Hi All,
A message on behalf of Bhavik Lodhia, Deputy Director of the AuScope EarthBank project
based in Perth, Western Australia:
The AuScope EarthBank project is an Australian government-funded $21 million initiative to
modernise Australian and international geochemistry data infrastructure by integrating
analytical instrumentation across 11 universities into a FAIR-aligned digital platform for
standardised data aggregation, discovery, and geospatial analysis. Co-developed with
Lithodat Pty Ltd, EarthBank supports open-access research and industry use through
interoperable services, powering initiatives such as isotopic mapping, museum
digitisation, and international geochemical data standardisation.
As a current GSL fellow and being from the UK, I am keen to build links between EarthBank
and the geochemistry community in the UK.
We will be hosting our first online
webinar<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%…
next Tuesday at 1300 AWST, where we will launch the $21 million EarthBank project.
I also noticed that a placeholder has been set for GGRIP meeting (24-26 March 2026). Once
more details are released, we will be interested in potentially contributing and
attending.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Kind Regards,
Bhavik
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Webinar Abstract:
The AuScope EarthBank project (EarthBank project) is a $21 million national initiative to
modernise Australia’s geochemistry data infrastructure and to advance discovery in the
Earth and environmental sciences. As Project Director, I lead a program that integrates
over $100 million in analytical instrumentation across 10 university laboratories into a
single FAIR-aligned digital platform, the AuScope EarthBank platform
(EarthBank)—co-developed with Lithodat Pty Ltd—that enables seamless data aggregation,
standardisation, and geospatial analysis.
The EarthBank project operates at the nexus of research, government, and industry,
facilitating translational outcomes through open-access infrastructure and collaborative
networks. Since 2022, over 125,000 georeferenced samples and datasets have been uploaded
to EarthBank, with over 1,000 registered users—15% from industry—demonstrating its value
beyond academia. Our CoreTrustSeal-certified system supports research publication
pipelines, isotopic mapping, national geochemical baselines, and museum digitisation
projects.
A hallmark of EarthBank’s impact is its role in transforming physical collections into
discoverable research-ready assets. A flagship collaboration with Museums Victoria
registered more than 43,500 historical rock and mineral specimens, now discoverable
through EarthBank. This has catalysed similar partnerships with other museums, with an
additional 80,000 legacy specimens targeted for integration.
The EarthBank project also plays a global leadership role in geochemical data
standardisation through its involvement in the OneGeochemistry initiative, enabling
harmonised international workflows. Looking ahead, the EarthBank project will underpin new
national isoscape mapping projects in collaboration with Geoscience Australia and state
agencies and facilitate tectonic-geochemical integration through joint development with
the GPlates community—allowing researchers to evaluate mineral system formation through
time and space.
This presentation will explore how the EarthBank team is building new laboratory and
interoperable digital infrastructure to support scientific excellence, industry
application, and sovereign capability in the global energy transition.