Support projects Geoscience Knowledge Sharing

Geoscience Knowledge Sharing

Watch an overview video about the Exploring for the Future Geoscience Knowledge Sharing project (2:44 min).

The Geoscience Knowledge Sharing project supports the Exploring for the Future program in establishing relationships and enhancing our engagement with the diverse stakeholders and communities, where the program operates, including remote and First Nations Australian communities, farmers and rural towns.

Through building trust, sharing knowledge and creating mutual understanding of how the program can benefit local communities, this project is key to the program’s delivery of benefits for all Australians.

A major aspect of the Geoscience Knowledge Sharing project is the communication of the program’s activities and benefits, with a particular focus on ensuring communities have the knowledge to provide informed consent about program activities in their region. This includes working closely with schools and teachers on science education using educational materials, including an innovative mobile laboratory to support field data acquisition and community outreach activities.

The Geoscience Knowledge Sharing project is founded on the principles of genuine engagement, two-way communication and knowledge sharing. This includes an exciting initiative to discover what remote and First Nations Australian communities can teach us about their priorities and perspectives in managing Country into the future. The project will also facilitate the program to follow CARE1 principles for Indigenous Data Governance.

Geoscience Australia is committed to land, air and marine access best practice and to protecting cultural heritage and the environment. We endeavour to establish mutually respectful and transparent relationships with all stakeholders, including local landholders, land managers, Native Title holders, Traditional Owners and Custodians.

We do not undertake activities on behalf of any exploration company; we work for the benefit of all Australians.

1 CARE: Collective benefit, Authorised control, Responsibility and Ethics.

What we are doing

The project incorporates a number of activities, including: 

  • remote community engagement and education, including First Nations Australian communities - developing informative and educational materials describing how our data is collected and used, including animations explaining aerial and ground-based geophysical techniques
  • conducting STEM outreach activities and programs in selected regions
  • deploying a mobile laboratory to enable in-the-field sample analysis and community outreach activities
  • developing a public spaces exhibition ‘Rocks that Shape Australia’ to showcase the work of the Exploring for the Future program and improve public understanding of future geoscience
  • providing accessible and useable data and information for communities and stakeholders.  

Mobile laboratory

We have developed a new mobile laboratory van that enables our scientists to rapidly analyse in-the-field samples with a suite of portable analytical instruments as well as providing engagement and education activities around Australia, including regional and remote communities through interactive science displays. 

A suite of portable science displays, designed and built in collaboration with Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre, help explain some of the science and methods we use to map geology deep underground, inspiring users to think more about what lies deep beneath our feet. 

The innovative mobile laboratory is equipped with power connections, including solar charged batteries, water tanks, retractable awnings, air-conditioning and powered tailgate lifter. Its modular interior design allows for benches, storage and equipment to be set up in the way to best suit the specific needs of the laboratory. 

Geoscience Australia's new mobile laboratory 

Geoscience Australia's new mobile laboratory 

Visitors exploring some of the mobile laboratory’s interactive science displays at the Royal Canberra Show, 24-26 February 2023

Visitors exploring some of the mobile laboratory’s interactive science displays at the Royal Canberra Show, 24-26 February 2023 

Outputs

city view from above

Case studies

Our case studies showcase our work, community stories, and emerging benefits and impacts of the Exploring for the Future program.  

Close-up of young aboriginal people sitting around a table together outdoors in the sun in Australia.

Sharing knowledge with our community

Community and Education persona

The Community and Education persona is designed for non-technical users, such as general community, students and educators, providing access to a curated set of geoscientific datasets and maps produced by the Exploring for the Future program, Geoscience Australia more broadly, and other agencies.