Big Data Analytics is an emerging field since massive storage and computing capabilities have been made available by advanced e-infrastructures. Earth and Environmental sciences are likely to benefit from Big Data Analytics techniques supporting the processing of the large number of Earth Observation datasets currently acquired and generated through observations and simulations. However, Earth Science data and applications present specificities in terms of relevance of the geospatial information, wide heterogeneity of data models and formats, and complexity of processing. Therefore, Big Earth Data Analytics requires specifically tailored techniques and tools. The EarthServer Big Earth Data Analytics engine offers a solution for coverage-type datasets, built around a high performance array database technology, and the adoption and enhancement of standards for service interaction (OGC WCS and WCPS). The EarthServer solution, led by the collection of requirements from scientific communities and international initiatives, provides a holistic approach that ranges from query languages and scalability up to mobile access and visualization. The result is demonstrated and validated through the development of lighthouse applications in the Marine, Geology, Atmospheric, Planetary and Cryospheric science domains.

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GeoSciML has been developed to enable the interchange of geoscience information, principally that portrayed on geological maps as well as boreholes. A GeoSciML testbed was developed both to test the implementation of the data model and its application in web services. The OneGeology-Europe project aims to use the GeoSciML data model, and build on the experience of the GeoSciML testbed, in implementing a geoportal for a harmonised geological map of Europe at 1:1 million scale. This involves the integration of web services from twenty participating organisations. An important objective of OneGeology-Europe is to contribute to INSPIRE, both through the development of a geological data specification and the use of the INSPIRE technical architecture. GeoSciML and the OneGeology-Europe project are also steps towards incorporating geoscience data into a Digital Earth. Both the development of GeoSciML, and the implementation of web services for GeoSciML and OneGeology-Europe, have followed a standards based methodology. The technical architecture comprises a geoportal providing access to a CSW catalogue service for metadata describing both the data and services available. OneGeology-Europe will provide both WMS view and WFS download services, which aim to be compliant with the INSPIRE implementing rules.

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Geological maps can be seen as a type of model and can be implemented in digital systems as geological spatial databases. In this context, geological map fusion can be implemented at different levels: harmonization of the conceptual data model describing the map objects; the use of shared concepts to describe properties in the model to give semantic harmonization; and ensuring geometric consistency. GeoSciML has been developed as an interchange language for geosciences information, derived from a common conceptual data model, along with common vocabularies of concepts to populate the object properties. GeoSciML and the vocabularies were used in the OneGeology-Europe project where a 1:1 million scale geological map of Europe was delivered using disseminated web services from 20 different data providers. The lessons learnt from the OneGeology-Europe project informed the development of the INSPIRE Geology Data Specification. The INSPIRE data specification is used to define what information must be made available through web services under the INSPIRE legislation, so has to be kept simple. The INSPIRE data model can be extended with GeoSciML and will provide a basis for geological map fusion.