Geoscience after IT: Part C. Familiarization with IT applications to support the individual geoscientist

Familiarization with IT proceeds best by first learning the basic skills, using them, and considering the consequences; thus developing a mindset to take advantage of future opportunities. A desktop computer is a good starting point. Word processing can be seen as a route from tangled thought to immaculate presentation. Spreadsheets can help to build, analyze and plot datasets. Data can be collected with forms and spreadsheets, with on-line instruments in the laboratory or in the field, or by scanning and maybe OCR. Standards are needed to communicate between systems