GeoStore Data Model

There are three dominant classes, a Section, a Stratum and a Fault which correspond to the basic geological entities Their extensions serve as entry points in the database.

The primary data are digitized geological cross-sections gained from open-cast workings in the Lower Rhine Basin.

Within a single section stratigraphic surfaces and faults are represented as point sets grouped in startigraphic lines (6,7A,8,etc) and fault lines (ERFT0, SWIST0) respectively. A fault line is a continous curve approximated through a polyline represented as an ordered list of points.

The structure of a stratigraphic is more complex since it has breaks on the places of faults. It is modeled by means of intermediate class StratInSection which an ordered list of simple stratigraphical lines. A simple stratigraphical line (StratLine), referred further by default as a stratigraphic line, is defined as a specialization of a geometric polyline class, explicitly extended for the efficient computations with additional topological relationships. Every statigraphic line contains a list of stratigraphical lines located above it (Hanging) and the bounding faults (Left Fault and Right Fault).

Every point on the fault line is defined as a specialization of the geomeric point class. In addition to its 3D-coordinates contains geologically-specific data like stratigraphy and reliability.

A fault is modelled as a surface. A geological stratum is represented geometrically by its bounding surfaces. A startigrahical surface and a fault surface are specialization of a geometric surface Surface , approximated by triangule networks. Each triangle is represented by its three points (the geometry), and its three opposite neighbour triangles (the topology of each triangle). The simplicial complex approach prooved to be a good working basis for the realization of efficient geometric and topological operations on 3D-objects.