The proposed GAPP project fits within a broad initiative in offshore oil and gas exploration geoscience mapping led by the Nova Scotia Department of Energy (NSDoE), the project’s End User. The province has partnered with this team to develop, validate, and deploy three new genomics-based bioassay tools for offshore prospecting on the Scotian Slope. Results will be integrated with other geoscience data in a broader work program at NSDoE that has been designed with oil industry input, including direct input from oil companies on including geomicrobiology. By integrating genomics with extensive geoscience mapping approaches (seismic data, geophysical methods, geochemical tools, satellite oil slick data, etc) the new bioassays will be validated within a comprehensive effort comprising the NSDoE’s petroleum source rock program. Therefore, the primary deliverable of the project is to integrate microbial genomics results into mapping of petroleum potential in Nova Scotia, with the overall aim of reducing front end exploration risk perceived by oil and gas companies. Successful outcomes will heighten industry interest, enhance exploration activity, and increase dollar values of work commitments arising from future licensing rounds.