AuScope’s Research Data Systems: Operationalising FAIR place-based research through collaboration

Addressing global environmental and societal challenges requires robust, interdisciplinary data ecosystems that support collaboration across geographic, cultural, and disciplinary boundaries. AuScope, Australia’s National Research Infrastructure (NRI) provider for the geoscience community, collaboratively tackles interdisciplinary grand challenges such as climate change, natural resource security, and natural hazards. AuScope is funded by the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) and integrates tools, data, analytics, and services across Australian research and government agencies, in particular, partnering with organisations at the forefront of research data systems and infrastructure.

Through collaborations with CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, state and territory geological surveys, universities, and other NCRIS facilities, including the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), and the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), AuScope is addressing the complexities of modern FAIR data management at scales ranging from small scale local installations to co-located High Performance Compute and Data (HPCD) Platforms. Key AuScope initiatives such as Geophysics 2030 Collections (https://ardc.edu.au/project/2030-geophysics-collections/), AusGeochem (https://ausgeochem.auscope.org.au/), the Modelling Atlas of The Earth (M@TE; https://mate.science), and the AuScope Data Repository (https://repository.data.auscope.org.au/) exemplify how the FAIR principles can be operationalised to support impactful research both within and beyond the geosciences and at multiple scales.

Nationally, AuScope collaborates with other Earth and Environmental Research Infrastructure providers, working to transform Australia’s research capabilities through, for example, Coastal Research Infrastructure (CoastRI) and implementing the National Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy (NDRI). Globally, AuScope contributes to initiatives like OneGeochemistry, the CODATA-led WorldFAIR Plus project, EarthScope (US), EPOS, Geo-INQUIRE, and ChEESE (Europe), ensuring compatibility with international research infrastructures, data standards, and best practices while at the same time, aligning with Australia’s geoscience priorities. 

This presentation will highlight how AuScope is progressively operationalising the FAIR and TRUST principles across its investments by focusing on place-based research to foster interoperability, strategic collaboration, and Open Science practices. By aligning with the CARE principles as well as advancing collaborative data infrastructure, AuScope creates trusted, interoperable data ecosystems that empower researchers to effectively and efficiently address pressing interdisciplinary societal challenges at both a national and international scale.