Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Geo-INQUIRE (Geosphere INfrastructures for QUestions into Integrated REsearch)
Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2023-09-30
Geo-INQUIRE will provide and improve access to selected key data, products and services to monitor and model the dynamic processes within the geosphere at new levels of spatial and temporal detail and accuracy. It aims to overcome domain boundaries, in particular the land-sea-atmosphere environment, and will exploit innovative data management techniques, modelling and simulation methods, developments in AI and Big Data, and extend existing data infrastructures to disseminate these resources to the wider scientific community, including the EOSC landscape.
The project benefits from a partnership of 51 organisations comprising major national research institutes, universities, national geological surveys and European research infrastructure consortia. A portfolio of over 150 Virtual Access and Transnational Access facilities will be made available to the scientific community. While many of these resources are already available at a high level of maturity, Geo-INQUIRE will ensure not only that they reach the highest level of scientific excellence through targeted actions on availability, quality, and spatial and temporal resolution, but also that they follow the FAIR principles, adopt appropriate standards and open licences, and aim at cross-disciplinary interoperability.
Ultimately, Geo-INQUIRE, with its enhanced portfolio of data, products and services, will enable the next generation of scientists to carry out cutting-edge research addressing societal challenges from a multidisciplinary perspective, making intelligent use of these resources with open science policy.
The objectives of the project are based on six priorities: 1) Improving access to multidisciplinary and interoperable datasets: towards higher spatial and temporal resolutions; 2) Improving access to new and innovative observations and products; 3) New research opportunities to understand the interface between the solid Earth and its fluid envelope; 4) From single hazard to multi-risk: integrated cross-disciplinary studies of extreme geohazards; 5) Game changing research opportunities in georesource management through innovative data, products and services; and 6) Innovative management, simulation and visualisation techniques at the interface with HPC facilities.
In addition, three cross-cutting strategic priorities are defined: 1) solid integration of services into research infrastructures; 2) improving the FAIRness and openness of data and products; 3) training the next generation of geoscientists and technicians.
Geo-INQUIRE's pathways to impact include improving the interoperability of services by promoting transdisciplinary thinking. The project will also ensure that, by bringing together a team of leading researchers and organisations from different areas of the geosciences, both the fundamental scientific challenges and the needs for the underlying technical development are addressed. In addition, activities related to the FAIR Principles and their assessment will make scientific data and products ready for the EOSC and more accessible, inclusive and equitable for the benefit of all.
The project benefits from a partnership of 51 organisations comprising major national research institutes, universities, national geological surveys and European research infrastructure consortia. A portfolio of over 150 Virtual Access and Transnational Access facilities will be made available to the scientific community. While many of these resources are already available at a high level of maturity, Geo-INQUIRE will ensure not only that they reach the highest level of scientific excellence through targeted actions on availability, quality, and spatial and temporal resolution, but also that they follow the FAIR principles, adopt appropriate standards and open licences, and aim at cross-disciplinary interoperability.
Ultimately, Geo-INQUIRE, with its enhanced portfolio of data, products and services, will enable the next generation of scientists to carry out cutting-edge research addressing societal challenges from a multidisciplinary perspective, making intelligent use of these resources with open science policy.
The objectives of the project are based on six priorities: 1) Improving access to multidisciplinary and interoperable datasets: towards higher spatial and temporal resolutions; 2) Improving access to new and innovative observations and products; 3) New research opportunities to understand the interface between the solid Earth and its fluid envelope; 4) From single hazard to multi-risk: integrated cross-disciplinary studies of extreme geohazards; 5) Game changing research opportunities in georesource management through innovative data, products and services; and 6) Innovative management, simulation and visualisation techniques at the interface with HPC facilities.
In addition, three cross-cutting strategic priorities are defined: 1) solid integration of services into research infrastructures; 2) improving the FAIRness and openness of data and products; 3) training the next generation of geoscientists and technicians.
Geo-INQUIRE's pathways to impact include improving the interoperability of services by promoting transdisciplinary thinking. The project will also ensure that, by bringing together a team of leading researchers and organisations from different areas of the geosciences, both the fundamental scientific challenges and the needs for the underlying technical development are addressed. In addition, activities related to the FAIR Principles and their assessment will make scientific data and products ready for the EOSC and more accessible, inclusive and equitable for the benefit of all.
During its first 12 months, the consortium has developed a variety of activities to ensure the timely and proper implementation of its work programme. Several actions have been undertaken to improve and make available new data and services.
Within WP2 and WP3, effective contributions have been made to fill geographical gaps in data availability in Europe, e.g. by providing seismological data for South Eastern Europe and by integrating 250 additional GNSS stations into publicly accessible platforms, including stations in areas with low coverage (Central Europe, Eastern Balkans).
WP 2, 3, 4 and 5 will improve access to new and innovative observations and products, such as fibre optic data. This type of data is completely new and its use in scientific studies is very promising and growing exponentially. The Geo-INQUIRE community brings together Europe's leading experts in this field.
Data from EMSO, such as Ocean Bottom Seismometers, have started to be integrated into the EPOS seismological services, opening up new research opportunities in both thematic communities. Planned dissemination activities (summer schools and workshops) will promote cross-disciplinary networking and provide research opportunities for young researchers from different research fields, in particular at the interface between the solid Earth and its fluid mantle.
The project has also contributed to the development of services at the interface between hazard and risk. For example, a new Geo-INQUIRE service provides access to shake table data from past campaigns, including data from past and ongoing European projects. In addition, innovative and new services provide access to borehole data in Italy. In the field of High Performance Computing, resources for transnational access have been secured and consolidated discussions are allowing the rapid development of the Simulation Data Lake concept.
From the outset, the project has strengthened the integration of three ERICs, namely EPOS, EMSO and ECCSEL, providing an open field for developments towards interoperability, data integration and FAIR management. Technical integration has been strongly supported by WP6, improving collaboration between research infrastructures and paving the way for new research opportunities. WP7 tested the first FAIR metrics to measure the FAIRness of Geo-INQUIRE installations, based on the F-UJI tool. And the efforts of WP9 will provide a series of dissemination activities focussing on training and new users from other research fields.
Within WP2 and WP3, effective contributions have been made to fill geographical gaps in data availability in Europe, e.g. by providing seismological data for South Eastern Europe and by integrating 250 additional GNSS stations into publicly accessible platforms, including stations in areas with low coverage (Central Europe, Eastern Balkans).
WP 2, 3, 4 and 5 will improve access to new and innovative observations and products, such as fibre optic data. This type of data is completely new and its use in scientific studies is very promising and growing exponentially. The Geo-INQUIRE community brings together Europe's leading experts in this field.
Data from EMSO, such as Ocean Bottom Seismometers, have started to be integrated into the EPOS seismological services, opening up new research opportunities in both thematic communities. Planned dissemination activities (summer schools and workshops) will promote cross-disciplinary networking and provide research opportunities for young researchers from different research fields, in particular at the interface between the solid Earth and its fluid mantle.
The project has also contributed to the development of services at the interface between hazard and risk. For example, a new Geo-INQUIRE service provides access to shake table data from past campaigns, including data from past and ongoing European projects. In addition, innovative and new services provide access to borehole data in Italy. In the field of High Performance Computing, resources for transnational access have been secured and consolidated discussions are allowing the rapid development of the Simulation Data Lake concept.
From the outset, the project has strengthened the integration of three ERICs, namely EPOS, EMSO and ECCSEL, providing an open field for developments towards interoperability, data integration and FAIR management. Technical integration has been strongly supported by WP6, improving collaboration between research infrastructures and paving the way for new research opportunities. WP7 tested the first FAIR metrics to measure the FAIRness of Geo-INQUIRE installations, based on the F-UJI tool. And the efforts of WP9 will provide a series of dissemination activities focussing on training and new users from other research fields.
The project will enable curiosity-driven research using a wide range of data, services, software, workflows and facilities, and will actively promote a culture of open science from data managers to early career scientists. All project assets are expected to be available by month 24, with exploitation expected to begin in the second part of the project. However, as first examples of curiosity-driven research using some of the Geo-INQUIRE assets, we can cite:
Taufiqurrahman et al. (2023, Nature) show how physics-based models of earthquakes (made available through Geo-INQUIRE) contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics, interactions and delays between the events of the Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. The computations codes associated with this article and disseminated by the project open up a new field of application for studies of seismic sequences and the possible triggering of earthquakes by other earthquakes (a key subject in the estimation of seismic hazards).
Lilienkamp et al., (2023) show how the felts reports (new data made available through Geo-INQUIRE) from Smartphone applications contribute to quickly evaluate the impact of earthquakes. This development is important because it shows that data from smartphone users (crowdsourcing data) could be integrated into scientific analyses to estimate the impact of an earthquake.
Taufiqurrahman et al. (2023, Nature) show how physics-based models of earthquakes (made available through Geo-INQUIRE) contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics, interactions and delays between the events of the Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. The computations codes associated with this article and disseminated by the project open up a new field of application for studies of seismic sequences and the possible triggering of earthquakes by other earthquakes (a key subject in the estimation of seismic hazards).
Lilienkamp et al., (2023) show how the felts reports (new data made available through Geo-INQUIRE) from Smartphone applications contribute to quickly evaluate the impact of earthquakes. This development is important because it shows that data from smartphone users (crowdsourcing data) could be integrated into scientific analyses to estimate the impact of an earthquake.