Overview

Digital Outcrop Models (DOMs) are precise three-dimensional digital representations of rock outcrops created from images captured by ground-based or drone-mounted sensors. These georeferenced models enable digital interpretations and integration with other geospatial data for applications such as outcrop analogue studies and virtual geological field trips.
The morning session of the workshop will cover topics such as data acquisition, processing techniques, visualisation strategies, digital interpretation, data integration, and case studies. The afternoon session will feature a hands-on course on digital outcrop modelling.

Participant profile

The ideal audience for this workshop would comprise:

• Geoscientists and engineers who wish to use outcrops to refine subsurface models relevant to petroleum, hydrogen, and geothermal reservoirs, carbon dioxide sequestration strata, and aquifers. These professionals recognise the utility of outcrops in bridging the scale gap between seismic reflection profiles and well data, thereby providing critical insights into geological features that are not visible in typical subsurface datasets.
• Geoscientists with a specialisation in stratigraphy and structural geology who use outcrop-derived data in their research. Utilising georeferenced DOMs, these geoscientists can make quantitative measurements—such as the orientation of strata, faults, and joints— from otherwise inaccessible portions of outcrops, increasing the size and statistical significance of quantitative field datasets.
• Geoscientists that employ DOMs as a preparatory tool for optimising fieldwork plans. By utilising digital models, fieldworkers can prioritise key areas for on-the-ground investigations, thereby maximising the focus and efficiency of field visits.
• Geoscientists interested in the digital preservation of significant outcrops for future examination and analysis. This is particularly pertinent for outcrops exposed during infrastructural developments like road and highway construction, which, especially in humid regions, are susceptible to rapid overgrowth of vegetation that obscures geological features.
• Geoscientists who wish to create virtual field trips to important outcrops, offering a cost-effective and safe alternative to physical field excursions, and making field-based geoscience more accessible and inclusive.

At the end of this workshop, you will have an overview of digital outcrop modelling, and understand the basics of how to acquire, process, and interpret digital outcrop data.

DOM interpretation

DOM_St Ninians_UK

Drone surveying for DOM_Morrison Fm Utah_Blickwede 2021