Peter N. Schweitzer, Ph.D.
Peter Schweitzer is a Geologist with the USGS Geology, Energy & Minerals (GEM) Science Center in Reston, VA.
Peter works on scientific information management at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston Virginia. With a formal background in geology and oceanography and practical experience in software development, he serves as a bridge between the scientific research and information technology communities.
Currently, Peter's work focuses on providing usable scientific data to the public through the internet. Perhaps best known for producing widely used software that parses and validates geospatial metadata, Peter more recently led a small team to develop controlled vocabularies and used cataloging software to design a topical index of scientific information on the web.
Websites through which Peter's work is visible:
- Mineral Resources On-line Spatial Data
- Mineral Resources Data Catalog
- Formal Metadata Information and Software
- USGS Geoscience Data Catalog
- Presentation Materials
- About the USGS Thesaurus
- Putting Metadata in Plain Language
Science and Products
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
Our objective is to develop a national-scale, geospatial database that is the authoritative source of the most important mines, mineral deposits, and mineral districts of the United States.
Mineral Resource Online Data Catalog
This project makes the digital spatial data produced by the Mineral Resources Program available via a web portal so that users can easily access spatial data for solving scientific and technical problems: the Mineral Resources Online Spatial Data site.
Use of Controlled Vocabularies in USGS Information Applications: Requirements Analysis for Automated Processes and Services (Bureau-wide Application)
Large online data catalogs use controlled vocabularies to categorize datasets in ways that allow end users to sort and select data matching their needs. The eventual goal of this project is to build functional services so that the USGS Thesaurus and other USGS-controlled vocabularies will be available to the English-speaking scientific community, especially within the USGS where they can be used t
Development of Enhanced Feature Recognition Software for the Extraction of Mine Features from USGS Topographic Maps
The USMIN Project is multi-year project of the USGS Mineral Resource Program (MRP) whose objective is to develop a comprehensive geospatial database of the mines, mineral deposits and mineral districts of the United States. This database builds upon MRP projects which date back to the late 1960’s and will provide data that will be of value to other parts of the USGS, other federal and state agenc
Science and Products
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
Our objective is to develop a national-scale, geospatial database that is the authoritative source of the most important mines, mineral deposits, and mineral districts of the United States.
Mineral Resource Online Data Catalog
This project makes the digital spatial data produced by the Mineral Resources Program available via a web portal so that users can easily access spatial data for solving scientific and technical problems: the Mineral Resources Online Spatial Data site.
Use of Controlled Vocabularies in USGS Information Applications: Requirements Analysis for Automated Processes and Services (Bureau-wide Application)
Large online data catalogs use controlled vocabularies to categorize datasets in ways that allow end users to sort and select data matching their needs. The eventual goal of this project is to build functional services so that the USGS Thesaurus and other USGS-controlled vocabularies will be available to the English-speaking scientific community, especially within the USGS where they can be used t
Development of Enhanced Feature Recognition Software for the Extraction of Mine Features from USGS Topographic Maps
The USMIN Project is multi-year project of the USGS Mineral Resource Program (MRP) whose objective is to develop a comprehensive geospatial database of the mines, mineral deposits and mineral districts of the United States. This database builds upon MRP projects which date back to the late 1960’s and will provide data that will be of value to other parts of the USGS, other federal and state agenc