Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and the Super Science Initiative.
The Australian Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network Data Discovery Portal
Ensuring Australia can maintain, improve and use long-term ecosystem research data collections and infrastructure requires a new and unique set of collective and collaborative links across governments, academia, research, community/non-profit groups and the private sector.
The Australian Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network Data Discovery Portal will serve as the single entry point to TERN meta-data for all levels of users - governments, research organisations, universities, non-government organisations, professional bodies and the public. Once suitable meta-data are located, data are downloaded from Facility portals.
Linking all TERN facilities, and working with the Australian National Data Service (ANDS) and existing Spatial Information Council of Australia and New Zealand (ANZLIC) and Australian Governments Open Access and Licensing Framework (AusGOAL) standards, the portal will enable researchers to discover different data sets (including soils, terrain, water, satellite images, survey data and species observation records) for the same area from multiple TERN facilities and then allow them to browse, query and extract data through TERN Facility data portals and download it for processing offline.
The portal will establish direct links into national and state environmental monitoring programs, for example the National Plan for Environmental Information and programs within the National Environmental Research Program, and relevant programs in other countries (e.g. NEON, DataONE, Group on Earth Observations).
Conceptual structure of TERN Facility portals collecting data from relevant science communities and being linked together by the TERN Data Discovery Portal.
Data Search & Submission
The TERN Data Discovery Portal, in association with the TERN Facility portals, will enable you to search and retrieve ecosystem data for Australia by location, time or type of data. This is based on the data and meta-data collections kept in TERN’s Facilities. The portal will also enable data submission at TERN Facility level.
The status of this portal is:
- June-August 2011: Project initiation
- December 2011: Prototype portal release
- December 2012: Fully operational portal completion
During the construction phase individual TERN Facility Portals can be accessed:
TERN Data Synthesis and Integration Coordinator:
Dr Siddeswara Guru
The University of Queensland
E: tern.data@uq.edu.au
If you are in Adelaide on Tuesday 27 March, you might be interested in attending The ACEAS Great Debate as a prelude to the TERN Symposium.
Registration to the 3rd TERN Annual National Symposium is now open. Program and registration information are on the symposium webpage.
TERN's AusCover Facility is holding a Data Users Workshop in Brisbane on 8 March. Visit the web page for links to the program and information on how to register.
TERN's AusPlots Sub-Facility is holding a Field Method Training workshop at the Renmark and Calperum Station Supersite in South Australia, 4-9 March. Limited places available, so get in quick!
In our December newsletter the TERN Director summarises — and celebrates — the huge effort that has gone into creating the TERN network so far. We introduce you to the complex world of the Australian Supersite Network. At workshops in Adelaide and Perth, TERN facilities work with various collaborators; we invite you to get involved in TERN; and there's some wild talk. You'll have to read the newsletter to find out more.
New research supersite will tell woodlands climate story (media release)
What would it take to get you to share (both deposit and use) data in TERN facility portals? If this question interests you join our discussion on LinkedIn.
