Implementation
Eclipse is not only a model for modular, extensible applications, it also provides the Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) on which to build them. RCP combines Equinox, an engine for loading and running plug-ins, and a collection of plug-ins that provide a framework for developing cross-platform GUI applications. RCP integrates with other Eclipse technologies so that applications can leverage frameworks like the Update Manager for managing software updates and the Graphical Editing Framework (GEF) for building graphical editors. Building on RCP let me focus on solving problems specific to PSICAT, rather than reinventing common application components like editors and wizards.
Like Eclipse, PSICAT is a collection of plug-ins that collaborate to provide useful functionality. These plug-ins can be organized into five distinct layers:
- The first layer consists of Eclipse technologies: RCP, Update Manager, and GEF.
- The second layer defines the data model (the Model objects) and provides services for managing diagrams, resources, and configuration.
- The third layer adds the views, editors, and wizards that make up PSICAT. This and the previous two layers provide the scaffolding for data capture and visualization.
- The fourth layer, where most of the core description-specific functionality is introduced, consists of two basic types of plug-ins: service plug-ins and column plug-ins. Service plug-ins add new features, such as image export and searching. Column plug-ins add the code for capturing/displaying new types of data on the diagram.
- The final layer adds project-, group-, or task-specific customizations to PSICAT.
Noteworthy Features
Using PSICAT for core description offers many advantages over the previous approach of sketching the diagrams by hand and drafting them in a generic graphics application like Adobe Illustrator:
- PSICAT lets users export all or a subset of the captured core description data as an Excel spreadsheet. In this format, the data is available for all manner of analysis and plotting, letting users answer questions like "What percentage of the hole is sand?" more easily than if they had just the images.
- PSICAT includes searching capabilities so users can quickly find areas of interest in the core without resorting to looking at each diagram. PSICAT currently provides an experimental searching interface that lets users specify areas of interest with natural-language queries such as "sections of diamictite containing symbol pyrite in 0-500m" and "sections of symbol shell or symbol fragmented shell." Work is currently underway on a Google-like search of the written description data.
- Often it is useful to plot external datasets, such as physical core properties captured by a multisensor core logging system, alongside the core description. PSICAT lets users import external datasets and integrate them directly into the core description diagrams.
- The core-description process often involves more than just the initial characterization of the core. It also includes derived descriptions, such as summary diagrams, which show the general trends. Creating these summary diagrams requires relogging the whole core at a less-detailed scale to show only the important features. This represents a significant amount of work. To address this, PSICAT includes a feature, which processes the core description data with a sophisticated set of rules to automatically summarize it in a matter of seconds. The summarized data can be edited, analyzed, searched, and plotted just like any other core description data in PSICAT.
Conclusion
PSICAT is a free, open-source, cross-platform tool for creating, viewing, and editing core description diagrams. The merit of PSICAT's approach to the core description process was proven during the October 2006-January 2007 Antarctic field season where it was used to log the nearly 1300 meters of core drilled as part of the ANDRILL McMurdo Ice Shelf expedition. PSICAT performed well under continuous daily use in the field and offered many time-saving and science-enabling features.
The development of PSICAT is ongoing. It is being used again in Antarctica on ANDRILL's Southern McMurdo Sound Expedition during the September 2007-December 2007 field season. We are focusing on improving the user experience with PSICAT based on observations made during the first field testing. I also plan to offer more import/export options, more data column types, and improved search functionality.
