This project enables undergraduate students to generate high-quality color geologic maps in a newly developed stand alone "hypermedia" programming format (SuperCard) that links ancillary data with these maps, termed "dynamic digital maps". The dynamic digital map "templates" will enable any geologist to insert maps, figures, photographs, and data, and should benefit the entire geologic community. These templates will offer an entirely new medium for the publication and distribution of high-quality color geologic maps in the computer environment, including all ancillary data (for example, chemistry or structural data), linked to these maps in an easily accessible format. Because all data can be saved from the program to tab-delimited ASCII format files, the data are easily accessible and accurately transferable to other workers. Also, because of the digital format, a wealth of data can be included, all of which can be easily distributed by Internet, on diskettes, or CD-ROM. Students learning the techniques needed to do this will benefit greatly in making desktop computers a more productive tool for solving geologic problems; in addition they become more employable by having these skills.
