Rock and Core Repository Coming Digital

In times of whole city centres being available by a mouse click in 3D to virtually walk through, reality sometimes
becomes neglected. The reality of scientific sample collections not being digitised to the essence of molecules,
isotopes and electrons becomes unbelievable to the upgrowing generation of scientists.

Just like any other geological institute the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research GEOMAR accumulated
thousands of specimen. The samples, collected mainly during marine expeditions, date back as far as 1964. Today
GEOMAR houses a central geological sample collection of at least 17 000 m of sediment core and more than 4
500 boxes with hard rock samples and refined sample specimen. This repository, having been dormant, missed the
onset of the interconnected digital age. Physical samples without barcodes, QR codes or RFID tags need to be
migrated and reconnected, urgently.

In our use case, GEOMAR opted for the International Geo Sample Number IGSN as the persistent identi-
fier. Consequentially, the software CurationDIS by smartcube GmbH as the central component of this project
was selected. The software is designed to handle acquisition and administration of sample material and sample
archiving in storage places. In addition, the software allows direct embedding of IGSN. We plan to adopt IGSN
as a future asset, while for the initial inventory taking of our sample material, simple but unique QR codes act as
“bridging identifiers” during the process.

Currently we compile an overview of the broad variety of sample types and their associated data. QR-coding of
the boxes of rock samples and sediment cores is near completion, delineating their location in the repository and
linking a particular sample to any information available about the object. Planning is in progress to streamline the
flow from receiving new samples to their curation to sharing samples and information publically. Additionally,
interface planning for linkage to GEOMAR databases OceanRep (publications) and OSIS (expeditions) as well as
for external data retrieval are in the pipeline.

Looking ahead to implement IGSN, taking on board lessons learned from earlier generations, it will enable
to comply with our institute’s open science policy. Also it will allow to register newly collected samples already
during ship expeditions. They thus receive their "birth certificate" contemporarily in this ever faster revolving
scientific world.