Minderoo Foundation Contributes to Bushfire Data Challenges to Expand Program

Minderoo Foundation is investing in phase 1 of the ARDC Bushfire Data Challenges program.
Silhouettes of tress against a bushfire

Minderoo Foundation is contributing to phase 1 of the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) Bushfire Data Challenges program to expand the scope of work focusing on modelling fire behaviour.

Sharing data is critical for preparing for and managing bushfires. Minderoo Foundation will support the work of the ARDC and partners from the bushfire research and response community to improve data sharing through innovative digital infrastructure solutions that aim to improve Australia’s bushfire resilience, response and recovery.

Minderoo Foundation’s contribution brings the total investment for the program from the ARDC and co-investment partners to $6.695 million.

“The ARDC Bushfire Data Challenges program aligns strategically with Minderoo Foundation’s Fire and Flood Resilience Initiative,” says John Sukkar, Minderoo Foundation’s Data Ecosystem Lead for the Fire and Flood Resilience Initiative.

“We’re aiming to reduce the harm caused by fire by harnessing the collective power of communities, industry, government, philanthropy and the research sector to lift Australia to be the global leader in fire and flood resilience by 2025.”

Dr Adrian Burton, Director Data and Services at the ARDC said, “We’re excited to partner with Minderoo Foundation to marshal a broad coalition of Australia’s bushfire research and operations organisations to create national scale data assets and support fire behaviour modelling. This is a fundamental boost to Australia’s capability to address this pressing societal challenge.”

The ARDC is supported by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) and received a contribution from Minderoo Foundation for the Bushfire Data Challenges program, part of the ARDC Translational Research Data Challenges program.

The ARDC partners in phase 1 of the Bushfire Data Challenges program in addition to Minderoo Foundation are: Geoscience Australia, Emergency Management Spatial Information Network Australia (EMSINA), the Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Network (TERN), the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE), The Australian National University, CSIRO and the National Council for Fire & Emergency Services (AFAC).

For more information on the program, visit the ARDC Bushfires Data Challenges program and read the case study.

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The ARDC is funded through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.