Mission Statement

The Global Heat Flow Data Research Infrastructure is a research infrastructure that supports academia and industry by providing high-quality, interoperable, and open-access heat flow data. Our mission is to advance the knowledge of the thermal structure of the Earth by offering a comprehensive, standardized, and continuously evolving global database of heat flow measurements.

Our Commitment:

• Comprehensive & Evolving Data – Our database integrates traditional historical heat-flow observations from boreholes and marine probes, while also expanding to include modeling outputs and time-series data in the future.
• Rigorous Data Quality Control – Data validation is supervised by the IHFC  and a core team of heat flow specialists ensuring scientific accuracy and consistency. A peer-review system and expert core group of reviewers manage community contributions.
• Advanced Data Interpolation & Analysis – To bridge gaps between measurement locations, we are researching geophysical inversion techniques, remote sensing methods, and statistical approaches, including machine learning applications.
• Custom Data Visualization & Analysis – The portal features an interactive data viewer equipped with customized data analysis tools, allowing you to explore and interpret data efficiently.
• Empowering Research & Innovation – We provide researchers with a robust data foundation to generate new insights, create new datasets, and develop advanced modeling techniques for Earth’s heat flow. For industry professionals, our data serves as a critical resource for exploration, resource assessment, and geoenergy developments.
• Seamless Data Access & Interoperability – Users can access data via an API and download it in multiple formats, including TXT, CSV, Excel, Shapefiles, and Google Earth files, ensuring compatibility with global geoscientific infrastructures. Our data, representing the current state of the database assessment, is regularly released as citable data publications to maintain scientific integrity.
• Long-Term Commitment & Sustainability – The GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences  (GFZ) has committed to permanently hosting and maintaining the portal, guaranteeing long-term accessibility and reliability.