Geographic Information Systems

The Geographic Information Systems Section of the Department of Spatial Information Systems of the Saudi Geological Survey (Fig. 2) undertakes technical tasks, serving all of the different specialized fields of geology. The Department comprises different units: the Digital Mapping Unit, the Spatial Databases Unit, and the Spatial Applications Unit, all of which contributes to the GIS needs and requirements of technical projects under the SGS framework and interests in geology, engineering geology, environmental geology, marine geology, and other geoscience fields. The technical and scientific staff of the Department possess geological and engineering expertise and formal academic degrees. Equally important, the Department is equipped with updated high-tech systems and devices, which contribute in meeting the increasing demands on GIS services within and outside of the SGS. These devices and the systems are maintained to keep up with the major developments in software development and data processing.

Unit divisions of the Information Technology and Communication Department

Digital Mapping Unit

Digital Geologic Maps

Seismic Activity Maps

Map of the Al-Namas region, indicating the epicenters and magnitudes of earthquakes, the distance between fault intersections and Al-Namas City, and the distance between the fault lines and the Halbaa' Dam

Hydrogeologic Maps

The locations of the groundwater wells in the Al-Awsat Water Basin, the sites of farms, and the concentrations of total solid salts that are dissolved in the groundwater

Environmental Studies

Maps of the Madina region, showing the locations of the samples taken from the governorate areas for environmental studies

Topographic Maps

Engineering Geology Studies

Engineering geology maps of Medina with the focal areas of the studies that were conducted in the region, especially those dealing with land use and zonation for the purposes of urban development

Geologic Hazard Maps

Satellite imagery of Jeddah, marked with the locations of existing dams of open canals, the natural canals, the main water streams, the borders of the Jeddah basin, and the borders of the districts

Training and Workshops

Technical staff in a lecture session at the SGS Technical Training Center