From Fieldwork to Publication with AusGeochem: An Open end-to-end Solution for managing FAIR Sample Based Geoscience Data

Here we introduce the AusGeochem platform enabling geoscientists to manage and publish sample based geoscience data in a consistent and FAIR way. 

The AusGeochem data platform has been built by the AuScope Geochemistry Network (AGN) and Lithodat Pty Ltd as part of a national digital infrastructure project to facilitate the sharing of data produced by geochemistry laboratories across Australia. 

In order to improve national geochemical facility data management, the AusGeochem platform uses detailed structured and standardized method specific data models for collating, preserving, and disseminating geochronology and isotopic data. 

AusGeochem provides researchers with a solution to record and utilize all of this information, while streamlining their workflow from collection to publication. Here we will give an overview of a typical sample workflow. 

The demonstrated workflow contains the following steps: Storing all sample details on-the-fly during sample collection with the field app. Managing the data by logging into the AusGeochem website. Adding subsequent geochemical analyses to the sample. Visualizing the data using analytic dashboards and graphs. Sharing the data with a team of collaborators. And finally, making the data referenceable by minting DOIs and IGSNs.

Manifold data is produced and captured along this process of collecting, analyzing and publishing. This is not confined to just the analytical results, but also a lot of meta information, such as involved people, instruments, funding sources, grant numbers, laboratories and institutions. Being rich in such metadata opens up the path to interesting new functionality, e.g. in the space of structured quantification and quality assessment of research projects.

The AusGeochem platform is of great help for a single researcher or a team of researchers by providing them with the means and tools to make their work more efficient and productive. However, the real benefit comes by having an access control layer, so data from multiple institutions can be  stored on one single platform. Since the data is now all stored in one detailed model, it gives researchers the possibility to apply analysis across data from all contributing institutions on the fly.  This means, no downloading of data from multiple sources required. And most importantly, no difficult and often impossible data preprocessing required.

How to cite: Theile, M., Noble, W., Beucher, R., McMillan, M., Boone, S., and Kohlmann, F.: From Field Application to Publication: An end-to-end Solution for FAIR Geoscience Data, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-11980, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-11980, 2022.