The AusGeochem platform: caring for and sharing geochemical data

Digitizing the planet is crucial for enhancing resource exploration, scientific research, and environmental protection. Despite decades of foundational research covering vast regions of the Earth, much data remains inaccessible due to inadequate communication platforms and fragmented storage methods. This hinders data transformation and efficient resource utilization, prompting a global call for the development of communicable and transparent tools to efficiently share global geochemical data. In response to this need, the AuScope Geochemistry Network (AGN) and collaborator Lithodat are developing the AusGeochem data platform under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

AusGeochem is an open-access, cloud-based geospatial data platform designed for the archival, dissemination, and interrogation of global Earth Science samples and associated geochemical data. The platform empowers users to manage and share their data effectively (e.g., adhering to FAIR data principles, assigning DOIs) enabling direct uploads from laboratories with minimal effort to integrate personal datasets with public resources for comprehensive analysis.

The platform supports bulk upload of state-of-the-art analytical datasets (e.g., Fission tracks, U-Pb, Lu-Hf, Ar/Ar, ME-TE) through specialized relational schema data models, fostering seamless integration and numerical synthesis. AusGeochem aims to enhance data interpretation through powerful visualization tools such as TAS diagrams, spidergrams, U-Pb diagrams, and isoplotR connection, with spatial maps and a GPlates powered paleogeographic tool. An open API further extends its utility, promoting integration into diverse research applications.

Despite its relatively young age, AusGeochem has already collaborated with institutions like Museum Victoria to access centuries-old national collections. It supports mineral prospectivity assessments, geochemical anomaly identification, and insights into tectono-thermal evolution, as evidenced in recent publications in Nature Scientific Reports 2023.

In conclusion, the AusGeochem platform holds immense potential for advancing numerical geoscience techniques, promoting data interoperability, and driving further collaboration and discovery in the field of global geochemistry.