Geotechnical Data Conversion: Meeting the Challenge and Opportunities to Come

As a profession, geotechnical engineering is not a dominant player in data management challenges; however, our entire business revolves around the collection, compilation, interpretation, and evaluation of subsurface data. And, as a profession, we have collected this data for decades and prized this compilation as a valuable business asset. Unfortunately, the tools available to manage this data are limited, and our data have typically been stored in their proprietary structure. When a major software provider announces the end of life of one of these tools, we face the daunting challenge of migrating data to a new software platform and converting it to a new format, or, more worrisome, the demise of our archive of geotechnical data. Having worked closely with the development of DIGGS, the authors have anticipated this day and facing the data conversion challenge head on. This paper will discuss challenges experienced with converting decades of data in various formats and the future use of this data that now will be readily accessible. Further, once this data is converted into a readily accessible and possibly centralized storage facility, the opportunities for rapid compilation, interpretation, and visualization will revolutionize the ability of contractors to make rapid risk assessment and optimize pricing strategies.