Advancing FAIR Principles in Geochemistry: The GEOROC Database and DIGIS Initiative

Abstract

The GEOROC database and DIGIS project advance the accessibility, interoperability, and reusability of geochemical and isotopic datasets for rocks, minerals and their inclusions. Established in 1999, GEOROC compiles curated data from >21,900 publications, fostering hundreds of new research papers annually. DIGIS is modernizing GEOROC's IT infrastructure to enhance data submission, discovery, and access. DIGIS has made GEOROC data accessible via an API and a newly developed web search interface will go online in a test phase in 2024. Through collaboration with IEDA2 and EarthChem data systems and initiatives like OneGeochemistry, common vocabularies and reporting standards are being developed to ensure interoperability across geochemical data systems. Collaborating with GFZ Data Services, DIGIS has established a geochemical data repository with DOI minting capabilities. These combined efforts contribute to a globally harmonized geochemical data landscape, facilitating interdisciplinary research and new research field in digital geochemistry.