The OneGeochemistry Initiative: Mobilising a Global Network of FAIR Geochemical Data to Support Research into the Grand Challenge of an Environmentally Sustainable Future

Geochemical data are fundamental for understanding past, present, and future processes in natural systems, from the interior of the Earth to its surface environments on land, in the oceans and in the air, to the entire solar system. Currently, despite the pervasive acquisition and analysis of geochemical data in the last century, it is hard to harness this wealth of data as existing practices have resulted in geochemical databases that are located in either personal, institutional, national, or programmatic silos. Due to lack of standards that are especially challenging to develop in long-tail communities, like geochemistry, much of this existing data is not interoperable and reusable: very little is open and accessible online. To create a global network of reusable geochemical data the International Geochemistry Community needs to come together to define the required, globally-agreed standards and best practices that will enable world-wide interoperability, reuse and open sharing of geochemical data.

The OneGeochemistry initiative is proposed as a new initiative to rally geochemists around the world to come together to help develop the required international standards and define the best practices to enable the creation of a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) global network of interoperable distributed geochemical databases. This cannot be done in isolation of standards that are being developed elsewhere, in particular liaison with the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is required so that the Geochemistry Community can leverage relevant standards based on the periodic table that are already developed within the chemistry community.

The objective of this session is to consolidate ideas for a viable and sustainable FAIR global geochemistry network to support research grand challenges of today and meet those of the future. The session will be organised around the Why, What, Where, Who and How. The session will start with some ignition talks to set the scene on the ‘Why’ and the ‘What’ of establishing the OneGeochemistry Initiative and will be followed by a set of 4 minute lightning talks that raise awareness of ‘Where’ data systems are being built.

The presentations will be followed by a roundtable discussion to help determine the key steps on the ‘How’ and to decide ‘Who’ needs to be involved to enable OneGeochemistry Initiative to move forward and become a reality.

Speakers

A.‘Why” we need OneGeochemistry

• Kerstin Lehnert - The Drivers for OneGeochemistry

B. Lightning talks on “What” building blocks are required.

• Sarah Ramdeen - Assigning Globally Unique Persistent Identifiers at Birth to Materials Used in Geochemical Analysis.

• Kirsten Elger - Perspectives from Journals and Domain Repositories on the incorporation of Geochemical Data in Publications.

• Ian Bruno - The IUPAC Digital Chemistry Initiative and the Relevance to OneGeochemistry Initiative.

C Lighting Talks on the ‘Where’ of existing data systems around the world

• Marthe Kloecking - The Geochemistry of Rocks of the Oceans and Continents (GEOROC) Data System.

• Kerstin Lehnert - EarthChem.

• Lucia Profeta - The Astromaterials Data System.

• Geertje ter Maat - The European Plate Observing System (EPOS) Multiscale Laboratories Data System.

• Alexander Prent - Australian AuScope Geochemistry Network.

• Daven Quinn - The EarthCube Sparrow Geochemical Data System.

• Lesley Wyborn - Using the FAIMS (Field Acquired Information Management System) app to support incorporation geochemical metadata standards at initial sample acquisition in the field.