Introductory video to explaining Linked Data and DGGS practices and philosophies

Effective mineral, energy and groundwater resource management and exploration rely on accurate geological maps. While geological maps of the surface exist and increase in resolution, maps of the subsurface are sparse, and the underpinning geological and geophysical constraints are disordered or non-existent. The Estimates of Geological and Geophysical Surfaces (EGGS) database seeks to enable robust subsurface geological mapping by establishing an ordered collection of precious geological and geophysical interpretations of the subsurface. EGGS stores the depth to geological boundaries derived from boreholes as well as interpretations of depth to magnetic top assessments, airborne electromagnetics inversions and reflection seismic profiles. Since geological interpretation is iterative, links to geophysical datasets and processing streams used to image the subsurface are stored. These metadata allow interpretations to be readily associated with the datasets from which they are derived and re-examined. The geological basis for the interpretation is also recorded. Stratigraphic consistency is maintained by linking each interpretation to the Australian Stratigraphic Units Database. As part of the Exploring for the Future program, >170 000 points were entered into the EGGS database. These points underpin construction of cover thickness models and economic fairway assessments. <b>Citation:</b> Mathews, E.J., Czarnota, K., Meixner, A.J., Bonnardot, M.-A., Curtis, C., Wilford, J., Nicoll, M.G., Wong, S.C.T., Thorose, M. and Ley-Cooper, Y., 2020. Putting all your EGGS in one basket: the Estimates of Geological and Geophysical Surfaces database. In: Czarnota, K., Roach, I., Abbott, S., Haynes, M., Kositcin, N., Ray, A. and Slatter, E. (eds.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, 1–4.

The purpose of this document is to define an Emergency Management (EM) Metadata Profile Extension to the ISO 19115-1:2014/AMD 1:2018 to identify the metadata required to accurately describe EM resources. The EM Metadata Profile is designed to support the documentation and discovery of EM datasets, services, and other resources. This version of the Profile was developed to reflect extensions made to the current version of the international metadata standard: ISO 19115-1:2014/AMD 1:2018.

HiQGA is a general purpose software package for spatial statistical inference, geophysical forward modeling, Bayesian inference and inversion (both deterministic and probabilistic). It includes readily usable geophysical forward operators for airborne electromagnetics (AEM), controlled-source electromagnetics (CSEM) and magnetotellurics (MT). Physics-independent inversion frameworks are provided for probabilistic reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (rj-MCMC) inversions, with models parametrised by Gaussian processes (Ray and Myer, 2019), as well as deterministic inversions with an "Occam inversion" framework (Constable et al., 1987). In development software for EFTF since 2020

Fuelled by a virtual explosion in digital capabilities the world is changing very fast and the field of Geoscience is no exception. Geoscience Australia (GA) has undergone a rapid digital transformation in the past 5 years. This has in part been driven by increasing organisational ICT costs, and partly by whole of government and more broadly global changes to the digital environment such as; growth in data, cheaper, more available cloud and infrastructure, new advances in AI and ML, new models for continuous development (DevOps) and public expectations that data will be available and accessible. The overarching principle of Geoscience Australia's Digital Strategy 2019-22 acknowledges that GA’s Enterprise ICT is inherently integrated with scientific data and ICT requirements, and more broadly these are the foundation of the digital science we are respected for at GA. As such, this strategy brings all three of these components together in a whole of agency digital strategy. The Digital Strategy focuses on strong foundations, systematic experimentation, data-driven science and digital culture and capability. Eighteen different strategies lie under these themes to help guide GA's focus for the next 3 years. There are also a number of high level KPI’s designed to help us measure our success.

Since 2012, Geoscience Australia (GA) has been providing spatial support and advice to the National Situation Room (NSR) (formally the Crisis Coordination Centre (CCC)) within Emergency Management Australia (EMA) as part of GA’s collaboration with the Attorney-General’s Department. A key information requirement identified by EMA was the need to quickly understand what is in an event area. To address this requirement Geoscience Australia designed the Exposure Report which greatly simplifies the interpretation of exposure information for timely emergency response and recovery decision-making. The Exposure Report is generated by extracting the relevant attributes from the Geoscience Australia National Exposure information System (NEXIS) such as demographics, building, business, agriculture, institutions and infrastructure in an event footprint, geographical boundary or potentially threatened area. This automated process quickly presents the required information in a clear and easily accessible report detailing estimates of what exists in the event area. By improving the timeliness and accuracy of information used by the NSR, Geoscience Australia is enhancing the government’s ability to respond to disaster and activate appropriate financial assistance for recovery.

The pace, with which government agencies, researchers, industry, and the public need to react to national and international challenges of economic, environmental, and social natures, is constantly changing and rapidly increasing. Responses to the global COVID-19 pandemic event, the 2020 Australian bushfire and 2021 flood crisis situations are recent examples of these requirements. Decisions are no longer made on information or data coming from a single source or discipline or a solitary aspect of life: the issues of today are too complex. Solving complex issues requires seamless integration of data across multiple domains and understanding and consideration of potential impacts on businesses, the economy, and the environment. Modern technologies, easy access to information on the web, abundance of openly available data shifts is not enough to overcome previous limitations of dealing with data and information. Data and software have to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR), processes have to be transparent, verifiable and trusted. The approaches toward data integration, analysis, evaluation, and access require rethinking to: - Support building flexible re-usable and re-purposeful data and information solutions serving multiple domains and communities. - Enable timely and effective delivery of complex solutions to enable effective decision and policy making. The unifying factor for these events is location: everything is happening somewhere at some time. Inconsistent representation of location (e.g. coordinates, statistical aggregations, and descriptions) and the use of multiple techniques to represent the same data creates difficulty in spatially integrating multiple data streams often from independent sources and providers. To use location for integration, location information needs to be embedded within the datasets and metadata, describing those datasets, so those datasets and metadata would become ‘spatially enabled’.

<p>Iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) mineral systems are a desirable undercover exploration target due to their large alteration footprint and potentially high metal content. To assist in understanding the potential for IOCG mineral systems beneath cover in the Tennant Creek to Mount Isa region as part of Exploring for the Future, a predictive mineral potential assessment has been undertaken using a knowledge-based, mineral systems approach.<p>This mineral potential assessment uses a 2D, GIS-based workflow to qualitatively map four key mineral system components: (1) Sources of metals, fluids and ligands, (2) Energy to drive fluid flow, (3) Fluid flow pathways and architecture, and (4) Deposition mechanisms, such as redox or chemical gradients. For each of these key mineral system components theoretical criteria, representing important ore-forming processes, were identified and translated into mappable proxies using a wide range of input datasets. Each of these criteria are weighted and combined using an established workflow to produce the final map of IOCG potential, all of which is well documented in the accompanying IOCG Assessment Criteria Table.<p>Two assessments have been undertaken. The first is a comprehensive assessment containing all available geospatial information and is highly reliant on the level of geological knowledge. As such, it preferentially highlights mineral potential in well-understood areas, such as outcropping regions and performs less well in covered areas, where there is a greater likelihood of data gaps. The second assessment utilises only datasets which can be mapped consistently across the assessment area. As such, these are predominately based on geophysical data and are more consistent in assessing exposed and covered areas. However, far fewer criteria are included in this assessment.<p>Both assessment highlight new areas of interest in underexplored regions, of particular interest a SW-NE corridor to the East of Tennant Creek of moderate/high potential in the Barkly region. This corridor extends to an area of moderate potential in the Murphy Inlier region near the Gulf of Carpentaria on the NT/QLD border.

The magnetotelluric (MT) method is increasingly being applied to map tectonic architecture and mineral systems. Under the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program, Geoscience Australia has invested significantly in the collection of new MT data. The science outputs from these data are underpinned by an open-source data analysis and visualisation software package called MTPy. MTPy started at the University of Adelaide as a means to share academic code among the MT community. Under EFTF, we have applied software engineering best practices to the code base, including adding automated documentation and unit testing, code refactoring, workshop tutorial materials and detailed installation instructions. New functionality has been developed, targeted to support EFTF-related products, and includes data analysis and visualisation. Significant development has focused on modules to work with 3D MT inversions, including capability to export to commonly used software such as Gocad and ArcGIS. This export capability has been particularly important in supporting integration of resistivity models with other EFTF datasets. The increased functionality, and improvements to code quality and usability, have directly supported the EFTF program and assisted with uptake of MTPy among the international MT community. <b>Citation:</b> Kirkby, A.L., Zhang, F., Peacock, J., Hassan, R. and Duan, J., 2020. Development of the open-source MTPy package for magnetotelluric data analysis and visualisation. In: Czarnota, K., Roach, I., Abbott, S., Haynes, M., Kositcin, N., Ray, A. and Slatter, E. (eds.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, 1–4.

This video demonstrates to viewers the importance and value on fit for purpose metadata, metadata standards, and metadata profiles.