Geothermal Resources Database in Saudi Arabia (GRDiSA); GIS Model and Geothermal Favorability Map

Abstract

Saudi Arabia has many geothermal resources (volcanoes and hot springs) along the Red Sea coast. Researchers were looking for this type of energy five decades ago or even more, but studies are still in academic shelves and no real geothermal project. In the current research, we are trying to collect the previous studies and literatures to be in a database format. This database will assist decision-makers in drawing up a road map to explore, evaluate, and assess geothermal exploration in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Geological, geophysical, and related studies are collected in a digital form to build the first Geothermal Resources Database in Saudi Arabia (GRDiSA) using the power full of the GIS environment. Additionally, built-in GIS extension “ Modeler” is used to target the potentiality of geothermal resources in the Saudi Arabia. As a result, the first geothermal favorability map is generated based on the GIS model, indicating that the western side, where volcanoes and hot springs are located, is favorable for further geothermal exploration program.