Geoscience after IT: Part I. A view of the conventional geoscience information system

We need a strategy to cope with fundamental changes in our ways of working, based on a clear view of what we do and why. A systems view is essential to relate each part to the whole. This model of the geoscience information system should take into account: the need to separate data and process to enable reuse; the modes of thought of the geoscientist and how memory orders our thoughts; the shared geoscience record (knowledge base) and its interface with users; how ideas are linked as a network; how knowledge is organized; how a general overview can be maintained and linked to detail; how projects relate business objectives to the knowledge base and incentives keep the system alive.