Vector cartographic database of geological data of the Coastal Province of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

Thematic mapping data originally made on paper is often not used in spatial analysis because they are not available digitally nor structured for use in geographic information systems. This is the case with the geological mapping of the Coastal Province of Rio Grande do Sul, published by CECO-Center for Coastal Geology Studies at the Geosciences Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. The mapping was published in 1984 in the form of a geological atlas comprising 14 maps on a scale of 1:100,000, covering an area of 12,349.07 km² of the north and central-east coast of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The aim of this article is to increase access to information by making the geological mapping available in the form of a geospatial database. The work involved digitazation and polygonizing the mapping units of each individual map and filling in the data in the attributes table. The 14 mapping maps were then concatenated, resulting in a geospatial database in shapefile format. This data is available in the geographic coordinate system, without projection, SIRGAS2000 datum. This mapping has already served as auxiliary information for the geological map of the State Rio Grande do Sul at a scale of 1:750,000 and the geomorphological map of the coastal plain and lowlands at a scale of 1:500,000, as well as thematic information in technical work aimed at regional planning and land use planning.