Datamap by Netcalcs is a revolutionary new web based platform that makes geotechnical data more freely available and easier to share and use.

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Described as ‘Dropbox on a map’, this user-friendly technical solution to a common problem is exciting interest from international research and industry bodies alike and is already being used in 48 countries worldwide.

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Presenting geotechnical data in a well-organised, systematic and easy to access format has long been a challenge given the quantity and variety of laboratory, in situ characterisation and field testing data. Not to mention the spatial distribution of this data across a site.

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Indeed, this is a major challenge in many scientific disciplines and industry applications, where data is expensive and time consuming to collect and is only truly valuable if it is easily accessible.

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International trends in major science initiatives are clearly illustrating that the more researchers that are able to access the same dataset, the more likely it is that the information will be transformed into useful knowledge, such as the publicly accessible use of genetic sequence databases.

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More than $2 million worth of test data is already available on the Datamap app, much of it from the the Australian National Field Testing Facility in Ballina in Northern New South Wales, which was established to improve engineering designs in soft soils.

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The app was designed using Amazon web services, which means it is completely cloud-based and no external software is needed. All data is saved to the cloud and can be accessed from anywhere.

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Use of the app is growing worldwide. After assessing several options, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute chose to use Datamap because of its user friendliness, enabling it to easily share data from five field test sites across Norway.

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Netcalcs hopes this web app will become a general platform for sharing geotechnical data for researchers and industry in Australia and around the world.