A new era of open Earth science data with AuScope EarthBank
AusGeoChem, soon to be AuScope EarthBank, is a platform that makes Earth science data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. Image: AusGeoChem
For many years, Australian geochemical data has been scattered across different media and research institutions, making it difficult for research end users to find, access and re-use. This changed in 2022, when the AuScope Geochemistry Network launched AusGeoChem, an open data platform designed to make geochemistry data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. Now in its next phase, the NCRIS enabled platform is being rebranded as AuScope EarthBank to reflect its international reach and commitment to open science.
The Challenge
Australia is home to complex laboratory instruments that can analyse the composition of rocks, minerals, water and soils in incredible detail. This collection of multi-million dollar machines has paved the way for advanced geochemical research for many years.
But with one major problem.
After running experiments, researchers would typically export their data onto USB drives or other personal devices for eventual publication. Sometimes, this data might not see the light of day due to dried-up funding, researchers moving institutions, or changes in project direction that meant analytical results were left unpublished. This meant that thousands of potentially valuable datasets were effectively invisible to the research community – difficult to find, hard to compare, and impossible to reuse at scale.
It became clear that scientific progress was being slowed, not by a lack of technology, but by a lack of coordination.
Recognising this issue, Professor Brent McInnes, a geochemist and former Director of the John de Laeter Research Centre at Curtin University, was at a 2020 meeting of geochemistry groups around Australia when he argued that something had to change.
“We needed to shift the culture – to change the way we do business, not only for the sake of science, but also for the community. At the December 2020 meeting, I said, ‘Let's form a partnership.’ And that became the AuScope Geochemistry Network.”
– Professor Brent McInnes, Director of AuScope EarthBank
The AuScope Geochemistry Network (AGN), part of AuScope’s Earth Composition and Evolution program, started off as 3 universities – Curtin University, The University of Melbourne and Macquarie University – who agreed to pool their resources to develop the nation’s geochemistry research capabilities. Now, the AGN is composed of more than 10 universities around Australia.
Research (and solutions)
One of the major visions for the AGN was to create a platform to make geochemistry data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR).
The key to achieving that goal was to develop a centralised, open-access platform that researchers could use to discover, analyse, and interpret geochemical data.
After successfully receiving $450,000 in funding from various sources, including AuScope’s Opportunity Fund in 2021, the AGN set out to bring this vision to life. Over the next 2 years, the AGN worked with Melbourne-based software developer Lithodat to build a bespoke, open data platform for the Australian geochemistry community, aptly named AusGeoChem.
By its launch in late 2022, AusGeoChem allowed researchers to upload their data into a vast Earth science data repository, compare findings against thousands of other samples, use advanced 4D analysis tools, and collaborate across institutions.
Outcomes and impacts
The platform quickly proved its worth, attracting over 1,300 users, including researchers, policymakers and industry professionals. It now hosts more than 350,000 registered samples, with the data continually expanding.
Among these are data from a recent collaboration with Museums Victoria, which contributed tens of thousands of samples to the AusGeoChem repository, some dating back to 1854.
“For most museums, less than 1% of their collections are ever on display. The other 99% is opaque to us. Museum exhibitors are often researchers at heart, and they want their samples to be accessible by the public and used for analysis and research.”
– Professor Brent McInnes, Director of AuScope EarthBank
Oskar Lindenmayer is the Geosciences Collection Manager at Museums Victoria, responsible for organising and caring for Victoria’s State collection of rocks, minerals, meteorites and gemstones. As a frequent user of the AusGeoChem platform, he said:
“Exporting our collection data to AusGeoChem has significantly improved the discoverability of rocks and minerals in Victoria’s State collections. The map view, dynamic data visualisation and search tools are all highly intuitive ways to visualise our specimens and how they relate to the bigger geological picture. As well as allowing others to explore our collections, AusGeoChem has become a tool I use day-to-day when responding to enquiries and access requests.”
– Oskar Lindenmayer, Collection Manager, Geosciences, Museums Victoria Research Institute
The power of a name: the AuScope EarthBank rebrand
Despite the platform’s huge success, a new challenge was beginning to emerge.
While AusGeoChem was the perfect moniker to describe the platform in its early days when its user base was primarily Australia-centric, things were slowly changing.
With laboratories in the AGN now analysing samples from around the world, the platform’s global reach has significantly expanded. The name AusGeoChem risked being perceived as ‘Australia-only’, creating a barrier that could prevent use by researchers overseas.
“When we had 10 Australian laboratories, the name ‘AusGeoChem’ was fit for purpose. But when we started going internationally, people said, ‘It’s called AusGeoChem. We don’t want to put our data in an Australian geochemistry platform.”
– Professor Brent McInnes, Director of AuScope EarthBank
Realising the power of a name, the AGN made the decision to rebrand, leaving behind its AusGeoChem moniker in favour of a new one: AuScope EarthBank.
Inspired by the biological science’s ‘biobank’, the new name reflects the platform’s commitment to open data and its broader international focus.
Professor McInnes, who is now the Director of AuScope EarthBank, is hopeful that the new name will foster a sustainable platform for the global Earth sciences community.
“We felt that broadening our base and removing barriers to participation was the key.”
– Professor Brent McInnes, Director of AuScope EarthBank
Translation and future work
The AuScope EarthBank rebrand is now underway, with the new name being revealed at three upcoming global geochemistry meetings, including the European Geophysical Union meeting in April 2025. However, Professor McInnes assures that, while the name is changing, the platform's functionality will not.
“There’s quite a bit of work to do, but at the end of the day, everything is going to operate in the exact same way.”
– Professor Brent McInnes, Director of AuScope EarthBank
Alongside the rebrand, AuScope and the AGN are undertaking several other initiatives to support the future of Earth sciences. This involves utilising the project’s $19 million in funding towards the training of postdocs and young data scientists, including 10 new EarthBank fellows who will be ambassadors for the platform at their respective institutions.
The AGN also nurtures the next generation of STEM leaders by providing both elementary and high school students with free exposure to world-class technology through the Inspire STEM program.
“We take portable scanning electron microscopes into classrooms, which allow you to see in 100,000x magnification. Students love bringing in stuff to look at. Dead bugs are very popular.”
– Professor Brent McInnes, Director of AuScope EarthBank
By sparking curiosity in these young generations, the AGN is helping to shape the scientists of tomorrow – scientists who will rely on platforms like AuScope EarthBank to push the boundaries of new discoveries.
What started as a small collaboration between a handful of Australian Universities has now grown into an international effort, ensuring geochemistry data can be openly shared, compared, and re-used to enable a more collaborative future.
“AuScope EarthBank is more than just a platform. It’s an ecosystem. Data is valuable, particularly when it is aggregated across multiple institutions and over decades of research. It’s far more valuable, I would argue, than any single paper – but EarthBank facilitates that too.”
– Professor Brent McInnes, Director of AuScope EarthBank
Key People and Organisations
Prof Brent McInnes, Curtin University
Dr Bryant Ware, Curtin University
Prof Andy Gleadow, The University of Melbourne
Dr Olivier Alard, Australian National University
Dr Hayden Dalton, The University of Melbourne
Dr Malcolm McMillan, The University of Melbourne
Dr Angus Nixon, The University of Adelaide
Sally-Ann Hodgekiss, Macquarie University
Dr Sheree Armistead, The University of Tasmania
Dr Florian Dux, University of Wollongong
Dr Halimulati Ananuer, Macquarie University
Dr Xueying Wang, Monash University
Dr Dafne Koutamanis, James Cook University
Dr Jack Stirling, The University of Western Australia
Contact Information
For further information, please contact Prof Brent McInnes, EarthBank office, Curtin University
CASE STUDY
Professor Brent McInnes shares the history of AusGeoChem and discusses its upcoming rebrand to AuScope EarthBank – a new name that reflects the platform’s international reach and commitment to open science.
AUTHOR
Dr Cintya Dharmayanti, Scientell
