Innovative 3D technology, geology and gamification come together in the citizen science project Geonauts, in which Public & Science Sweden is a partner. The project runs until 2028 and forms part of the Impact Innovation programme Swedish Metals & Minerals.
Mining in Sweden has a history spanning more than two thousand years and has played a central role in shaping the country’s economy and prosperity. From the Falun copper mine, with origins dating back to the Middle Ages, to today’s modern mines in the ore fields of northern Sweden – the world’s largest underground iron ore mines – extraction has long been significant. Today, the extraction of minerals and metals is crucial to the green transition, as it supplies industry with essential materials for everything from electrical cables to batteries, motors and generators.
Through the Geonauts project, we aim to harness the power of citizen science to generate new and expanded knowledge that can lead to more efficient use of drill cores within the metals and minerals sector. At the same time, we seek to strengthen interest in related fields of research.
Citizen science explores the hidden world of rock
Citizen science involves researchers and members of the public working together to produce new knowledge using scientific methods. The project draws inspiration from Galaxy Zoo, a world-leading citizen science initiative that, in addition to producing scientific publications, has stimulated interest in astronomy among thousands of curious participants around the world.
With Geonauts, we aim to create a geological counterpart. The basic idea is simple: instead of exploring outer space, participants will explore the interior of rock; instead of classifying celestial bodies, they will interpret and classify patterns in three-dimensional X-ray images of drill samples.
Rock, for example, in the form of a drill core, displays enormous variation in structure and texture. This variation can be revealed using X-ray tomography, an innovative method for 3D scanning and visualisation that enables anyone to identify and classify characteristics within the rock – and in doing so contribute to the advancement of geology.
Gamification at the core of the project
Geonauts – formally called Investigation of three-dimensional structures and textures in rock through citizen science – brings together Public & Science Sweden with physicists and engineers at Orexplore and Constituents AB, geologists and chemists at Bergskraft Bergslagen, and game developers at Creative Crowd. The aim is to develop a globally accessible, web-based and gamified citizen science platform that will both generate new scientific knowledge and strengthen public interest in the minerals and mining industry and related research. The game will be called Geonauts, with a planned launch in 2027.
In addition, the project aims to:
- Enable more efficient use of drill cores extracted from bedrock, which in the long term may reduce the environmental impact of the mining industry.
- Promote domestic measurement technology and strengthen the competitiveness of Sweden’s mineral sector.
- Publish all results and data fully openly.
The role of Public & Science Sweden in the project
The project runs from 2025 to 2028. Public & Science Sweden will primarily:
- Contribute to the design of the research questions, methods and format for the citizen science component, and later to data analysis and interpretation of results.
- Develop and implement strategies for recruiting participants.
- Engage relevant stakeholder groups in communication activities and dialogue concerning the societal issues addressed by the project.
- Manage communication and marketing before, during and after the launch of the web-based gaming platform.
The project is carried out within the framework of the Impact Innovation programme Swedish Metals & Minerals, a joint initiative by the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas, Vinnova and industry partners.
For further information about the project, please get in touch with Kjell Bolmgren, Researcher and Deputy Secretary-General at Public & Science.
