The EOSC Node, powered by Data Terra and NFDI4Earth, is one of the thematic nodes representing the Earth system and environmental sciences within the EOSC Federation. It provides a single, integrated entry point to trusted thematic data and services across Europe, bringing together environmental and Earth system science resources, including Earth Observation data and services. Its key added value lies in federating complementary national ecosystems of expert thematic data hubs across Europe, enabling coherent, interoperable, and science-driven access to the full complexity of the Earth system, from in-situ observations and Earth Observation data to modelling, analysis, and advanced digital services.
that facilitates data discovery and integration across disciplines, supporting solutions to complex scientific research challenges
Providing seamless access to advanced computing and data-processing resources
through shared tools and virtual research environments designed to enable reproducible and collaborative research
Offering AI-ready and interoperable datasets across the entire research data lifecycle
from discovery and management to analysis and reuse, supporting evidence-based decision-making
These contributions lay at the crossroads of major European programmes and infrastructures and are firmly anchored in the principles of Open Science and the free circulation of knowledge. Together, they enable next-generation environmental research and help address major societal challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and global sustainability.
In the framework the EOSC Node, the French Research Infrastructure Data Terra has established a shared vision and collaborative strategy with NFDI4Earth, a key initiative of Germany’s National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). This collaboration aims to strengthen the European federation’s capabilities for managing and integrating Earth system, environmental, and biodiversity data, while fostering the adoption of advanced, knowledge-driven technologies.
Since the 2025 EOSC Federation build-up phase, the EOSC Node Data Terra launched an initiative to broaden its partnership base by engaging organisations and contributors from other EU Member States. The objective is to develop a European transnational thematic node that brings together complementary national expertise, infrastructures, data, and services.
Data Terra Research Infrastructure is a distributed research e-infrastructure organized around five thematic data and service hubs—Atmosphere (AERIS), Ocean (ODATIS), Land Surfaces (THEIA), Solid Earth (FormaTerre), and Biodiversity (PNDB)—complemented by cross-cutting services that promote FAIR data management, satellite data access, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Through its strong integration with national, European and international research infrastructures, Data Terra contributes to a coordinated ecosystem for Earth system observation and environmental research by providing seamless access to data, services and expertise to the scientific community. As a strategic initiative supported by the French Ministry of Research and Higher Education, Data Terra Research Infrastructure plays a pivotal role in structuring and advancing research across these critical domains, with strong partnership with European Research Infrastructure Consortia.
RI Data Terra is also the French thematic reference centre for Earth, Climate, Environment and Biodiversity within Research Data Gouv, reflecting its leading role in open science and the development of international data standards. In addition, it is a partner of AI Factory France, led by GENCI, where it coordinates the Earth sciences domain and contributes to strengthening links between AI research, industry, and environmental sciences.
NFDI4Earth is Germany’s National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) consortium for the Earth System Sciences, addressing the digital needs of a broad scientific community working together to understand the Earth’s complex systems and the impacts of global change.
As a community-driven initiative, NFDI4Earth brings together universities, research organizations, infrastructure providers, governmental institutions, scientific associations, and networks across Germany. It actively collaborates with national and international partners to promote FAIR research data management, interoperability, and open science.
The NFDI4Earth consortium connects a distributed network of partners that develops and provides FAIR, coherent, and open access to Earth system science data, along with innovative research data management and data science methods.
Through its integration of expertise, services, and strategic collaborations across research infrastructures and initiatives, NFDI4Earth supports researchers in discovering, accessing, and reusing data while contributing to a coordinated national and international ecosystem for Earth system research. It advances sustainable, open, and interoperable data practices.
The EOSC Association works to implement EOSC and the EOSC Federation to advance Open Science practices in the interest of creating new knowledge, promoting innovation and reinforcing public trust in science.
The EOSC EU Node facilitates the creation of the EOSC Federation, following a system-of-systems approach based on federated research infrastructures. It provides a technical, administrative and interoperability framework for future infrastructure nodes and represents the first operational European-level node of the EOSC Federation promoted by the European Commission.
Built on strong FAIR principles, the node enables users to discover, access, combine, and process heterogeneous data through shared tools and virtual research environments designed for reproducible and collaborative research. It supports use cases such as cross-domain data integration for climate and biodiversity impact studies, environmental risk monitoring, and FAIR-by-design workflows.
Access FAIR data, tools and services for scientific analysis
Integrate and develop interoperable data products across infrastructures
Contribute thematic services and resources to the EOSC ecosystem
Leverage environmental data for informed decisions
The EOSC Node Data Terra architecture builds on existing e-infrastructures, frameworks and initiatives, including the GAIA Data e-Infrastructure and NFDI4Earth, and leverages the outcomes of previous projects such as FAIR-EASE, as well as ongoing projects developed within the EOSC framework. As an EOSC Node, Data Terra provides single sign-on access to high-quality, trusted, FAIR and AI-ready multi-domain data for the Earth system. It also provides cross-domain data analysis workflows and Virtual Research Environments (VREs), enabling multidisciplinary collaboration and facilitating the federation and reuse of distributed resources across the EOSC ecosystem.
