C4G is a distributed research infrastructure of the portuguese roadmap

“Collaboratory: an organizational entity that spans distance, supports rich and recurring human interaction oriented to a common research area (…), and provides access to data sources, artifacts, and tools required to accomplish research tasks” (Bos, 2007).

What is C4G

The Collaboratory for Geosciences (C4G) is a distributed research infrastructure of the Portuguese Roadmap, the only one dedicated to Solid Earth Sciences, with the objective of sharing scientific resources in order to optimize the creation and diffusion of scientific knowledge in Portugal and internationally. As such, C4G aims to represent a large part of the Portuguese scientific community dedicated to Geosciences in the EPOS (European Plate Observing System). EPOS was granted a legal entity title by the European Commission being an European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), since October 2018.

C4G is thus based on collaborative and organized sharing of knowledge, technology, resources and training between multi-actor partners, such as research units and laboratories, higher education institutions, government agencies, companies and civil society organizations. This set of resources is comprised of data, data products, services and scientific equipment representing the best installed capacity in Portugal, balancing reciprocal sustainability in the long-term link with EPOS-ERIC.

C4G is capacitating the Solid Earth Science community for excellence, by invigorating the relationship between governmental agencies, industry and academia, and supporting advanced training, all of which are national targets. C4G provides access to state-of-the-art training on advanced research equipment and data analysis to researchers and professionals in public and private sectors alike. It can advise on the various disciplines covered as well as deliver integrated services on environmental, geohazards and manmade risks.

The C4G provides access to data and scientific equipment in the areas of Geology and Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geodesy, Physical Geography and Remote Sensing. An integrated approach to those disciplines allows the provision of services in Environment, Geo-Resources, Natural, Anthropogenic and Cosmic Risks, Marine Geology and Geomathematics and Modeling.

How it works

C4G works as a ‘One-stop shop’ for sharing and accessing data and scientific equipment. The available resources are for open access and sharing, under conditions, to individuals, teams and institutions of the academy (national and international), companies, industry, public services, non-governmental organizations and communities, and citizens.

Through the C4G-HUB, data and products can be accessed free of charge. The data and products not available in the e.infrastructure must be requested through contact and are subject to costs and conditions that can be consulted in the Rules of Access.

What is available

The C4G provides scientific instruments, fixed and portable, data, archives and collections, and other knowledge-based resources, scientific files and data and computer systems, aimed at creating and disseminating scientific knowledge in Solid Earth Sciences. The available resources are used and generated in the areas of Geology, Geophysics, Geodesy and Remote Sensing with application in transversal themes such as the Geoenvironment, including the Monitorization of Permafrost Environments, Geo-resources, Marine Geology, and Risk Monitoring, being of natural, anthropogenic or cosmic origin.

For whom

Benefit the Scientific Community such as Researchers affiliated or not in C4G partner institutions, students (secondary and university), the Public Sector such as government agencies, city councils, civil protection and firefighters, the Private Sector and Civil Society such as non-governmental organizations and general public.

Principles and benefits

Some of the principles of C4G are to:

  • Allow access and reuse to scientific data.
  • Centralize the availability of resources hitherto dispersed and generated in various scientific contexts.
  • Promote data collection.
  • Transparent sharing attributing authorship.
  • Support decision-makers.

Some of the benefits are the:

  • Centralized access to an extensive catalog of geosciences resources.
  • Increase scientific knowledge.
  • Increase the contact within the the scientific community and with the stakeholders.