Collaborative research: innovative resources: erock - an open platform and community pipeline for digital outcrops

The National Science Foundation Office of Integrative Activities awarded the University of Texas at San Antonio $175,868 on October 1, 2026, to develop EROCK, an open-access digital platform for rock outcrop data. The funding supports work through the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050).

EROCK will combine a standards-based repository with persistent identifiers, structured metadata, and map-based discovery to broaden access to digital field data for geoscience education and research. The platform will enable student-led data acquisition and curation, support community workshops, and undergo formal user evaluation to ensure responsiveness to diverse user needs. EROCK will implement FAIR data practices—making outcrop data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable—thereby supporting reproducible research and teaching while sustaining the long-term value of digital outcrop models. This addresses barriers to participation in traditional field courses by making digital field experiences more widely available to geoscience students and researchers.

Work is performed in San Antonio, Texas, with a period of performance from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2029. No subawards are planned for this award.

Abstract

Fieldwork is foundational to geoscience education, yet many students face barriers to participating in traditional field courses. Digital models of rock outcrops can broaden access to field experiences while also supporting scientific research and collaboration. This project will develop an open digital platform that makes outcrop data easier to find, explore, analyze, and share. By improving access to digital field data, the project will strengthen geoscience research and help prepare the next generation of geoscientists with modern digital skills. This project will develop the erock cyberinfrastructure as an open, community-driven platform for digital outcrop data. The platform will combine a standards-based repository with persistent identifiers, structured metadata, and map-based discovery. Student-led data acquisition and curation, community workshops, and formal user evaluation will ensure that erock is responsive to the needs of a range of users. The resulting platform will support fair (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data practices, enable reproducible research and teaching, and sustain the long-term value of digital outcrop data. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.