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Management and Application of Geotechnical Data: The Geotechnical Data Information System of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government

MOTOMU ISHII KENJI ISHIMURA TOSHIO NAKAYAMA Institute of Civil Engineering Tokyo Metropolitan Government 1-9-15, Shinsuna, Koto-Ku Tokyo 136 Japan ABSTRACT/In the Tokyo metropolis many geological surveys are carried out in conjunction with building construction work and urban base improvement undertakings. Furthermore, the Institute of Civil Engineering (ICE) of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) has been conducting surveys on urban geology, land subsidence, and geodetics. Thus, ICE of TMG keeps a lot of geological data. In order to plan for a more effective use of these data, the Geotechnical Data Information System of Tokyo Metropolitan Government was organized in 1985, and since 1986, it has become fully implemented. This Geotechnical Data Information System has incorporated a relational data base into a mainframe computer, the NEC ACOS System 430, and as of March 1989 it can retrieve and graphically present borehole, deep-well, and groundwater data. The authors wish to introduce in this article the organizational structure of the Geotechnica] Data Information System of TMG, a summary of the data base system, standards of input data, and applicable examples of the data base.

Introduction
It is a common fact that many large cities of the world have been built on plains. However, the urban area of Tokyo is a typical city that has been developed on soft and unstable ground. In addition, Japan has been subjected to frequent and severe earthquakes. For these reasons, when construction projects are promoted and initiated or when operational plans for earthquake disaster prevention are implemented, geological information will become one of the most important parts of the data. According to a recent survey by the Japanese Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (Kazama and others 1989), there are approximately 20 geological data bases in Japan. Most of these data bases are personal computer-based, and about five use mainframe computers. O f these five data bases, however, three are currently under development, and one is for the preparation of regional geotechnical subsurface maps. Only the Geotechnical Data Information System of T M G offers integrated data collection, management, and application capabilities. ICE of T M G has been conducting surveys and research on land subsidence since 1941 and on urban geology since 1959. We currently possess a large amount o f borehole logs, soil test data, groundwater level data, geodetic surveying data, etc.

Background of Geotechnical Data Information System Construction


When a construction project is initiated in a soft and unstable ground region, such as in Tokyo, geological information is very important and an indispensable part of the construction. For that reason, there are many instances where a borehole survey is conducted for even the design of small-scale buildings of only three to four stories in height. However, the boring materials often become dead stock in a warehouse or are lost, once the intended project is completed. We have therefore collected and sorted existing borehole data and have compiled and published data on urban geology to facilitate application in construction work and disaster prevention, titled "Geotechnical Subground Map of TMG" in 1969 and "Synthetic Geotechnical Subground Map of TMG" in 1977. During the course of the above work, the initial data management started with copies by using a duplicating machine and a file system. At the time of preparing the synthetic geotechnical subsurface map, only the numerical data such as soil test data were handled by computer. T h e method of data management had been developed from the file system to the data base in 1988--the Geotechnical Data Information System of T M G (Fig. 1).

Environ Geol Water Sci Vol. 19, No. 3, 169-178

1992 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Figure 1. Construction of Geotechnical Data Information System of TMG.

Summary of Geotechnical Data Information


Geological Data Information System
This is the most basic part of the Geotechnical Data Information System, and it has the function of retrieving borehole log data and preparing geologic profiles. Borehole logs, which had been input into the system, were for a foundation survey in civil engineering and construction work carried out by each bureau o f the TMG, 23 wards and cities in Tokyo. Therefore, the survey borehole depths are mostly 20-30 m in upland areas and 30-60 m in lowland areas. As of the end of March 1989, the n u m b e r of borehole logs that had already been input was 25,000. Borehole logs are arranged according to the section code system of Japanese city planning. T h e sections are 1 km x I km (mesh) on 1:25,000 scale maps. T h e r e are sections where there are no borehole logs in the suburbs and parks. T h e r e are approximately 300 borehole logs input in one section in the central metropolitan area. From now on, it is planned to collect borehole logs in areas where presently available data are sparse, thereby aiming at ultimately inputting a total o f 100,000 logs. In the deep-well log system, there are approximately 1,800 deep-well logs and electrical logging data, for which retrieval of well logs and preparation o f a geological profile are possible in the same manner as in the system of borehole logs.

T h e Soil Test Data System is a retrieval system of soil test data that were obtained during boring for civil engineering and building construction work, and it is linked with the retrieval of borehole logs. In other words, on the borehole logs retrieved, the location of the samples, where the soil test was conducted, is shown. Therefore, it is designed to provide a general table o f soil test results at a depth designated at a location on the log. Additionally, it is possible to obtain slip sheets, correlation diagrams, and statistical tables of the entire soil data within the 1-km x 1-km section. As of March 1989, the number of soil test samples input data is approximately 12,000.

Groundwater Data Information System


T h e unconfined groundwater levels of upland areas and the amounts of precipitation in Tokyo have been input. Unconfined groundwater in observation wells n u m b e r 17, and observations have been continued and recorded for over 20 years. Observation wells for unconfined groundwater are roughly 10 m in depth. Because o f a good responses to the amount of precipitation, it is designed so that the rainfallgroundwater relation can be provided by inputting precipitation data near the observation point. Daily maximum and minimum values of groundwater levels and daily amounts of precipitation are already input into the system.

Management and Application of Geotechnical Data

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Mountain Road Information System This system handles all the road slope data in the western mountain area of Tokyo underlain by deposits of Mesozoic to Paleozoic strata, as well as in volcanic islands scattered in the Pacific Ocean. T h e total length of mountain roads is 120 km and there are 1,069 slopes. In consideration of geomorphic elements, the road slope was divided into a unit slope of 200-300 m in width. A slope inventory was prepared, containing stereooblique photographs taken by helicopter, slope property, risk potential for slope failure and rockfall, past disaster records, and construction records. T h e data bases included slope direction, rock conditions, relative height, vegetation, etc., in the slope inventory for analysis of causes of slope failure and rockfall. Geodetic Data Information System This system consists of data of two types. One is the precise leveling data, which handles ground height, and the other is the survey data of triangulation points of ICE of TMG. T h e triangulation points have been installed since 1985 under a 10-year plan. In Tokyo, especially in urban areas, the past control points (triangulation points) were almost lost due to the Kwanto Earthquake in 1923, aerial bombardment during the Second World War, as well as the recent extensive urbanization. Therefore, in cooperation with the Geographical Survey of Japan, ICE of T M G is carrying out the control point survey in Tokyo. T h e installation density of control points is at intervals of about 1.5 km, covering 540 points. T h e above two types of data have not yet been input.

50-100 m below the surface in the urban center o f the Tokyo metropolis, is u n d e r investigation. This data base is supposed to be an important part o f the system in the near future.

Summary of Geotechnical Data Information System Basic Concept


Geotechnical data information consists of many kinds of information, such as topography, geology, soil mechanics, groundwater, and geodetic data. Furthermore, preparation of such data is often made for independent purposes, but this information is mutually related for users. Retrieval from the data base and graphic presentation are required. For this purpose, the relational data base management system is better than the conventional processing of multifiling with numerous programs.

Data Flow of Geotechnical Data Information System


Data in the Geotechnical Data Information System are basically various survey data, from surveys conducted by the TMG. T h e soil survey data, however, includes the data submitted by private enterprises to the administrative agency along with the application for building permits. A flow chart of the data management is shown in Figure 2. T h e i r characteristics are as follows: 1. They can be used for surveys and research on the geology of a site by collecting existing materials, such as borehole data, and by carrying out a diagrammatic analysis. 2. T h e data in (1) above can be used not only for surveys and researches but also can be fed back to the administrators in the construction sectors, the disaster prevention sectors (earthquake, flood, etc.), and the environmental sectors. 3. T h e y can be utilized as standard values such as geodetic data in administrative sectors, for other use than the survey and research purposes o f ICE of TMG. 4. A large amount of data can be retrieved in a short time as needed. Furthermore, the output diagrams are of high picture quality corresponding to printed matter.

Land Subsidence Data Information System


This system handles confined groundwater level data with observation wells for land subsidence as well as ground compaction (rebound) data. T h e oldest records of confined groundwater levels have been maintained since 1953. As of March 1989, there were 79 observation wells installed at 34 locations, and the final goal is to have 90 wells at 40 locations. Among the records obtained at these observation wells, groundwater level data are taken hourly and groundcompaction (rebound) data daily. Records of confined groundwater levels are said to be effective for the prediction of an earthquake, and the analysis o f groundwater level variations is under way at ICE of TMG. Part of the confined groundwater level data is being converted into electronic data, but is not in the data base at the present time. However, utilization of u n d e r g r o u n d data, approximately

Hardware Construction
T h e hardware adopted in the Geotechnical Data Information System o f T M G is as follows:

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T h e central processing unit (CPU) is the NEC ACOS System 430, equipped with a high-speed scientific operational processor at main storage with a capacity o f 8 MB, and as auxiliary memory there are magnetic disk units of 3 GB capacity and a magnetic tape unit. T h e graphic printer unit is an electrostatic plotter having a resolution of 400 dots/in., and as a graphic display unit, there is a three-dimensional color graphic display unit having a resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 dots, capable of displaying 1,024 colors, and a color hard copy unit. T h e work station is a seven-color display having a display resolution o f 1,536 x 1,152 dots and is equipped with a mouse for a pointing device. An optical disk unit having a storage capacity of 3.6 GB/unit is primarily used for the storage o f an image pictorial pattern, such as a topographic map showing the location of borehole data, and this is connected to the intelligent copy printer

unit for input and output of image pictorial patterns.


Software Construction

As the basic operating system for the ACOS System 430, the central processing unit (CPU) and the ACOS4/AVP provided by NEC is used. Furthermore, a RIQS is used as the relational data base control system, and application software was developed by ICE of T M G independently.

Application Examples of Geotechnical Data Information


The Geotechnical Data Information System is menudriven to permit easy handling by those who are not familiar with computers This section describes the retrieval and graphic presentation of borehole logs for which there are many application examples.

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AREACODE OF WARD, CITY,TOWN ANDVILLEGE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 ChiyodaWard Cyuo Ward Minato Ward Shinjuku W. Bunkyo Ward Taito Ward Sumida Ward Koto Ward Shinaga~W. Meguro Ward Ota Ward Setagaya W. ShibuyaWard Nakano Ward Suginaai w. Toshim ward 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Kita Ward hraka~ Ward Itabashi W. Nerim Ward Adachi Ward Katusika W. Edoga~Ward ltachioji City Tachikawa6. MusashinoC. Mitaka City ~e City Fucyu City ARisim City Tyoufu City Machida City 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 Koganei City Kodaira City ltino City B.MurayamCity Kokubunji City Kunitachi City Tanashi City Hoya City Fussa City Kome City lt. Yamto City Kiyose City H.Kurume City M.M.rayamCity Tam City Inagi City 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 Akikawa City }tamra Town Mizuho Town flinode Villege Itukaichi To~ Hinohara Villege Okutam Yillege Oshim Tom Toshim Villege Niijim Villege ](ouzushim Vill. Miyake Villege Mikurajim Vill. HachijyonVillege hogashim Villege OgasawaraVillege

PUSH THE NO. OF AREACODEYOUWILLRETRIE~ 1111 PF 5 KEY:FOP~ERSCENE PF 4 KEY:ENI)

Figure 3. Area code.

Retrieval
As a means o f retrieving borehole logs, selection can be m a d e f r o m the following three menus: (1) retrieval by area code (name o f 23 wards, city, town, village); (2) retrieval by section n u m b e r ; and (3) retrieval by borehole n u m b e r . For retrieval by area code and section, a 1:25,000 scale t o p o g r a p h i c m a p stored in an optical disk will be d r a w n graphically, and then the location point o f the borehole log will be displayed, overlapping on the map. This is for calling up the location o f borehole logs distributed in the area, which is displayed in the work station o f the data base, since latitude and longitude o f the survey point had been given at the time o f inputting the borehole log. Retrieval by borehole n u m b e r is the m e t h o d o f retrieval f r o m the data base by directly inputting the borehole log n u m b e r continuously, without going t h r o u g h retrieval by displaying a topographic map. While this third m e t h o d has the merit o f a shorter retrieval time w h e n c o m p a r e d to the o t h e r two methods, it is necessary to have a location m a p o f the borehole log on h a n d previously. T h e following describes the retrieval m e t h o d by area code, the most frequently used m e t h o d a m o n g the three retrieval methods. Retrieval by area code. W h e n retrieval by area code is selected f r o m the three retrieval menus, the n a m e o f ward, city, town, or village f r o m a n y w h e r e in T o k y o will be displayed (Fig. 3). W h e n the necessary ward, city, town, or block n a m e (area n a m e in city, town, a n d village) will be displayed. W h e n the street (or block) n a m e to be retrieved is selected, a 1:25,000 scale topographic map, including the main part o f that street or block will be graphically displayed. I n the topographic m a p on this picture, section lines o f 1 kin, section n u m b e r , a n d location o f the borehole log will be dis-

played, all overlapped. At this time, an o p e n circle shows that it is a borehole log without soil test data, and a solid circle shows there is soil test data (Fig. 4). Further, on this screen, three additional selection menus for retrieval m e t h o d s are available. Retrieval within a section. All logs in the relevant section will be output. It is also possible to designate the required borehole length to m o r e than 30 m or to designate the log having soil test data. Such selection by these data is c o m m o n with o t h e r retrieval methods. Retrieval within a region. This retrieval m e t h o d is used when g r o u n d information in a small region is required, a n d it is convenient to know g r o u n d conditions a r o u n d the object point. As a means o f retrieval, it is possible to input the retrieval radius f r o m the object point with a numerical value f r o m the keyboard or to indicate it with an image by using the mouse. Retrieval for a cross section. This retrieval m e t h o d is often used when the borehole logs are required along the p l a n n i n g route. It is possible to make an arbitrary profile o f a geological section by indicating the locations o f the borehole logs on the picture directly by mouse. Borehole logs retrieved by the above m e t h o d s will be placed in a file once, waiting for instruction as to the o u t p u t unit.

Graphic Display Output


It is possible to p r e p a r e geologic correlations and geologic profiles on the graphic display by outputfing borehole logs on the graphic display. This is an imp r o v e m e n t over m a n u a l geologic profile p r e p a r a t i o n and geologic correlation work, which used to be d o n e on p a p e r by drawings o f borehole logs. T h e r e f o r e , it is possible in the graphic display to place the top o f the borehole logs according to the elevation o f geologic

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[:igure 4. Borehole log location map. o, Boring log with soil test data; o, boring log without soil test data.

survey points. However, because of functional restrictions on the graphic display, since it is impossible to indicate the horizontal distance between geologic survey points, the output will be of correlative diagram f o r m only. In o r d e r to identify the ground condition clearly, it is possible to have a "color designation" in the borehole log on the picture. This color indication can be applied in a n u m b e r o f cases. For example, classification by coloring of each N value can be made. More functions of the graphic display are as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Scroll, zoom-up, zoom-down functions in x and y directions. Comments describing function. Functions for revision of strata correlation line. Functions for modification of strata indication color. Save and load functions, which permit storing and calling u p of the displayed picture as it is.

Output with Electrostatic Plotter


A g r a p h that has been output by use o f an electrostatic plotter can draw borehole logs, as close as possible to the original data prior to input, with unified patterns. For output with an electrostatic plotter, three types of m e n u s - - i n v e n t o r y form, correlative section form, and cross-section f o r m - - a r e available.

Inventory form. This is of the f o r m shown in Figure 5, where ten boring logs are displayed on one 81/4 117/10 in. sheet of paper, with a scale o f 1:200 in depth to a length of 50 m. In case there is a borehole log with a length in excess of 50 m, the log beyond 50 m in length can be drawn automatically to enter in the adjacent column. Correlative section form. On 81/4-in. wide rolled paper, a borehole log can be drawn with a scale of 1:200 in depth to a depth of 100 m. A correlative section has logs drawn at an equal interval, disregarding horizontal distance between geologic survey points, and this is effective for the correlation of strata (Fig. 6). Elevation settings for an output diagram in correlative section f o r m can be determined automatically, by reading the highest value of the elevation stated on the borehole log, which had been retrieved from the data base unless otherwise designated. Cross-section form. This is an output diagram close to the cross-section form, which reads the horizontal distance between geologic survey points and their elevation f r o m the data base (Fig. 7). When a detailed topographic profile is necessary, it has to be read f r o m a topographic m a p separately. However, when logs can be retrieved at a suitable density, it is possible to use the profile as it is. Horizontal distance intervals can be arbitrarily set by use of a "horizontal reducedscale parameter." Further, it is possible to obtain an

Management and Application of Geotechnical Data

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Quantity and Quality of Input Data


In the Geotechnical Data Information System of T M G various ground data, in addition to those for retrieval of borehole logs, are input, and such data are used in various sectors of the administration. In order to improve reliability of such data, it is necessary to fully examine both quantity and quality of the input data.

I n p u t quantity of borehole logs started with approximately 12,000 logs in 1985 when this system began operations. Thereafter, additional input has been made every year, and it now stands at around 25,000 logs at the end of March 1989. At this point the number of data in the 1-km x 1-km section may exceed 300, where development is advanced as is the case in the urban center. On the other hand, there are sections in the suburbs and park areas where there are no data. Since the ultimate, scheduled n u m b e r in this system is 100,000 in terms of borehole logs, it is neces-

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sary f r o m now on to collect b o r e h o l e data in areas w h e r e such data have been scarce. As a m e a n s o f p r e v e n t i n g double registration of the same data, the following m e t h o d is employed: (1) to discover possibilities o f double registration w h e n plotting the b o r e h o l e point on 1:25,000 scale topo-

graphic m a p for inputting; and (2) since latitude and longitude o f the b o r e h o l e log location are already input, double registration can be discovered on the computer. Next, the following m e a n s have been a d o p t e d as m e t h o d s o f checking the w r o n g input o f b o r e h o l e logs

Management and Application of Geotechnical Data

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or wrong entry o f original data: (1) A check is made on the computer whether or not the borehole length of input data and total of each stratum agree. (2) In order to prevent the wrong input o f stratum name at the time of input, the software can draw an output diagram upon completion of input, and comparison is made with the original material. (3) T o print out on the computer numerical values, which cannot theoretically exist--for example, elevation of the borehole point in excess of 10 m in alluvial lowland. (4) With respect to soil test data, to print out on the computer numerical values, which cannot theoretically exist, in the same m a n n e r as in (3) above--for example, the value of the grain-size analysis o f a soil does not come to a total 100%.

that should be addressed in collecting data from now


on,

Future Problems
T h e Geotechnical Data Information System o f TMG has been developed as an integrated system for the collection, input, retrieval, and graphic presentation o f any geological information. Presently, it is operated around the data base for borehole data principally. During a period o f about two and a half years since the start o f its operation, the system provided approximately 5,000 borehole data to each administrative sector of TMG, where they were used as basic data for construction enterprises and urban disaster prevention administrations. T h e area covered by the Geotechnical Data Information System is approximately 1,000 km 2, an area equivalent to the urban district o f Tokyo. As o f March 1989, approximately 25,000 borehole logs have been incorporated into the data base. However, distribution of such borehole logs, namely, the data density, differs widely depending on the region, and there are sections in which there are no data at all. T o improve the data-base utilization, this is one o f the problems

On the other hand, in order to improve data input, the data input subsystem was developed in 1988 by use of a personal computer. Soil survey consultants will require a floppy disk having data entered by general specifications on the geological survey. T h a t will speed up data-base registration. It can be seen that the unification of data input form and standards is necessary, with the development o f data base related to ground data. However, because o f the fact that geological data are extremely regional, and also because of restrictions on the computer unit used, unification of standards can be difficult. T h e data base for geotechnical data information in Japan has barely started, and it is essential that at this point in time each agency should compete to prepare better data bases. Unification of standards will be planned as a matter of course. In conclusion, from our experiences in the development and operation of this Geotechnical Data Information System, those matters that should be considered in the development of a similar data base in the future are as follows: (1) Are there suitable quantities of data on hand from the standpoint of database users? (2) Can the collection, addition, revision, and offering of data be made continuously after development o f the data base? (3) What is the degree o f quality assurance with respect to quality of input data? It is important to clearly define any problems, such as those stated above.

Reference Cited
Kazama, H., K. Iwasaki, and K. Horii, 1989, Recent application of information system to geotechnical engineering, v. 37, no. 1, ser. 372, Japanese Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (in Japanese).

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