New GIS collections are being developed through the AAPG Foundation-OSU Geoscience GIS Consortium, a partnership between the AAPG Foundation and Oklahoma State University. This partnership was created in 2008 when the AAPG Foundation received a generous $10 million endowment from Mr. Boone Pickens. The endowment created the Boone Pickens Digital Geology Fund, which is earmarked to underwrite the creation of GIS publications, along with data acquisition and underlying geological research.

The Consortium exists to create, accelerate and sustain digital peer-reviewed GIS products, carried out through OSU’s Geology and Geography Departments and the AAPG GIS Publications Committee. The products will have direct application to the search for and development of petroleum and energy-related mineral resources, and / or related to environmental geology or related economic issues.

Example of Projects for Funding Consideration

• Projects with a focus on geology, energy, geography and economics
• Those needing cartographic work (maps and derivatives including vectorization, attribution, preparation of metadata and georeferencing)
• Research projects resulting in the creation of GIS-based databases, reports, and studies
• Projects where copyright is released to the AAPG, or permission to publish or re-use is granted

Currently In-Progress and Completed Projects

• Appalachian Shales
• Atlas of Modern Deltas *
• Atlas of Shale Pits *
• Characterization of Global Ophiolite Distribution *
• Geochemical Facies Mapping of Devonian Black Shales *
• Geology of Ethiopia
• Georeferencing of Maps of Salt Dome Oil Fields (Phase III)
• Global Atlas of Outcropping Reservoir Rocks *
• Global Heat Flow Database of the International Heat Flow Commission 
• Modern and Ancient Incised Valleys Database *
• Modification of Line Features of Tectonic Map of the World ("Bally's Map")
• Nevada Petroleum Well Locations and Files
• Pennsylvania Digital Oil and Gas Mapping
• Rockies Stratigraphic Framework - Geologic Atlas of the Rocky Mountain Region (Phase 1)
• Stratigraphic Distribution of Hydrocarbon Production from 19 Counties, Abilene (TX) Area ("Abilene Oil Fields Atlas")
• Tectonic Map of North America, 1992, 1996
• Wilcox Group and Carrizo Sand in East-Central Texas: Depositional Systems and Deep Basin Lignite

        * Research Project

Consortium project management is provided by AAPG Datapages on behalf of the AAPG Foundation.

Student Employees

OSU Cartography Services currently employs graduate and undergraduate students to work on the AAPGF-OSU GIS Consortium projects.

Nick Rose – is a PhD student working to verify fault line and polygons on the Plate Tectonics of North America project. His scholarly pursuits focus on the interactions between the US federal government, Native American tribes, and mineral extraction.

GIS Specialist

The AAPGF-OSU GIS Consortium projects support one GIS Specialist staff position. This position is responsible for the management and completion of the individual projects. OSU Cartography Services has employed Clay Barrett as the GIS Specialist since May 1st, 2015. Clay Barrett is an Oklahoma State University alum with a Master of Science in Geography and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences. The topic of his thesis was remote sensing of water quality in eastern Oklahoma using Landsat.