Geospatial Network (GeoNet) is a distributed information system accessible through the Internet that will permit users from the geoscience community to share and contribute knowledge from the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range province. Specifically, the goals of GeoNet are to facilitate the access, analysis, and visualization of geospatial data for use by scientists, policymakers, educators, and the general public. The types of geospatial data provided through GeoNet include satellite imagery, gravity, heat flow, digital elevation models, remote sensing, seismicity, active faults, and basic geographic data. This paper, written as a primer, describes how state-of-the-art technology is being used to realize GeoNet's goals. It also discusses GeoNet's layered architecture and shows how this architecture supports software applications deployed as service-oriented components. Ontologies based on the emerging OWL Web ontology language standard are used to enhance knowledge discovery. Use-case scenarios describe the features of GeoNet and the expected sequences of interaction between GeoNet and different classes of users. GeoNet's design will permit its functionality and data sets to be integrated with the GEON (Geosciences Network) grid and, thus, will contribute to the larger geoscience community.

Abstract The Northeastern Appalachian region (Fig. 3; Table 2, Heath, this volume) consists largely of hills and highlands, which commonly reach altitudes of 200 to 600 m in the mainland interior and western Newfoundland. In most coastal areas the topography is gently rolling and much lower in altitude. Dense igneous and metamorphic bedrock predominates, but porous unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks and soluble carbonates and evaporites underlie some valleys and lowlands. Glacial erosion and deposition produced minor changes in drainage and topography and left a nearly continuous layer of till over bedrock. Bands of stratified drift, chiefly sand and gravel, follow the larger valleys. Blankets of stratified drift, chiefly fine sand, silt, and clay, mantle some lowlands.