Monday, September 13,
2004
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Pellissippi State Technical Community College
10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville
Lamar Alexander Building
Room 223
SEPTEMBER PRESENTATION
Engineering Geology Mapping in the Information Technology Age
Jeffrey Keaton
2004 Richard H. Jahns Distinguished Lecturer in Engineering
Geology
Principal Engineering Geologist and Vice President
AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc.
Anaheim, California
Abstract
Observation remains the
foundation of engineering geology mapping, but many aspects of
observation are being supplemented and even revolutionized by
information technology (IT). Data acquisition is being
accomplished with the aid of pen-based computers, digital
cameras, and global positioning system (GPS) receivers.
Quantitative geophysical and geochemical field methods are being
used to produce quantitative measures that can be contoured
and/or combined with other forms of observations to construct
useful derivative maps. Aerial and space-based spatial data
provide base maps or targets for subsequent field observations.
Geographic information system (GIS) and computer-aided drafting
and design (CADD) software are being used to manipulate and
display geospatial data, sometimes during field data collection.
Numerical analysis of observational data, including calculated
grids derived from vector data, is being used to produce useful
derivative products. Challenges for engineering geology
practitioners pertain to accuracy of field data; structure of
database fields; uniformity of symbols, lines, patterns, and
colors; and consistency of derived geospatial map products.
Engineering geology maps produced with GIS tools have the
potential to mislead even sophisticated users for two reasons: 1)
the strikingly professional appearance of GIS maps implies
precision even when uncertainties are specifically noted, and 2)
field data can be collected as a series of seemingly independent
observations and converted by a GIS technician into a
professional-appearing map without the benefit of geologic
principles or the repeated application of the multiple working
hypothesis. Consequently, professional discipline is needed to
effectively apply modern IT to engineering geology mapping. The
true power IT has is its analytical capabilities which requires
engineering geologic data to be in digital format.
A promising new technology is 3D Laser Scanning. Initially, this
technology was applied to preparation of as-built plans of
structures, such as refineries. Opportunities also exist for
engineering geology and geotechnical field applications, such as
orientation and spacing of joints in rock slopes and grain-size
distribution of deposits that include particles too large to
analyze in the laboratory. Specialized laser equipment and
high-performance computers are required to manipulate huge data
sets.
Biographical Sketch
Jeffrey R. Keaton is a
Principal Engineering Geologist and Vice President in the Anaheim
office of AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc. His education
consists of a BS degree in Geological Engineering from the
University of Arizona (1971), a MS degree in Engineering
(Geotechnical) from the University of California, Los Angeles
(1972), and a PhD degree in Geology from Texas A&M University
(1988). He is registered as a Professional Engineer in
California, Utah, Alaska, and Arizona. He is also registered as a
Professional Geologist in California, Arizona, and Utah, and
certified as an Engineering Geologist in California and
Washington.
Keaton was employed by Dames & Moore in Los Angeles
(1970-1979) and Salt Lake City (1979-1988). He was employed by
Sergent, Hauskins & Beckwith (which became AGRA Earth &
Environmental, and then AMEC Earth & Environmental) in Salt
Lake City (1988-1996), Phoenix (1996-2001), and currently in
Anaheim.
Keaton served as Chairman of the Utah Section of the Association
of Engineering Geologists in 1980-1982 and was the President of
AEG in 1992-1993. He was Chairman of the Engineering Geology
Division of the Geological Society of America in 1989-1990. He
served as Chairman of the Transportation Research Board Committee
on Engineering Geology from 1991 to 1997, as Chairman of TRB
Committee on Exploration and Classification of Earth Materials
from 1997 to 2002, and as Chairman of TRB Subcommittee on Scour
Research from 1996 to 2002. In 2002, he became the Chairman of
the TRB Section housing the seven committees that deal with
Geology and Properties of Earth Materials. Keaton was one of the
11 members of the TRB Task Force which produced TRB Special
Report 247 Landslides: Investigation and Mitigation in 1996;
Keaton was principal author of Chapter 9, Surface Observation and
Geologic Mapping, and Chapter 16, Important Considerations in
Slope Design.
Keaton also is a member of American Geophysical Union, the
GeoInstitute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, American
Society of Mechanical Engineers, Earthquake Engineering Research
Institute, Seismological Society of America, and the Society for
Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME). He participates in the
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) through
SME, making accreditation visits to undergraduate programs in
geological engineering.
Keaton specializes in quantifying hazardous natural processes for
use in design and risk analysis. He has written numerous articles
regarding engineering geology mapping, debris flows, landslides,
collapsible soils, subsidence, fault rupture, earthquake-induced
liquefaction, earthquake ground motion, and case histories.
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