EcoCommons

The Challenge

Researchers and practitioners in Australia face significant analytical and computational challenges when addressing ecological and biodiversity questions. 

EcoCommons empowers Australian practitioners and researchers by providing access to trusted datasets, advance modelling tools, and comprehensive training resources, This ensures high quality, reproducible, and transparent ecological modelling that informs and accelerates evidence-based policy and decision making for the environment.

The Response

EcoCommons is a pioneering collaborative commons, uniting researchers and practitioners in a community of practice to advance ecological and environmental analysis and modelling 

EcoCommons Australia is currently supported by the ARDC and QCIF. Since its launch in November 2022, the EcoCommons platform has expanded and now offers services to >1200 users.

EcoCommons core services include access to curated environmental datasets and intuitive modelling tools (e.g., species distribution models) similar to those previously offered by its predecessor BCCVL. Users can also take advantage of new workflows developed in scalable Jupyter notebooks served across major cloud services such as ARDC BinderHub Service on the ARDC Nectar Research Cloud, and Google Colab. EcoCommons remains committed to supporting digital literacy by providing ready-to-use learning materials and user support.

EcoCommons’ Data Explorer provides access to, visualisation of, and the ability to integrate occurrence records from 5 major databases:

1. Atlas of Living Australia (ALA): Hosts over 100 million occurrence records of Australian species
2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF): Contains over 1.8 billion occurrence records of species worldwide
3. Austraits: A database of over 34,000 Australian plant taxa and 500 traits, standardised from more than 300 diverse sources
4. TERN EcoPlots: A database with site-based survey data
5. Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS): Contains over 79 million occurrence records of marine species.

EcoCommons provides access to thousands of terrestrial environmental layers, as well as some marine and freshwater datasets. Users can visualise, download, or utilise these layers to support their research.

For studies involving potential future climatic conditions, EcoCommons offers climate projection layers. Access thousands of annual climate layers, generated using various climate models and greenhouse gas emission scenarios, covering the period from 2015 to 2085.

EcoCommons provides computational tools and resources for reproducible ecosystems research. It supports the full spectrum of researchers, from the non-technical who want good results without the need to code, to those comfortable working ‘closer to the metal’ and building their own tools. EcoCommons offers an exciting opportunity to teach the next generation of ecosystem modellers.

Shawn Laffan – Professor at UNSW Sydney

The Outcomes

Access EcoCommons.

QCIF is taking the lead in continuing to develop and operate EcoCommons Australia while aligning with ARDC’s Planet Research Data Commons strategy for biodiversity and ecological modelling (specifically under the Modelling, Analytics and Decision Support Infrastructure Program (MADSI)). This includes developing a user-monitoring system to track user uptake and use of computational resources (estimation of resources – computation and time – to run a model is possible), aligned with exploring cost recovery business models for the ongoing sustainability of the platform. Potential enhancements to EcoCommons were identified by senior academic and government researchers at the Biodiversity and Ecology Workshop (17-18 August 2023).

Who Will Benefit

EcoCommons provides an enhanced computing and analytical capability for earth and environmental researchers, practitioners, research organisations, students, infrastructure providers and state and federal governments.

The Partners

Phase 2 partners (October 2023 to Sept 2026)

• QCIF
• ARDC
• University of Melbourne Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA)
• Atlas of Living Australia
• TERN
• CSIRO
• Macquarie University
• UNSW

Phase 1 partners (March 2020 to June 2023, doi.org/10.47486/PL108) 

• Griffith University
• ARDC
• QCIF
• Atlas of Living Australia
• TERN
• CSIRO
• Macquarie University
• UNSW
• University of Melbourne Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA)