Delivering Ireland’s geological map data - a map for OneGeology

The Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) are working on the delivery of a WMS and a WFS for delivery of data as part of the Onegeology project. We have used published digital data and data from published paper maps, on shore and offshore. Instead of using the method suggested in the OneGeology Cookbook, using Mapserver, we prefered to try to use our existing GIS infrastructure, which is based on ESRI’s ARCIMS and Moxi Media’s Internet mapping Framework (IMF).
The onshore map is the 1:500,000 scale bedrock map of the island of Ireland, a collaborative product of the GSI and Geological survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) "Bedrock Geological Map of Ireland", 1:500,000 scale compiled by McConnell and Gatley and published by the Geological Survey of Ireland. This map was produced by merging approximately 1300 units on the GSI 1:100,000 map series and the Geological survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI)1:250,000 map of Northern Ireland (NI) into 83 units on the basis of lithostratigraphy and lithology for sedimentary rocks and age and composition for intrusive igneous rocks. Some small or thin units were exaggerated in size so they could be represented. Subtler variation was preserved for extensive rock sequences, such as the Carboniferous limestones.
The offshore data are taken directly from two main data sources as published by Petroleum Affairs Division (PAD). These data sets were compiled by D. Naylor, P. Shannon & N. Murphy.
Several units in this map span Period boundaries. A concern of the geologist who worked on the map, is that any scheme that is developed to unify maps internationally should preserve these "anomalies". OneGeology allows the data to be delivered exactly as it is published by the GSI and PAD, and compared to other published data.