geoUte

A sound technical database is without question the best place to collect, manage and analyse your valuable technical data resource.

The biggest challenge however can be getting that data, particularly from historical data collections, assembled and cleaned up to load into the database in the first place!

GDD’s geoUte utilities can assist greatly with these tasks, providing individual tools to perform a variety of data identification, distillation, assembly and integration, data analysis and document assembly.

What better name than the trusty old ‘GeoUte’! Simply put, these utilities (mostly) are designed to be ‘Simple Tools For The Boring Jobs’

A few of these tools have now been made ‘publically presentable’, and are available for use in your data management activities. These currently include the following

uList - System File Catalogue Generator

Generate file system catalogues for a multitude of uses!

·      Includes file attribute, GPS, georeference data and EXIF data etc

·      Includes files inside ZIP files…

·      Generate scripts to rename, copy, move and reorganise files

·      Retain the catalogue as an audit trail of what you did to what file when!

Use the catalogues as –

·      Checklists – For clean-up or reorganisation exercises

·      Working file lists – for existing or historical data distillation, integration and assembly exercises

·      Input file lists – for other applications

·      Data package content lists – for delivery with data sets

·      Audit lists - for data file management and analysis projects

·      …and a million other things!

 

Read More…

 

uIndex - System Files Indexing System

uList’s ‘Big Brother’, uIndex maintains system file catalogues in a database.

Catalogue all your data partitions on all your networked computers for example

In addition to the uList capabilities, uIndex will -

·      Classify files to indicate -

·      File class and group (data, image, document, system, application…)

·      Application or application class (association with various applications such as GIS or geological modelling systems)

·      Identify potential duplicates - based on the file name, size and modified date

So you can –

·      Query the file lists using SQL

·      Rapidly locate particular files anywhere on your system

·      Generate scripts to copy, move, rename, delete, or extract files and directories

 

uLook – Data Preview and Assembly Utility

Extract the first few records from files of a nominated file type in a directory and subdirectories, or from a list of directories or files prepared earlier. (See uList and uIndex above).

·      Preview multiple data files of different types (ASCII TXT, CSV, Excel, and selected binaries)

·      Review to understand content and structure

·      Group, align columns and combine files into integrated data sets for analysis or loading into your favourite database

This tool enables the rapid identification of the file contents, and more importantly, the grouping of files by say, format, for accelerated data loading exercises for example.

 

uAuto - Automatic Data Grid Viewer

Open a gPick ‘Intelligrid’ to review, edit or export any data selection, from any table in your database.

·      Sort

·      Filter in a variety of ways

·      Search

·      Group based on column content

·      Change column order

·      Show or hide selected columns.

·      Generate grid reports

·      Export the resulting data to CSV or Excel

These features make it an incredibly powerful query tool to explore any data table in your database.(If you have permission….)

 

uCrop - Image Cropping and Georeferencing Utility

Crop ‘n slice ‘n dice ‘n splice ‘n join ‘n georeference multiple digital photos, raster images and maps

Promote your images and photos from the filing cabinet to your evaluation data and technical reports!

uCrop crops photos and raster image; it can correct perspective, slice and dice an image into its logical components, and rotate and resize images.

uCrop automates the processing of similar images, renaming them according to their type and attributes.

Specific image type processing capabilities exist  -

·      Drill core tray and in-barrel photos

·      Percussion chips

·      Maps, satellite and other spatial images

If the geoUte uLog Logging Frame was used for the core photography, all the images can be cropped and annotated automatically

 

uDBA - DBA Tools for Access and SQL Server

A tool for DBA and developers, uDBA generates –

·      Catalogues of  database schema components,

·      Database object checklists and reports for development management, clean-up and checking etc.

uDBA also has tools to perform some specific database updates, corrections or fudges to ensure database uniformity and completeness

 

 

uLabel – File and Image Viewing and Identification

View image files directly inside a uList or uIndex catalogue

·      Assemble image data, attributes and components (hole no., depths etc.)

·      Construct a meaningful file name, and rename the files

·      Inspect and extract additional EXIF data

·      Open files or containing folders directly from Excel

·      Create load lists for image cropping (uCrop). Data assembly (uLook) etc.

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uLog – Core Photography and Logging Station

A photography frame designed to allow the creation of consistent, high quality photos or chip and core trays, specimens or anything else you want to stick on the table!.

·      Tray locators ensure static position for cropping

·      Overhead daylight LED lamps provide consistent lighting

·      Rail system allows incremental photos ‘undisturbed’ in the core barrel for geotech analysis; flip it and do both sides!

·      Slim whiteboard provides scale and colour reference image

·      When used in conjunction with uSnap (included), the acquisition and intelligent naming of core and chip photos is quick and easy !

 

uSnap - Photo Capture and Annotation Tool

Remote control the camera used on the uLog Logging Frame

·      Preview and focus

·      Zoom

·      Shoot!.

Manage and process photos taken –

·      Add names

·      Add data to pre-configured data fields or group identifiers

·      Add notes, or audio notes if your hands are grubby!

 

uWurd - Image and Formatting Tools for MS Word

An MS Word Ribbon add-In to assist in the compilation of technical reports -

·      Insert multiple images –

·      Set a size; include a border and caption (that moves with the image!)

·      Format existing images in the document –

·      Performs the same magic on images already in the document, prompting for a size and caption if required.

·      Create dynamic headers and footers –

·      headers and footers that adjust to span the page correctly on portrait and landscape pages on different sized pages.

·      Add special note icons and text –

·      Insert an icon in the margin

·      Insert text for notes, tips, suggestions, warnings, important, danger (etc.) to draw special attention to these.

 

uMatch - Data Comparison and Matching Utility

Match of two sets of columns in different tables based on column contents.

For example, compare code / description master lists such as lithology or alteration codes coming from different data sets; the utility can be applied to any set of alpha-numeric data columns from two data sources.

Configure rules for each column pair to -

·      Indicate whether an exact match is required, or whether near-enough might be good enough! (That’s the fuzzy logic…)

·      Define match score intervals and actions

Once the matching process has run –

·      Confirm those with a perfect match are OK

·      Confirm or reject those with a near match

·      Decide on actions required for the others that didn’t!

 

uCheck - Validation and Integrity Checking Utility

Create and run a series of validation and integrity tests against objects in your gPick or other database

These tests can be –

·      Simple range or comparison statements

·      Individual SQL statements

·      Groups of SQL statements or more complex stored procedures

They can be set to run –

·      Automatically when new data is added to the database

·      Manually as required –

·      Individually

·      By data type groups etc.

·      Or for everything, to check all is still well in the state of Denmark…

Test results are held in a database table for analysis, and a report generated.

A good use case might be the verification of all data about to be utilised for a mineral resource or ore reserve estimation exercise, or just prior to asking the chief geologist for a pay rise….

 

uSemble - Complex Document Assembly Tool

uSemble is a utility for the assembly of complex, multi-section reports using your database data and linked objects.

The reports are generated in MS Word so you can edit and add to them.

A uSemble report can include –

·      Static text, images and formatting

·      Data and text from your database

·      Related linked-object images and maps etc.

uSemble uses a ‘master’ Word document template and a series of additional templates that are inserted as sections and sub-sections where required

An example is the creation of a drillhole log report, which might assemble the collar, survey, geological and geotechnical logging data, and assays, including the various environmental compliance site photos, chip and core photos, and geophysical log details as appropriate.