A survey of geodata in geotechnical engineering

Geodata can be broadly defined as data produced by the characterisation of the constituent ground (mainly natural) and observation of the processes (natural or man-made) emerging from geo-disciplines. Geo-disciplines include soil science, geotechnical engineering, rock engineering, earthquake engineering, geoenvironmental engineering, engineering geology, mining, geohazard risk analysis, and geophysics. There are many common data features and attributes in these disciplines. As such, solutions in one discipline can be applicable to another. Data from different geo-disciplines may offer new data fusion opportunities. There is no pathway to a digital future for geo-disciplines that does not start with data. This article presents a short survey of geo-databases (a structured compilation of geodata that can lead to valuable insights in practice) in geotechnical engineering. Two major geodata estates covering site investigation and performance of geotechnical structures (load tests, LCPC MOMIS, prediction exercises) are reviewed. There is monitoring data but no systematic effort to build this third geodata estate has been undertaken to the knowledge of the authors (with the exception of deep excavations and tunnelling).