Today the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) launched the GRDC Data Catalogue, enabling Australian researchers to tap into a goldmine of information to accelerate the release of new technology and knowledge for grain growers.
The public release of the GRDC Data Catalogue will make it easier and faster to find a large range of grains research, development and extension (RD&E) data generated by GRDC investments over the past 20 years.
“We are thrilled to be launching the GRDC Data Catalogue as part of GRDC’s commitment to harnessing the value of RD&E data for the benefit of Australian grain growers,” says Dr Jeff Cumpston, data analytics manager, GRDC.
“The GRDC Data Catalogue will see future RD&E data generated from GRDC investments captured and shared in an appropriate way, allowing Australian grains researchers to find it to advance their research for growers.
“Over time we will also increase the availability of data that can be accessed as our partners align their data management systems with the GRDC Data Catalogue.
We are starting this with past projects that we think add value, and the content will increase over time as new projects are added.
GRDC manages hundreds of RD&E projects at any given time, most of which generate new data such as yield, soil, genetic, weather and other experimental data.
The GRDC Data Catalogue will house metadata describing the relevant data sets and information on how to find them, along with the ability to request access from GRDC's research partners
The data itself will be stored and managed by GRDC’s research partners and will be made findable through the singular portal of the GRDC Data Catalogue.
The current metadata in the GRDC Data Catalogue is a result of the GRDC Data Partnerships Initiative that engaged 12 GRDC research partners to start populating the GRDC Data Catalogue and build data management expertise and capacity.
It currently contains 1061 metadata records, representing over 1,200 datasets. Users may not find what they are looking for right now, but over time, as the GRDC Data Catalogue builds, more and more data will be findable.
University of Adelaide Library’s digital stewardship manager Ms Alexis Tindall was central to adding the University’s data records to the GRDC Data Catalogue as part of the GRDC Data Partnerships Initiative.
University of Adelaide Library digital stewardship manager Alexis Tindall says the GRDC Data Catalogue will improve the ability of researchers to use data in decision making around different agricultural applications. Photo: Karen Bath, University of Adelaide. Photo: Provided
“Researchers used to keep records in field notebooks, but with data getting bigger and the shift to digital tools for data collection and analysis, we need to make sure that data are looked after,” Ms Tindall says.
“The GRDC Data Catalogue establishes sector-wide standards and expectations that help us all work towards the same principles and standards of data management.
“Preserving data gives us the opportunity to review and build on findings, dig deeper and get into more specific questions with the same data.
“This improves our ability to use data in decision making around all sorts of different agricultural applications.”
Professor Helen Thompson, an expert in FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) data management and director of the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation at Federation University – a foundation partner in the Data Partnerships Initiative.
“The steps that GRDC is taking to make research data more findable and accessible are sector-leading and Federation University was delighted to support GRDC in coordinating a consistent approach for research partners to generate high-value metadata records,” says Professor Thompson.
“The ‘learn by doing’ approaches adopted throughout the Data Partnerships Initiative were very successful in building expertise in research data management across GRDC partners.
The launch of the GRDC Data Catalogue is a significant milestone and we congratulate GRDC and research partners for advancing FAIR research data outcomes.
The GRDC Data Catalogue will provide users with a one-stop they can search according to multiple criteria to help them locate RD&E data, unlocking more powerful investment opportunities that build on GRDC’s existing data assets.
GRDC aims to make its RD&E data as open as possible and closed as necessary: encouraging data-driven innovation; while safeguarding the privacy of participants, protecting confidential data and intellectual property, protecting sensitive data, and complying with any contractual obligations.
Data findable in the Data Catalogue has different access restrictions. This means access to data findable in the GRDC Data Catalogue is not immediate, however GRDC will respond to all requests to access data as soon as possible.
Any Australian researcher, regardless of their affiliation with GRDC will have access to the GRDC Data Catalogue.