masking Tools which are used during the openended third step. These tools are illustrated with the
use of examples where various properties at the
Coeur-Rochester site are explored. The data collected from the mine are stored in Excel spreadsheets and contains both borehole data and samples
collected at various bench marks from blast holes.
Each bench mark level is stored in a separate
spreadsheet, and the boreholes are stored in yet
another spreadsheet. The bench marks and boreholes were originally part of different collections.
The sample naming, organization, and measured
attributes differ between the two collections. Originally, preliminary work on the data was done
using two-dimensional mapping, often attempting
to correlate attributes by using overlays, where a
separate map had to be made for each correlation.
Lithologic contacts were interpreted by eye and
drawn in using editing utilities.
3.1. Project management
The project management tools deal with the
creation and modication of the project le. This
includes project le creation, the data discovery
process, and shapele creation.
Information regarding all aspects of a study area
is stored in a project le which uses the typical
key value structure found in Microsoft .ini or
Java property les. Information regarding lithology
masks, table structures, and spreadsheet details are
stored in the project le along with higher-level data
describing the entire project. The details of a
complex query (Section 3.2) can also be saved so
that the user does not have to spend time rebuilding
a query from scratch. The BoreIS project le works
as a supplementary layer of data on top of an
ArcScene Document (.sxd). The ArcScene Document manages the table of contents, views, and
other aspects of the 3D environment. When a
BoreIS project le is created, a matching ArcScene
Document is created automatically. This le is

ARTICLE IN PRESS
J.D. McCarthy, P.A. Graniero / Computers & Geosciences 32 (2006) 16991708

opened whenever a project le is opened, and saved

and closed whenever a project le is closed.
Once a project is created, the user can add
multiple tables to the project. BoreIS provides a
data discovery wizard which collects information
from the user about the structure of their data and
the location of key elds. Once this information is
collected, BoreIS automatically creates separate
tables and les to handle all of its data management
needs. The data discovery process guides the user
through their dataset via a series of forms which
gather the details describing the data. The wizard
collects information regarding spreadsheet and
worksheet locations, borehole identiers and coordinates, columns containing sample depths, columns containing lithology and formation
descriptions, and other chemical or physical attribute columns that the user wishes to use in the
system. Establishing this link based on eld names

1703

allows the data associated with the shapele to be

viewed exactly as it is structured in the spreadsheet,
even if the spreadsheet structure should change.
Using the data discovery process to set up data also
allows for simple updating. For example, if more
samples are taken from a core and are added to the
data set, the shapele can be recreated with a simple
command, provided that the underlying schema has
not been changed. Since the table information had
previously been stored in the project le, there is no
new setup involved.
Fig. 1 shows a set of the steps in this process as
the data associated with the 6300 m bench mark are
imported into BoreIS. Fig. 1a shows the information collected regarding the location of the spreadsheet data as well as the specic worksheet from
which the data should be extracted. These pieces of
information are used to establish a connection to
the spreadsheet, and limit the selection in future

Fig. 1. Three steps in BoreIS Data Discovery process: (a) collection of spreadsheet details; (b) collection of lithology and formation
information; (c) collection of other attributes.

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1704

J.D. McCarthy, P.A. Graniero / Computers & Geosciences 32 (2006) 16991708

steps to only show columns from the specied

worksheet. Fig. 1b shows the collection of lithology
and formation information, used in the masking
process, described later. Fig. 1c shows the collection
of any remaining data that the user wishes to add to
the project that does not fall into one of the
categories of data already established.
Once the information is gathered, it is stored in
the project le. It records important pointers to key
elds (described above) in the tables that will be
associated with the shapele. Shapele creation then
becomes a simple process of telling BoreIS on which
table to base the shapele, and optionally selecting
or dening a coordinate system. Once the shapele
is created it is automatically added to the projects
table of contents and is ready to be used. The user
may manipulate it using ArcGIS tools just like any
other shapele, or they may use the BoreIS tools as
well.
3.2. Visualization tools
Basic symbology denition and management (such as the display of multi-category or
continuous-value data) is already handled by
ArcScenes symbology tools. Therefore, the BoreIS
visualization tools were designed to visualize data
based on a response to query parameters that
closely align with the geological context of the data
sets.
The tools include two simple queries, one for
categorical data and another for numerical data.
The Symbolize By Value category query prompts the
user to choose one or more text values used to
describe a categorical attribute in a given layer. If a
feature contains one of the selected values it is
coloured true, otherwise it is coloured false. The
Threshold Query for numerical attributes prompts
the user for a layer and attribute, then uses a
comparative operator to check each feature in the
layer against a user-supplied threshold value and
assigns that feature a true or false symbol as
appropriate.
A separate table is maintained in which a true or
false value is assigned to each feature based on the
query result. Once each feature has been examined
the two tables are joined together based on the FID
(feature identication) column, a unique integer
value assigned to each feature. Symbolization is
then performed based on these values. If a query is
repeated, evaluation does not need to be repeated.
BoreIS can respond quite quickly when a user

wishes to visually ip back and forth between two

query results.
The Coeur-Rochester data contains mostly numerical attributes such as chemical concentrations.
The data also contains a Category eld, which
shows the subset of the data that the particular
sample belongs to. For example, data collected from
a specic borehole would have a category of
DDH####, and data collected from a certain
bench level would have a category of LEVEL
####. Suppose, due to the nature of the data, it
became difcult to differentiate the borehole samples from the bench samples, the Symbolize By
Value tool could be used as in Fig. 2 to show the
bench data as one colour, and the borehole data as
another.
To illustrate the use of the Threshold Query tool,
consider the case of identifying where the highest
concentrations of a given element are located, for
example all samples with a lead concentration
greater than 0.4 (Fig. 3). The user could use
ArcGIS Select By Attributes tool to form an

Fig. 2. Symbolize by value tool being used to differentiate drill

hole data from bench level data.

ARTICLE IN PRESS
J.D. McCarthy, P.A. Graniero / Computers & Geosciences 32 (2006) 16991708

1705

Fig. 3. Threshold query tool being used to nd samples with high lead concentration.

Fig. 4. A complex query constructed using BoreIS Query Builder. This query will highlight all samples collected from boreholes in
specied layer which fall in top 20% of both lanthanum and silver concentration. Threshold values were chosen based on a visual
inspection of data set.

SQL-based query, but it is difcult to change the

default selection symbolization. Using the Threshold
Query tool to form a query, the user maintains control
over the symbology and resulting visualization.
The Query Builder is used to combine several
simple categorical or numerical query terms into a
single, complex query. Each query is an interactive
part of the whole query, meaning that it can be
modied, toggled on or off, or removed. Toggling a
certain term on or off will allow the user to quickly
see the effect that the term has on the complex query
as a whole. Again, the user denes the two colours
to be used in the true or false symbolization.
Fig. 4 shows a query constructed using the Query
Builder. The query searches for samples with high
concentrations of both silver (Ag) and lanthanum
(La) in the Coeur-Rochester site. The threshold
values chosen delimit the top 20% of the samples
with respect to chemical concentration. Any samples that fall in the top 20% of both elements will be
highlighted. The Category eld in the sample
data represents a division of the samples into classes
based on the type of sample. Category descriptions
containing DDH represent samples taken from
drill holes, whereas descriptions containing LEVEL are samples taken from a level benchmark.
The categorical query term in this example allows
the user to isolate the sample types. In the case of
Fig. 4 the user only wishes to perform the query on
the borehole data. Fig. 5 shows the results of this

query along with a similar query performed on the

bench data set. The features which passed the query
are shown in black; those that failed are shown in
grey. The user may now visually explore the results
using the 3D navigation tools, evaluating the spatial
grouping of the selected features.
This tool extends the basic implementation
approach of the Symbolize By Value and Threshold
Query tools. The Query Builder uses a table similar
to the simple queries, with one column for each term
in the query. It tracks whether each feature passes
or fails the individual terms, and symbolizes
appropriately. If a term is toggled off, the results
remain in the table but only a subset of the term
true/false result elds are merged rather than reevaluating all of the attribute values.
The Query Builder is the most powerful tool in
BoreIS for helping detect spatial patterns in subsurface data. Applying the same true/false symbology
without the Query Builder would involve editing the
symbology denition of the layer directly. For a
single numerical attribute, this could be acceptable.
However, when dealing with multiple numerical
attributes it becomes more difcult to apply a
unied symbology. The addition of categorical
attributes greatly increases the complexity of the
symbology denition, since instead of symbolizing
based on a mathematical operator (greater than, less
than or equal, etc.), a symbol must now be applied
to several unique values. Using the Query Builder,

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1706

J.D. McCarthy, P.A. Graniero / Computers & Geosciences 32 (2006) 16991708

Fig. 5. Visualization showing sample data from Coeur-Rochester mineral deposit including results of query in Fig. 4. Black features
represent samples which have highest concentrations of both silver and lanthanum.

the user can build the symbology quickly and make

subtle changes to it without having to repeatedly
edit the layers properties.
3.3. Masking tools
The masking tools are designed to limit the data
which are queried and displayed. A mask of one or
more named lithologies, for example, only the
points within those lithologies will be shown. When
the Query Builder is used, the user has the option of
toggling the current mask to limit the query results.
All mask details are stored in the project le so that
they are available during any work session.
3.4. Convenience tools
Two original ArcScene tools were made more
accessible directly on the BoreIS toolbar. The
Vertical Exaggeration tool allows the user to quickly

stretch or compress the entire data set along

the z-axis. The value can be selected from a predened list, or be automatically set by ArcScene.
In some instances, samples are collected every
few centimetres down a well, but the wells may
be hundreds of meters deep. Vertically stretching
this data would spread out the points along the
vertical axis in order to bring out the ne detail.
Similarly, when boreholes are hundreds of meters
deep, but are spread over several hundred or
several thousand square kilometres, modifying the
vertical exaggeration of the scene will make the hole
depths visible.
BoreIS also puts the Interpolate to Raster tool on
its toolbar. Sample points selected in a new query
can then be drawn on top of the background raster.
This helps visually correlate the distribution of the
two attributes within the same layer. An example of
this can be seen in Fig. 6 which shows an interpolated surface representing SiO2 concentration

ARTICLE IN PRESS
J.D. McCarthy, P.A. Graniero / Computers & Geosciences 32 (2006) 16991708

1707

Fig. 6. A surface interpolated using Interpolate to Raster tool showing concentration of SiO2, overlain by same dataset showing high and
low concentrations of Pb. Black features represent samples with highest concentration of Pb. Darker areas of raster represent areas with
highest concentration of SiO2.

overlain by the same dataset queried to highlight the

samples with high lead concentration.
4. Future development
There are several features which are planned for a
future version of the software which will greatly
extend its functionality. Some examples include
complex labels and symbols for features which
would increase the amount of information conveyed
by each sample when viewed at an appropriate
scale. For example, interview participants suggested
that labels showing compass roses with the orientation of multiple magnetic properties were potentially useful. Also, the ability to create estimated
volumes in between boreholes based on a given
attribute is planned for the next version of BoreIS.
Other potential features include performing 3D
correlations between two data sets to determine the

relationship between two properties. Finally, expanding masking capabilities to include quantitative
masks would increase exibility.
Further extensions to the data access and
management system will give the user the ability
to use Microsoft Access databases as well as other
common database formats. A system which automatically detects changes in the source data and
allows the user to apply those changes in the
shapeles would also be useful. It would be even
better to use the existing source data directly as the
attribute table associated with the shapele.
5. Conclusions
BoreIS is a tool which can be used to support
subsurface data storage, manipulation, and visualization for smaller organizations without strict
enterprise data structure demands. It ts into

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1708

J.D. McCarthy, P.A. Graniero / Computers & Geosciences 32 (2006) 16991708

several parts of the general workow. It can be used

to familiarize the user with their data by exploring it
visually and in three dimensions. It can be used as a
simple querying tool to answer simple questions
about geological characteristics in a spatial context.
It can be used as an investigative tool, allowing
users to interactively nd spatial patterns in their
data through querying and visual inspection. It
is also capable of producing presentation-quality
output.
The BoreIS toolset was designed with input from
geologists who were targeted as potential users of
the software. Interviews with these professionals
provided an understanding of the way that people in
the eld store, manipulate, view, and think about
their data. They also shed light onto problems that
exist with current data storage methods and how
they may be addressed. By drawing on the
experiences, suggestions, and stories of potential
users, BoreIS provides users with a streamlined set
of tools which were guided in development by
industry professionals.
Loading data into BoreIS is done through a data
discovery wizard which gathers relevant information about the users data in order to understand the
underlying structure of the users data. BoreIS
automatically looks after all of the GIS-based
details that data setup typically requires such as
creating shapeles and setting base heights. This
allows for the use of the software by those not
familiar with GIS software, while extending the
functionality of ArcScene for experienced GIS
users. Querying and visualization tools help users
view their data based on any attribute in their

dataset, and nd patterns in their data. When used

in conjunction with the masking tools, the user can
further rene their questions and lter out data not
related to their current exploration. Using these
tools in combination with each other and the rest of
the ArcScene suite increases the functionality of the
software to a level which allows for intelligent and
thoughtful analysis with a minimized learning
curve.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to particularly thank Dr.
Iain Samson and Dr. Maria Cioppa for their willing
participation and for supplying sets of test data. Mr.
McCarthy was supported by an ESRI Canada
Student Scholarship Award during completion of
this work. Dr. Graniero gratefully acknowledges his
nancial support from NSERC.

References
Camp, C.V., Outlaw Jr., J.E., 1993. Constructing subsurface
proles using GIS. Advances in Engineering Software 18,
211218.
Carrol, J.M., 2000. Making Use: Scenario-Based Design of
HumanComputer Interactions, rst ed. The MIT Press,
Cumberland, RI (382pp.).
Chang, Y., Park, H., 2004. Development of a web-based
geographic information system for the management of
borehole and geological data. Computers & Geosciences 30
(8), 887897.
Lees, J.M., 2000. Geotouch: software for three and four
dimensional GIS in the earth sciences. Computers &
Geosciences 26 (7), 751761.