CETAF Earth Sciences Group, together with TalTech (Estonia) and the Meise Botanic Garden (Belgium), applied for an EOSC Gravity grant to integrate the Geoscience Collection Access Service (GeoCASe) with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The application was positively evaluated, and the Geodera project officially kicked off on May 6, 2026.

The Geodera project will deliver scientific use cases demonstrating how Earth Science collection data can be integrated into the EOSC Federation through the GeoCASe service and the EOSC Data Terra Node. Natural history collections curate extensive geological and paleontological specimen data documenting past climates, environmental change, natural hazards, and biodiversity dynamics across deep time. Despite their relevance for contemporary environmental research, these datasets remain underrepresented in EOSC and insufficiently connected to Earth observation infrastructures.

The project will enhance the FAIRness and interoperability of selected GeoCASe datasets by improving key metadata fields, including stratigraphic age, georeferencing, provenance, and alignment with recognised community standards. Two cross-domain use cases will demonstrate this integration: (1) paleoclimate reconstruction using fossil pollen archives, and (2) stratigraphically constrained geological specimens relevant to hazard and environmental change research.

By linking deep-time specimen records with Data Terra’s present-day environmental observations, the project will extend the temporal depth of Earth observation systems. This integration supports improved environmental monitoring, calibration of climate and ecosystem models, and more robust hazard assessment within EOSC.

More information here: https://eosc.eu/horizon-europe-projects/geodera