Nebraska GeoCloud: An Information Hub for Nebraska Groundwater

Nebraska GeoCloud: An Information Hub for Nebraska Groundwater

Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey

Using high-tech instruments suspended from helicopters, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts are getting a new look at what lies below. Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys use principles of electromagnetic induction to generate images of the subsurface. In the past ten years, more than 18,000 miles of AEM surveys were completed in the State: about 6,600 miles were flown in 2018 alone. The Conservation and Survey Division, part of the School of Natural Resources, is leading the development of a new information hub for all of the data, models, and reports that are coming from the surveys. The Nebraska GeoCloud (NGC) is a collaboration between local, state, University, and federal institutions to address the need for information management and research related to the mapping efforts. The AEM surveys have generated useful new data for scientists, administrators, and the public, but access to this information awaits a well-structured, regularly maintained, centralized system. The NGC is being developed by software specialists at I-GIS in Denmark, and will create an internet platform for storing, integrating, and sharing data.  Hydrogeologists at the Conservation and Survey Division, together with their partners at the U.S. Geological Survey Nebraska Water Science Center, are using NGC to advance our understanding of Nebraska’s groundwater resources. This knowledge is being transferred to the private and public sector in various ways. A workshop series, initiated in 2017, has focused on using AEM to make decisions about groundwater development, sustainable use, and water quality protection. The NGC web portal will make data available to water resources managers through web services, so that they can conduct day-to-day operations using the best available information. The NGC is the first of its kind in the U.S. and will serve as a model for other states as AEM gains widespread use throughout the country and beyond. Contact Dr. Jesse Korus (jkorus3@unl.edu 402-472-7561) for more information.


This article was reviewed by Shawna Richter - Ryerson & Katie Cameron

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