The Geological survey of Israel (GSI) is responsible for creating a focused and adapted scientific-applied knowledge center that meets the national needs of Israel in the field of Earth sciences. As part of this role, the institute has been working since the 1950s to create a geological map of Israel.
The geological mapping project of Israel at a scale of 1:50,000 consists of 79 mapping sheets, each of 20 by 20 kilometers. In recent years, efforts have been made to unify the sheets into a continuous "carpet" map.
In preparation for the completion of the national map set, a decision was made to upgrade the map website and the database. For this work, we delved into the institute's mapping archive. Observing the mapping history reveals the concepts and working methods that underpinned the preparation of the 1:50,000 maps. The components of the mapping and the way they are presented reflect the changes and developments in geological mapping of Israel from both geological and technological perspectives. At the beginning of this project, the maps were created by various teams of authors in limited areas of interest, leading to differences and discontinuity between the mapping sheets. The division of the country into 79 sheets by the Israel Mapping Center led to a convergence around this division. The project's duration resulted in a tightly defined format by Dr. Amichai Sneh, which created uniformity in the appearance of the sheets, but also led to the removal of some mapping elements. Alongside this, each of the 1:50,000 maps continued to represent a standalone creation, both in terms of geological interpretation and design.
The map website of the Geological Institute was created in the 1990s by Dr. Marcelo Rosensaft, under the same uniform sheet format, presenting each sheet separately.
Connecting the 1:50,000 sheets into a unified map allows for a continuous view of Israel's geology. The unification of the sheets is the result of geological editing work and the use of new technological tools. The information is now accessible on GSI website under a single application from which it can be shared, displayed with various data and downloaded. The introduction of new tools allows GSI staff and geologists to view and update information in the field.