Log & Diagraphies : Observations or ObservationCollections ?

[mbeaufils]

Certainly a question of required granularity...

Observations is defined by #19 and ObservationCollections is defined by #29

Case 1 : A log / Diagraphy is an ObservationCollection
Then each interval / depth would be an Observation and the value for this interval / depth will be the result

pros : you are able to cite a specific couple interval/depth - value and refer to it
cons : many very similar Observations.

Case 2 : A log / Diagraphy is an Observation
Then the result will contain the couples of Interval/depth - values

Opinions?

[dponti]

Um, my perspective on this is that a log is a representation of data - not data itself and so the distinction as to whether a log is a collection of various observations or a single observation with multiple location/value couples doesn't seem very important to me to try to resolve . In order to create a log, you must make a collection of observations, so you start from there. Most logs, if not all, represent their data in "columns" graphically - eg. a graphic column that represents a lithologic/material classification, a column of text that contains more detailed descriptions of the soils, a column showing the location of samples, a column showing measurement results from the samples (eg. moisture content, etc.), a column showing results of an in-situ measurement (eg . SPT N-values), etc. The location intervals within each column are not necessarily the same across columns (eg. the column intervals are independent of each other, although there may be some dependency. Measurement results on a sample would have a location interval that corresponds to the sample 's location interval). Each column is a collection of observations that make up a "system" based on some defined result (eg. soil classification, visual material observation, sample location, moisture content, N-value, etc. A log is then a "collection" of these observation systems, but the content of a log (eg. what columns are included, etc), is a presentation decision and independent of the data that is displayed.

As a humorous aside - diagraphy is has to be British english. I've never heard/seen this word used in the US. Probably because we Americans are lazy - log or graphic tends to work just as well and we can then use the extra syllable somewhere else, perhaps... :-).

[mbeaufils]

March 31 discussion :

The group chose Case1: A log or a diagraphy is an ObservationCollection