Development of geological reference systems: integrating databases and tools to improve geological knowledge and data harmonization

The RGF research program (French Geological Reference platform) aims to establish a continuous and coherent geological knowledge base covering the entire French territory. To achieve this, the program relies on the development and implementation of comprehensive geological reference systems designed to structure, harmonize, and manage geological data, including:

• The lithostratigraphic reference system, which provides a hierarchical classification of geological units (super-group, group, sub-group, formation, member),
• The geological events reference system, which organizes and ranks geological events to document and reconstruct the geological history of geological units,
• The lithotectonic reference system, encompassing structural zones, hierarchically organized tectono-stratigraphic units, and paleogeographic domains,
• The geological boundaries reference system, which catalogs structural and geologic contact information.

These reference systems are being conceived and structured in alignment with international standards such as GeoSciML and INSPIRE. Built as PostgreSQL databases, they are under development through close collaboration between geologists, computer scientists, and GIS experts to address scientific requirements and serve as a repository of geological knowledge.

At the same time, tools and applications are being developed to utilize these reference systems to constrain the attribution of geological elements across various datasets (e.g. boreholes, geological maps, 3D models), thus facilitating the harmonization, enrichment, and updating of legacy data. This includes, for example, the modernization of historical French geological maps at a 1:50,000 scale. The process involves linking map geometries to the reference systems through GIS tools and custom QGIS plugins developed by BRGM. This approach supports the transition from static maps to dynamic, multi-scale digital representations, and enables the creation of maps tailored to various scientific objectives and practical applications.

This presentation gives an overview of the lithotectonic and geological event reference systems, the underlying database model and the QGIS plugins developed for their application. Initially developed within the RGF and now within the Digital Earth project of the PEPR research program, these tools are also applicable to other projects, such as the ongoing development of the European Lithotectonic Map by the GSEU. The presentation will also give an overview of the work carried out in the Pyrenees region, demonstrating the dissemination of updated maps of lithostratigraphic units and the ability to query geological events associated with specific formations, all accessible through a dedicated ArcGIS mapping viewer.