Delivering data and information over the internet in a usable fashion

There are three main ways to view Geological Survey of Ireland data and information using the internet.
1. Our main web site
Our data delivery started through our web site, www.gsi.ie, which structure was designed carefully to allow the vast majority of users to quickly find the content they were looking for. The structure was designed after analysis of web statistics for most popular pages, downloads etc. from the old site. Using Microsoft CMS Site Manager in a .NET environment a series of channels and customised templates were created. This allowed the vast bulk of the content to be transferred by staff with a low level of training using simple cut-and-paste and basic web editing.
2. The Department of Communication Energy and Natural Resources Spatial Data pages
The second way that data are delivered is through the Spatial Data Pages. The Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) is a line division of the Department of Communication Energy and Natural Resources. The Spatial Data Pages are an initiative to present all DCENR spatial data in a usable fashion, to enhance public access to information about the Government and DCENR functions. The project supports the Department’s decision to provide as much digital data as possible for free over the web, announced early in 2007. The project delivers DCENR spatial data in three ways, a series of web map interfaces (one per Division involved), a series of data download pages containing pre-zipped data bundles, and as a series of web services allowing direct access to the GIS web server for custom integration of the datasets. The addition of open web spatial formats, WFS and WMS means users can integrate the data with their own or third party data without having to rely on a single proprietary software solution. For instance this would allow users to generate web mash ups using DCENR datasets.
3. Interactive Web Data Delivery System (IWDDS)
An Interactive Web Data Delivery System (IWDDS) as being set up primarily to deliver georeferenced marine and terrestrial data gathered by the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) and the Marine Institute (MI). This now contains nearly 7Tb of data. The bulk of the data is high-resolution multibeam bathymetry data and associated gravity and magnetic data derived from GSI and MI joint marine survey project INFOMAR, and its predecessor the Irish National Seabed Survey. These projects combine as one of the most extensive marine surveying projects in the world. In addition to offshore data, the GSI uses this repository to deliver extensive bedrock geology, groundwater, quaternary, minerals and geotechnical datasets. These range from 1:10,560 scale geological maps (geotiff format) to high resolution low altitude airborne geophysical surveys (Geosoft .gdb format). The majority of the onshore data is in GIS format (ESRI shapefile).