Designation:D6168−97(Reapproved2010)StandardGuideforSelectionofMinimumSetofDataElementsRequiredtoIdentifyLocationsChosenforFieldCollectionofInformationtoDescribeSoil,Rock,andTheirContainedFluids1ThisstandardisissuedunderthefixeddesignationD6168;thenumberimmediatelyfollowingthedesignationindicatestheyearoforiginaladoptionor,inthecaseofrevision,theyearoflastrevision.Anumberinparenthesesindicatestheyearoflastreapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon(´)indicatesaneditorialchangesincethelastrevisionorreapproval.1.Scope1.1Thisguide2coversfactorstoconsiderfortheselectionoftheminimumsetofdataelementsrequiredfortheaccuratelocationandcatalogingofinformationcollectedforgeologicalscience(geoscience)investigations,whichincludesgeoecol-ogy.1.1.1Geoscienceinvestigationsincludesoilsurveys,foun-dationinvestigations,geologicstudies,hydrologicevaluations,environmentalappraisals,contaminationinquiries,archaeo-logicalsurveys,andotherstudiesthatinvolvethesoil,rock,andcontainedfluidsfromthelandssurfacetoanyexploreddepthunderground.1.2Auniquegeosciencedatalocation,onorbelowtheearth’ssurface,canbedescribedbyX,Y,andZcoordinatesandbythatmethodestablishthedimensionalrelationshiptodataofasimilarnature.Additionallocationinformationneededdependsuponthetypeofgeosciencedatacollectionlocality.1.2.1ThebasictypeisasinglepositiondescribedbyfiniteX,Y,andZcoordinates.TheX,Y,andZcoordinatesuniquelypositionthelocationonorbelowtheearth’ssurface.NOTE1—Anexampleisthelatitudeandlongitudeinhorizontalcoordinatesandthealtitude(orelevation)inverticaldistanceofagroundwaterlocationorsite.Datacollectedatthesite,forexample,waterlevels,aremeasuredbytheverticalintervalasreferencedtothealtitude.1.2.2AnothertypeoflocationisdescribedbyfiniteXandYcoordinatesthathasmultipleverticallypositionedZcoordi-nates.Thisisequivalenttothelocationtypedescribedin1.2.1,exceptthatmultipleverticaldimensionsarestatedasZcoordinates,ratherthanverticalintervals.NOTE2—Anexampleislatitude,longitude,andmultiplealtitudesofasoilsamplinglocationorsite....
