Storage and Retrieval System for Ground Water Quality Data in South Dakota

The three general objectives of this study are as follows: (1) to devise a storage and retrieval system for rapid and efficient retrieval of water quality data such as may be available in the State of South Dakota, (2) to develop a system which would enable the scientist of the Water Resources Institute of South Dakota State University and other agencies interested in water quality management to communicate more effectively with the public. This would aid in obtaining better water quality management practices and thus allow the best use of water, and (3) to develop flexibility in the data system so as to meet varying program needs and conditions. Specific Objectives of the SODAK System: 1. To develop procedures to store ground water quality data so that the origin of the data and the point of collection can be ascertained. 2. To develop procedures to record and store water quality and related parameters. 3. To devise methods of retrieving the data in any one of several forms so as to best meet the needs of the public in general and the users in particular. 4. To develop a system for the uniform conversion of data so that a researcher can find particular information which is of interest to him or convince himself of the absence of such data. 5. To develop a program that consists of collecting data in whatever form it is available and convert it to a stored record which can then be searched by an electronic digital computer. The study was initiated in the spring of 1966, and its development as a system was completed in the fall of 1967. The study and its development was made on the South Dakota State University Campus. The ground water quality data used in this study was furnished by the U.S. Geological Survey