The Geological Survey of Finland has had development cooperation projects with important geoscientific institutions of several Central Asian countries since 2009. The projects are funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. In the beginning, the projects focused on improved geoscientific information production and sharing. A major accomplishment of these projects is the establishment of a Central Asian Geoportal dedicated to distributing geoscientific information to the society, other governmental organizations and private companies operating in water, environmental and mining sectors.
The Central Asian countries have a considerable potential for natural resources, but at the same time, the region is vulnerable to natural and environmental hazards like earthquakes and contamination of groundwater. The Portal shares regional geoscientific information on a global level for many beneficiaries to aid in the sustainable use of natural resources and mitigation of natural and environmental hazards to society and environment.