Meet the large collaboration network behind AusGeochem
Geosample and SIMS U-Pb data dispersed across Australia, as viewed in AusGeochem. Image: AuScope Geochemistry Network
More than fifteen months of work for the AuScope Geochemistry Network (AGN) and partners Lithodat recently culminated in the release of AusGeochem, providing the geochemistry community with a bespoke tool to explore, upload, disseminate and extract geo-sample and geochemistry data in a global geospatial context.
AusGeochem is the result of an extensive collaborative effort from a network of geochemists, data scientists and software engineers from across Australia and abroad. Let’s meet the faces behind the platform!
The Core Team
AuScope Geochemistry Network (AGN)
The AGN, led by Prof Brent McInnes from Curtin University, together with a team of expert geochemists from across Australia, aims to create, coordinate, promote and develop national geochemistry research infrastructure and maximise its use in the research community. AusGeochem sits at the heart of the AGN.
Lithodat
The close collaborative relationship fostered with cloud-hosted geoscience data providers, Lithodat, has been fundamental to the successful development of AusGeochem. Lithodat consists of a group of senior international geologists, data scientists and developers based in Melbourne. This relationship leverages the unique expertise offered by this hybrid group of geo- and data-scientists with a firm understanding of use-cases relevant to the exploration industry and wider geoscience community.
AGN Expert Advisory Groups
To ensure that technique-specific data models are fit for purpose, foster scientific collaboration, and adhere to FAIR data principles, the AGN has set up several Expert Advisory Groups (EAGs). These groups comprise internationally recognised geochemical specialists from across Australia. They provide invaluable advice regarding data reporting best practices, data quality assessment, and visualisation tools incorporated into AusGeochem and have adopted established international reporting guidelines where possible. The 28 members of the EAGs come from a variety of institutions across Australia; this number is likely to increase as additional method-specific data models are developed for AusGeochem in the future.
EAG: Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) U-Pb
Dr Alexander Prent — SIMS EAG Coordinator, Curtin University
Prof Christopher Kirkland — Curtin University
Dr Michael Wingate — Geological Survey of Western Australia
Dr Simon Bodorkos — Geoscience Australia
Prof Penny King — Australian National University
Peter Lanc — Australian National University
EAG: Fission Track and (U-Th-Sm)/He Thermochronology
Dr Samuel Boone — Low-Temperature Thermochronology EAG Coordinator, The University of Melbourne
Prof Barry Kohn — The University of Melbourne
Assoc Prof Stijn Glorie — The University of Adelaide
Assoc Prof Martin Danišík — Curtin University
Dr Renjie Zhou — University of Queensland
Dr Fabian Kohlmann — Lithodat
EAG: Ar-Ar
Hayden Dalton — Ar-Ar EAG Coordinator, The University of Melbourne
Dr Erin Matchan — The University of Melbourne
Prof David Phillips — The University of Melbourne
Dr Marnie Forster — Australian National University
Davood Vasegh — Australian National University
Prof Paulo Vasconcelos — The University of Queensland
Prof Fred Jourdan — Curtin University
EAG: Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry U-Pb & Lu-Hf
Dr Yoann Gréau — U-Pb & Lu-Hf EAG Coordinator, Macquarie University
Dr Guillaume Florin — Macquarie University
Assoc Prof Sébastien Meffre — University of Tasmania
Dr Yongjun Lu — Geological Survey of Western Australia
Dr Ashlea Wainwright — The University of Melbourne
Dr Roland Maas — The University of Melbourne
Assoc Prof Elena Belousova — Macquarie University
Assoc Prof Justin Payne — University of South Australia
Dr Olivier Alard — Macquarie University
National Geochemical Data Advisors
Dr Lesley Wyborn - Australian National University
Provided support for improved geochemical data management from the inception of the AuScope Program. Liaison with the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) and international geochemistry data programs like EarthChem and EPOS.
Dr Jens Klump - CSIRO
A leader in building the International Geo Sample Number (IGSN) system and pioneer in sampling and geochemical data workflow in Australian institutions.Dr Ryan Fraser - AARNet
Liaison between the AGN, AuScope Virtual Research Environment (AVRE) and AARNET.
International Collaborators
Mindat
By collaborating with Jolyon Ralph and the Mindat team, AusGeochem utilises the comprehensive Mindat database and associated hierarchical data structures, enabling more efficient and intelligent querying of the AusGeochem database.
International Geo Sample Number (IGSN) e.V.
Central to the AGN’s goal of promoting a FAIR (Findable, Interoperable, Accessible, Reusable) Australian geochemistry data ecosystem is the encouraged use of International Geo Sample Numbers (IGSN's): standardised and unique identifiers for identifying, citing and locating physical geosamples. Leveraging Lithodat’s status as an official IGSN minting agent, the AusGeochem platform, therefore, provides users with the option to automatically mint samples upon upload or at any subsequent time.
AUTHOR
Dr Samuel Boone
EDITOR
Philomena Manifold
KEY AUSGEOCHEM LINKS
AusGeochem Platform
About AusGeochem
AusGeochem Help
About The AGN
OTHER HANDY LINKS
Mindat
International Geo Sample Numbers