Fracture Systems : Digital Field Data Capture

Fractures, such as joints, faults and veins, strongly influence the transport of fluids through rocks by either enhancing or inhibiting flow. To understand the control that these structures play on subsurface flow, a range of empirical measurements are collected and used for attributing 3D models for flow simulations. Digital field data capture is becoming increasingly popular in the earth sciences as it allows for the rapid data collection and post-collection processing. There are many software platforms available including; SIGMA mobile, FieldMove and Strabo Point, however, these applications are either restricted to specific platforms or are designed for general field data capture and not specifically for fracture data capture. The open source Kobotoolbox in combination with XLSform was used to create 4 forms; Scanline Survey, Circular Survey, Fault Survey and International Society of Rock Mechanics (ISRM) Discontinuity Survey for rapid digital field data capture of fracture networks and rockmass characterisation. The use of a digital form-based approach is advocated as it ensures that data is collected consistently and validated in the field. This system allows for platform independence as it can be run through a mobile application or directly from a web browser. The aim of this application is to allow crowd-sourcing of fracture data through a well constrained and validated methodology that is quick to undertake and easy to understand. In return for data submission, users should be able to retrieve their data as well as any other open data and be able to produce professional reports.