Frequently Asked Questions
Support
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Platform Overview
What is the GEO Knowledge Hub?
The GEO Knowledge Hub is a central cloud-based digital library that provides open access to Earth Observation (EO) applications developed by GEO Work Programme Activities and other authoritative sources. It promotes the replicability and re-usability of EO-based solutions by sharing all the Knowledge Resources essential to understand and replicate them.
Who can use the GEO Knowledge Hub?
The platform is open to everyone. Knowledge Users can freely browse, search, and download published EO applications without any registration. Knowledge Providers, researchers, institutions, and GEO member organisations, can register to share their EO applications. Community Managers govern thematic communities and curate content before publication.
Is the GEO Knowledge Hub free to use?
Yes. Accessing, browsing, and downloading content from the GEO Knowledge Hub is completely free. Creating an account and sharing your work is also free.
What types of content can I find in the GEO Knowledge Hub?
The platform hosts EO-based applications packaged as Knowledge Packages. Each package bundles all the components needed to replicate an application: research papers and reports, software algorithms and cloud computing resources, satellite and in-situ datasets, and validation results.
Getting Started
How do I create an account?
Visit the GEO Knowledge Hub platform at gkhub.earthobservations.org and click Sign up. You can register with an email address or use an existing account from ORCID, GitHub, or other supported identity providers.
What is the difference between a Knowledge Package and a Knowledge Resource?
A Knowledge Package is the top-level container representing a complete EO application. It holds descriptive metadata, DOI, and links to all its resources. A Knowledge Resource is an individual component inside a package (e.g., a dataset, a publication, a software repository, or a presentation). Every resource belongs to exactly one package.
Do I need to belong to a Community to share my work?
No, you can publish a Knowledge Package independently without community affiliation. However, submitting your work to a relevant Community makes it more discoverable to your target audience and enables community managers to review and curate it before publication.
Managing Content
How do I create a Knowledge Package?
After logging in, go to your Deposit area and select New Knowledge Package. You will be guided through a step-by-step form to fill in metadata (title, authors, description, keywords, licence), add Knowledge Resources, define visibility, and finally publish or submit to a community.
Can I update a Knowledge Package after it has been published?
Yes. You can create a new version of any published package you own. The new version gets its own DOI while the previous version remains accessible and cited correctly. This ensures citation integrity while allowing your work to evolve over time.
How does DOI assignment work?
Every Knowledge Package and each of its Knowledge Resources automatically receives a persistent Digital Object Identifier (DOI) upon publication. DOIs are minted through an integrated DataCite service and ensure long-term citability of your work.
What file formats are supported for uploads?
The platform accepts any file format. For best interoperability we recommend open formats (PDF, CSV, GeoTIFF, NetCDF, HDF5, JSON, GeoJSON, Shapefile). Software can be linked directly to external repositories such as GitHub, GitLab, or Zenodo instead of uploading files manually.
How do I control who can see my Knowledge Package?
During the deposit process you can set Restricted access (visible only to users you grant access to) or Public access. You can change this setting at any time, and it applies independently to the metadata record and the attached files.
Discovery & Communities
How do I search for EO applications?
Use the Search bar available throughout the platform. You can filter results by resource type, community, subject, licence, date, and more. The advanced search supports boolean operators and field-specific queries (e.g.,
subject:agriculture).What are Communities?
Communities are thematic spaces managed by groups of experts (Community Managers) organised around GEO Work Programme activities, engagement priorities, or global policy frameworks. They curate and review Knowledge Packages relevant to their domain and serve as a trusted entry point for specialised EO content.
How do I join or request a new Community?
To join an existing community, visit its page and click Request membership. To request the creation of a new community, contact the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org with a brief description of your thematic area and intended scope.
Can I interact with Knowledge Providers?
Yes. Each Knowledge Package has a Comments section where registered users can ask questions directly to the providers. This facilitates collaboration and helps resolve issues when trying to replicate an EO application.
Technical & Support
Is there a REST API I can use to access the platform programmatically?
Yes. The GEO Knowledge Hub exposes a full REST API for querying records, retrieving metadata, and managing deposits programmatically. Detailed endpoint documentation is available in the Development section.
What metadata schema does the platform use?
The platform uses a comprehensive internal metadata schema built on top of the InvenioRDM bibliographic schema. It extends it with GEO-specific fields to capture EO application context. Full reference documentation is available in the Metadata Schema page.
Where can I get help or report a problem?
For general questions, open a discussion on the GEO Knowledge Hub GitHub organisation. To report a platform bug, open an issue in the relevant repository. For institutional enquiries, reach the GEO Secretariat at secretariat@geosec.org.
Still have questions?
Contact the GEO Secretariat