Geoinformatics for Geochemistry

A Rigorous Contribution to Science

Existing online information systems for igneous rock geochemistry have become indispensable tools in research and education. Between 2002 and 2005, PetDB was cited in more than 100 peer-reviewed articles as the source of data used for testing new hypotheses and observations. Through the use of these geochemical databases, researchers have been able to show that some common paradigms derived from past analysis of limited or improperly sampled geochemical datasets simply do not stand up to the test of thorough analysis of comprehensive datasets.


	Projects
	EarthChem: www.earthchem.org Petrologic Database of the Ocean Floor (PetDB): www.petdb.org Data Management System for Marine Sediment Geochemistry (SedDB): www.seddb.org System for Earth Sample Registration (SESAR): www.geosamples.org

Geoinformatics for Geochemistry (GfG) is a program of integrated data management projects intended to develop, maintain and operate digital geochemical data collections to maximize their application in research and education. The GfG system supports the long-term preservation, discovery, retrieval and analysis of geochemical data and facilitates their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters through use of advanced information technologies and data management practices.

Databases within the GfG system are developed, operated and maintained by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) in collaboration with the following institutions:

Harvard University
University of Kansas
Oregon State University
Boston University
Boise State University

GfG systems are maintained and operated in a professional IT environment that offers the highest level of data management standards, including access security, round-the-clock support, protected power supply and disaster recovery backup, as well as procedures to ensure uninterrupted access, continuous maintenance and long-term sustainability.

Project Management Plan (3.34 MB pdf )

EarthChem is a community-driven effort based on the collaboration by the igneous rock databases PetDB, GEOROC and NAVDAT to facilitate the preservation, discovery, access and visualization of the widest and richest geochemical datasets possible. EarthChem is building a Web-based portal with search capabilities across federated databases, integrated data output and uniform data submission, as well as tools for personal data management, data quality assessment and data analysis and visualization. Data holdings are continuously expanded through incorporation of legacy, current and future data.

PetDB provides access to an integrated set of geochemical and petrological data for rocks, minerals and melt inclusions for samples taken from mid-ocean ridges, fracture zones, back-arc basins, young seamounts and old oceanic crust. The database currently contains more than 850,000 values obtained from about 35,000 samples across all of the Earth’s ocean floor values and covering more than 200 different chemical parameters.

SedDB is a digital information system for marine sediment geochemistry based on the PetDB concept and system design. In its initial development phase from 2005 to 2008, SedDB will focus on sediment data from the Equatorial Pacific and the MARGINS sites of the Central American and Izu-Bonin subduction zones. By partnering with PaleoStrat (www.paleostrat.org), SedDB is working towards the creation of a master database that integrates marine and terrestrial sedimentary geologic data.

SESAR is a Web-based registry that generates and administers the International Geo Sample Number (IGSN), a globally unique identifier for earth samples and other geological objects that facilitates data and sample sharing and dramatically advances interoperability among digital data systems. The IGSN also helps overcome the problem of ambiguous sample naming in the geosciences that has limited researchers’ ability to share, link and integrate sample-based data, thus fostering new cross-disciplinary approaches in science. Comprehensive metadata records of samples can be browsed and searched on the SESAR Web site in the Global Sample Catalog.

GfG projects are supported by grants from the National Science Foundation. GfG is a partner of Marine Geoscience Data System.