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Hawaii releases geothermal resource data in online database

Hawaii releases geothermal resource data in online database Diamond Head, Honolulu, Hawaii, US (source: flickr/ snowpeak, creative commons)
Francisco Rojas 3 Mar 2015

The Hawaii Institute for Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa launched a website that provides new data on Hawaii’s groundwater and renewable energy resources

In a recent post in the University of Hawaii’s website, the Hawaii Institute for Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa launched a website —Hawaii Groundwater and Geothermal Resources Center (HGGRC)—which consolidates existing information and introduces an abundance of new data related to these natural resources.

HIGP researchers, Nicole Lautze and Donald Thomas, led the creation of this resource center to organize and publicly disseminate data on Hawaii’s groundwater and geothermal resources from private and public agencies and organizations.

“In bringing together this wealth of information, we hope to facilitate innovative research on Hawaii’s groundwater and renewable energy resources,” said Lautze. “Ideally, with sound knowledge in hand, scientists, resource managers, potential developers, policymakers and the public will have the necessary information to protect and optimally utilize Hawaii’s natural resources and to plan for a sustainable future.”

The virtual center features:

  • A geothermal collection containing more than 1,000 geothermal-relevant documents.
  • The Hawaii State Water Wells data for the water wells in Hawaii (e.g. name, location, type and depth) via an interactive map, with downloadable water well files.
  • Historical photographs, slides and newspaper articles.
  • Coming soon: A probability map which indicates the likelihood of encountering a subsurface geothermal resource compiled from the Department of Energy’s Play Fairway project.
  • Coming soon: Humuulu Groundwater Research project daily updates, available when the drilling commences on the second 2 km deep hole in the saddle region of the island of Hawaii.

To see the new website: Hawaii Groundwater and Geothermal Resources Center

Source: University of Hawaii