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Compilation of a Relational Digital Database for Monitoring and
Management of
Geo-Environmental Data in Crete Region
PANTELIS SOUPIOS(1), APOSTOLOS SARRIS(2), GIORGOS PAPADAKIS(2), MICHALIS
PAPAZOGLOU(2), FILIPPOS VALLIANATOS(1), JOHN P. MAKRIS(1)
(1) Department of Natural Resources & Environment, Department of Electronics
Technological Educational Institute of Crete
Romanou 3, Halepa, 73133, Chania, Crete, Greece
soupios@chania.teicrete.gr, http://www.chania.teicrete.gr
(2) Laboratory of Geophysical – Satellite Remote Sensing & Archaeo-environment
Institute for Mediterranean Studies, Foundation for Research & Technology, Hellas (F.O.R.T.H.)
Melissinou & Nik. Foka 130, 74100, Rethymno, Crete, Greece
asaris@ret.forthnet.gr, http://www.ims.forth.gr
Abstract: - This work provides a description of data and processes used to produce a database that delineates geo-
environmental related features covering the geographical context of the island of Crete in South Aegean. Since 1996,
the Institute for Mediterranean Studies (IMS) of the Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (F.O.R.T.H.)
and more recently the Department of Natural Resources & Environment (DNRE) of the Technological Educational
Institute of Crete (Chania Section), have been collecting a wide range of geo-environmental data including geological,
hydro-geological, hydrological, geophysical, meteorological and energy data. The data originated from maps,
technical reports, research projects, bibliographic references, catalogues, and other conventional formats and have
been entered into different relational databases which support a link with the geographic context of Crete, in terms of
topographic, land-use and geological maps. The data cover information from different earth sciences and in their easy
retrieval trough a Web portal could promote the identification and evaluation of natural resource potential,
development and management, and address possible environmental concerns, such as natural hazards.
Key-Words: - Relational database, MySQL, geo-environmental data, geo-informatics, natural hazards.
1. Introduction
Due to its unique geomorphological and
tectonic environmental settings, the island of Crete has
been the focus of a number of studies and fieldwork
projects dealing with the geo-environmental
characteristics of the island. In order to create the
necessary information platform upon which one could
proceed in a systematic way towards the monitoring of
the natural and environmental resources of the island, it
was considered essential to collect all the available data
and try to compile different databanks for the easier
retrieval of them. This kind of information could be
further refined and used for other types of analyses
such as the development of risk models for the natural
and environmental resources of the island. This is
exactly the ultimate goal of the CRINNO-EMERIC
project, funded by the Perfecture of Crete and the
European Union, namely the development of a
multidimensional expert system which could combine a
number of digital geographically based information
layers of the island of Crete, linked to other statistical
and environmental databases to be used for monitoring
the landscape changes and the environmental
parameters.
For this reason, a consortium of several
institutions, specialized in different disciplines,
collaborated for collecting both published and
unpublished geo-environmental data, going back as far
as to the beginning of the 20th century. The data have
been retrieved from different private companies and
public agencies which have been active in the field of
geological and environmental studies in Crete [5].
MySQL database server was the basic tool used for the
construction of the databases which managed to convert
historical data into a dynamic relational information
databank [1,2,3,4].
The basic characteristics of the database were
specified by the main requirements of the CRINNO-
EMERIC project, namely the construction of a portal
offering open access to a broad range of geo-
information (geological, tectonic, hydro-geological,
seismic, environmental, geophysical, climatic,
meteorological, etc). Except the open access to the
information, the project aims to build the infrastructure
for the better analysis and modeling of other geo-
environmental and statistical parameters and proceed
with pilot approaches and models such as those of
seismic risk, erosion risk and forest fire risk. Thus, the
data of the geo-environmental databank needed to
include a geo-spatial component in order to become an
integral part of the modeling process to follow, in
conjunction to other data sources such as satellite
images, digitized topographic and geological maps, etc.
The ultimate purpose of the database is to
provide digital data that will contribute in identifying
and evaluating resource potential, resource
development and management, production, and
possible environmental concerns, such as physical
hazards. These data will be useful to federal, state, and
local government agencies, public organizations,
private industry and individual citizens in different
decision-making processes dealing with the
management and monitoring of the natural and
environmental resources of Crete. The historical
component of the database is important in showing
time changes and patterns of specific phenomena and
parameters and can be also used for drawing certain
conclusions about the future evolution in the short time
scale.
At the moment, the total number of records in
the database is 2120 records, out of which 39 concern
energy data, 76 are related to geophysical projects and
478 concern hydrological data. In addition to the
above, 1527 technical reports on engineering geology,
hydrogeology and seismology have been converted to a
digital format and a short summary of them is
accessible to the final users. A much larger number of
entries have been registered for the meteorological and
climatic data (Fig. 1). As soon as new information is
becoming available, it is incorporated into the database
and it is available to the users. The ultimate expectation
of this effort is to introduce a digital observatory of the
research work conducted in the field of geo-sciences in
the area of Crete.
2. Database characteristics
The structure of the database was based on
MySQL database server, mainly due to its flexibility,
friendly environment of organization of the data
sources, and the flexibility in upgrading the final
product. MySQL database server is the world's most
popular open source database. Over six million
installations use MySQL to power high-volume Web
sites and other critical business systems. The open
source philosophy provides the database with a
continuous and rapid optimisation and development
with the privilege of the zero-cost. Moreover, MySQL
is well-known for its operational speed and its
enhanced reliability.
39
1218
76
478
249 60
Energy Data
Technical Reports
Geophysical Data
Hydrologic al Data
HydroGeological
Technical Reports
Seismological -
Seismotectonic Reports
Figure 1. A pie chart showing the contribution of
several geo-environmental data for the creation of the
relational database.
The relational database model of MySQL offers
improved capabilities in the design of complex
relational data. The transfer of the data into and out of
the database is fast, secure and reliable even if the
number of the records saved in the database is
extremely large. Furthermore, there is no limit in the
size of the data that can be saved into the database (the
limit comes from the capacity of the hard disk) and
back-ups of all the data can be created with extremely
low capacity cost and within logical frequency rates.
3. Interface characteristics
A complete database system includes also the
interface with which the user can communicate with the
database in order to insert, update and delete data. For
this issue interface applications were generated for each
individual section of the database. These applications
are compatible with all the types of Windows
Operational System (95, 98, 2000, XP, etc) with small
capacity requirements (less than 30 MB) and low CPU
and RAM usage. These applications can be installed
locally to any computer, providing a communication
connection with the central database at the main server
which gives access to any number of remote computers.
In each remote host computer, an ODBC driver is also
installed and binds the central server database with the
application through internet or intranet connection.
This driver is based on the TCP-IP communication
protocol with the potential of the SSL encrypted
protocol for secure transfer of the data via the net
(internet or intranet). The user can retrieve the data and
modify them appropriately and in some cases analyze
them through a graphical environment (graphical
charts) – spatial and temporal changes of the data.
Security of these interfaces is guaranteed through the
access and installation of the specific application
interface, which is further protected through
appropriate usernames and passwords. The content of
the final databases will be ultimately open to any
interested party and can be easily accessible through
the internet, among with other map information.
4. Database structure
There are seven main components that
comprise the geo-environmental database: Technical
reports, Geophysical data, Hydrogeological data,
Hydrogeological references, Seismological-
Seismotectonic data, Hydrometeorological data and
Energy data with approximately 70 supporting tables.
Each of these tables is linked to each other, where
appropriate, and all of the supporting tables are linked
to one or more of these seven main components. Other
kind of data such as geological or land-use data have
been displayed through a graphical environment of
geographical information systems (GIS), disseminated
through a WEB_GIS engine (ArcIMS) which can
support both Java and html interface environments.
Finally, more specialized data, such as vegetation,
population, forest fires, and others have been also
displayed through a similar combination of databases
and geographical interfaces. The following sections
demonstrate the main field included in the main geo-
environmental components of the CRINNO-EMERIC
database.
4.1 Technical reports
More than 1200 records have been already
registered in the database, consisting of scientific and
technical reports, publications, books and proceedings
concerning geo-environmetal data of the region of
Crete. These data have been either retrieved or
provided by different public and private organizations
and agencies such as the Development Organization of
Western Crete, the Technical Chamber of Greece –
Branch of East & West Crete, the Institute of
Geological and Mineral Resources, Water Resources
Management Organization of Crete, the Agency for the
Management of Environmental and Land-Use Planning
of Crete Region, the United Association of Waste
Management of Crete and private technical and
geotechnical companies.
The technical report database provides
information on the technical projects (studies and/or
fieldwork campaigns), which were carried out in the
area of Crete. Registered records include the provider
of the data, title of the project, the municipality and city
or village where the project was realized, the year of
execution, type of report, name contractor, publisher, a
short description of the report and an extended
description of the project in PDF format (Fig. 2). A
quick search machine is also available, based on
multiple field entries.
Figure 2. Layout of the information retrieval
concerning the technical reports related to geo-
environmental studies and fieldwork in the wider area
of Crete.
4.2 Energy data
Electrical power information, provided by the
Energy Centre of Crete Region, has been also included
in the database. Data refer to the energy and load data
of Crete since 1964 and include information about the
net energy production, the load peak and the load
coefficient in percentage for each year. The increment
per year in a percentage basis for energy and load data
is also provided (Fig. 3).
Figure 3. Table used for the presentation of all the
available energy data of Crete Region.
4.3 Hydro-meteorological data
The use of hydro-meteorological data
concerning climatic information originating from
ground meteorological stations is of main importance in
any kind of environmental study that needs to be
conducted in terms of large scale construction works or
other technical study. For this reason, the
meteorological data collected from sixty-five
meteorological stations of the National Meteorological
Service and the Department of Hydrology of the
Ministry of Agriculture have been also included in the
database. These data concern the monthly average
values of rainfall, evaporation, sunlight and maximum
and maximum average temperature measurements for
the time period of 1950 to 2002. The database has also
included information related to the location of the
meteorological stations (latitude, longitude, elevation)
which were transformed to the local projection system
of Greece (EGSA’87) and will be used for the mapping
of the climatic data and their presentation in a
WEB_GIS environment (Fig. 4.).
Figure 4. Geographical Information Systems were
used to plot the meteorological stations, interpolate the
average values of the meteorological measurements for
a period of years and produce a time series of the
change of the climatic parameters. Maximum Average
Temperature (1991-2000) (above) and Total Rainfall
(1991-2000) (below).
Since a number of meteorological stations from
both the National Meteorological Service and the
Department of Hydrology of the Ministry of
Agriculture are located in similar location but they have
different recording systems, both datasets are displayed
for comparison reasons (Fig. 5).
Figure 5. The application form used for the insertion,
updating and deleting of the Hydro-meteorological
data.
Moreover, the final user of the system is able to
produce graphical charts of the variation of the
meteorological parameters in time (Fig. 6) for both data
providers.
Figure 6. The graphical chart of the rainfall data for
Kastelli region from 1975 until today, as it has been
recorded by two different sources (red and green lines),
namely the National Meteorological Service and the
Department of Hydrology of the Ministry of
Agriculture.
4.4 Hydrological - Hydrogeological data
The hydrological and hydro-geological
database includes all the available information about
wells, springs and shafts of the lowland of the broader
area of Chania in Crete. These data were collected from
the Hydro-Geological study of Chania and provided
from the Department of Hydrology of the Ministry of
Agriculture. The database consists of eleven fields
containing all the available information of each
registered record, providing also access to the digital
form of the above mentioned data (wells, springs and
shafts) (Fig. 7).
Figure 7. The application form used for the insertion,
updating and deleting of the Hydrological and
Hydrogeological data.
Information such as the geographical
coordinates of the data (latitude, longitude, elevation),
the municipality and city or village from where these
data have been acquired, the maximum depth of the
data (drilling depth, etc.), the water supply and the
usage potential of it, are all provided through a digital
retrieval of the already registered data, as well as in
their original record form in a PDF format (Fig. 8).
The inventory bulletin of the supplied data
contains important information such as the record code,
the geographical coordinates of the data, the
municipality and the close-by city or village, the
maximum depth of the data (tubing depth, diameter of
the tube, drilling depth, depth of the groundwater level,
etc.), the water supply, the usage, the geological
stratigraphic sketch of the data with a short lithological
description and an in-situ time sequence of
measurements related to the depth of ground water,
temperature and chemical characteristics of the water
(Cl-1 ions, EC-electrical conductivity) (Fig. 9).
Figure 8. The registration form of the available
Hydrological and Hydrogeological data. Card inventory
of Hydrowells.
Figure 9. The registration form of the available
Hydrological and Hydrogeological data. Card inventory
of Springs.
4.5 Geophysical data
Until now, seventy-six geophysical studies
have been entered in the database concerning the
geophysical applications and fieldwork studies that deal
with the wider region of Crete. Fieldwork covers a
wide range of applications spanning from geophysical
prospection of archaeological sites to geotechnical
investigations. These studies were conducted mainly
by the Technological Educational Institute of Crete, the
Institute of Mediterranean Studies, the Technical
University of Crete, the Institute of Geological and
Mineral Resources, the Geology Department of the
University of Thessaloniki, the University of Athens
and other agencies.
The registered records contain a general
description of the particular study and its results, the
spatial focus of the research, the year of execution, the
title of the project, the contractor and authors of the
report, the publisher, the institution, the geophysical
methods and techniques applied in the fieldwork
activities and laboratory analyses, and other related
information. A short description of the report and an
extended description of the project in PDF format is
also provided (Fig. 10).
Figure 10. Retrieval form of the geophysical studies,
which have been realized in the region of Crete.
4.6 Hydrogeological technical reports
Hydrology plays a critical factor in shaping the
environmental policies of the island of Crete. For this
reason a large number of large and smaller scale studies
have been conducted concerning the hydrogeological
properties of the island. Two hundred forty nine
hydrological and hydrogeological technical reports
have been already registered in the database. These
reports are mainly provided by the Development
Organization of Western Crete and the Institute of
Geological and Mineral Resources and more are
expected to be entered to the database concerning East
Crete in the following months. The type of information
that has been entered includes title of the project,
scientific responsible of the project and the editing of
the report, the institution/s which carried out the study,
the area of study, the year of execution, the publisher of
the report and a short description of the project (Fig.
11).
Figure 11. The database form used for the retrieval of
information regarding the hydrological and
hydrogeological data.
4.7 Seismological – Seismo-Tectonic data
Fifty-five seismological and seismo-tectonic
studies have been already inserted in the database. Data
comprise of scientific and technical reports and related
publications which were provided by the Technological
Educational Institute of Crete, the Technical University
of Crete, the Development Organization of Western
Crete, the Institute of Geological and Mineralogical
Resources and other international references. Data
include project code, the authors of the technical
reports, the responsible institution, spatial focus of the
study, the year of execution, the publisher of the report
and a short description of the project (Fig. 12).
Other seismological data, mainly originating
from measurements that have been conducted along the
CRINNO-EMERIC project have been also entered and
are retrieved through a WEB_GIS environment.
Similar type of graphical display has been designed for
the seismic data of the region, as they have been
retrieved from the National Observatory of Athens Web
site (http://www.gein.noa.gr/services/cat.html). These
data concern the seismic activity in the region of Crete,
including the location of their epicentre, depth and
magnitude, since 1950.
Figure 12. The database form used for the presentation
of the seismological and seismotectonic data.
The geographic coordinates of their epicenter
(latitude, longitude) were transformed into Easting and
Northing of the Greek Geodetic Reference System
1987 (EGSA’87) and they were mapped in the layout
of Crete (Fig. 13).
Figure 13. Mapping of the epicentres of the higher
magnitude earthquakes (>4.5R) in the wider area of
Crete.
These data will be processed in the future for
computing the seismic frequency of the island and
correlate them with the existing faults (Fig. 14). It has
to be noted that only earthquakes with magnitude larger
than 4.5 Richter scale were entered in the geographical
database and they were classified in 8 main categories,
based on their magnitude (4.5 - 4.9 R, 5 - 5.4 R, 5.5 -
5.9 R, 6 - 6.4 R, 6.5 - 6.9 R, 7 - 7.4 R, 7.5 - 7.9 R and
>7.9 R).
Figure 14. Details of the digitized faults in the area of
Lasithi, originating from the geological maps of IGME.
In the future, the geo-databases will try to link different
datasets and cartographic material aiming to explore the
degree of correlation among them.
5 Conclusions
For more than 2-3 decades, geo-sciences
produced a number of high-valued and well-
appreciated results, which contributed significantly in
the decision making policy of the environmental
strategy of the island of Crete. Taking in account the
recent tendency of the society towards a sustainable
community, it is understood that geo-sciences could
continue to play a critical role in defining the natural
and environmental parameters which influence
different sectors of the society, spanning from large
scale construction works to hazard assessment and
protection of the natural resources. In most cases
however, researchers and technical companies are
facing a varying degree of difficulty to incorporate the
results of previous research in their studies, mainly due
to the fact of lack of information originating by the
increasing number of agencies activated in the specific
field.
One of the goals of the CRINNO-EMERIC
project is to create an Observatory portal, which will be
able to update the information regarding the geo-
environmental data and studies and provide open access
to the interested parties. The future directions of the
project include among others the creation of similar
databases regarding the forest fires, the active faults,
the generalized geology of the region, etc. Most of
them will be accessible in both a database and
cartographic environment through the Web.
6 Acknowledgements
Funding for this project was provided from the
Perfecture of Crete and the European Union in the
framework of the project “Development of an Expert
System for the Monitoring, Management & Protection
of the Natural Landscape & Environmental Resources
of the Island of Crete (CRINNO-EMERIC I)”. We are
grateful to the National Meteorological Service, the
Department of Hydrology of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Development Organization of Western
Crete, Technical Chamber of Greece – Branch of East
& West Crete, Institute of Geological and
Minerological Exploration, Water Resources
Management Organization of Crete, Technical –
Geotechnical Companies, Management of
Environmental and Land-Use Planning of Crete Region
and United Association of Waste Management in Crete
Region for providing the data. A number of students
and other researchers (Despoina Roussou, Aggelos
Mavromatidis, Dimitris Koutoulakis, Evi Seferou) have
been also involved in the particular study for collecting
data and updating the different databases.
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