Geographic information system: an application to manage geophysical data

In this study, we show an application of Geographical Information System (GIS) for managing geophysical data acquired in along the South Shetland Margin (Antarctic Peninsula). The dataset has been acquired in the frame of two projects regarding the integrated data analysis for the gas hydrate reservoir characterization supported by the National Program of Antarctic Researcher (PNRA). In the study area, an integrated approach has pointed out the presence of gas hydrates reservoir. The available geophysical information are the following: Multibeam data, seismic images, 2D and 3D velocity and porosity models, 2D and 3D gas phase concentrations, pore pressure information, chirp images, gravity core analysis and CTD data. The first step consisted in collecting and homogenizing the data, which has been organized in a specific database, in order to connect all scientific information acquired in the area. This integrated approach has allowed us to obtained regional information, such as geothermal gradient, by correlating all available data and obtaining 3D information distribution. In this context, GIS is a very useful tool to develop a database where all information can be stored, managed and integrated. In this paper, we show the preliminary results and the future activities.