Biosecurity Commons Australia

Biosecurity Commons will deliver a cloud-based decision-support platform for modelling and analysing biosecurity risk and response. It is a joint initiative between the Australian and Queensland governments, the NCRIS funded Australian Research Data Centre (ARDC) and four other partners. The platform will address the limitations of Australia’s biosecurity modelling capability by offering researchers and decision-makers a suite of standard tools and resources to investigate specific biosecurity questions. These tools and resources include an intuitive point-and-click web interface that provides trusted datasets, repeatable scientific workflows, a secure workspace and cloud storage. EcoCommons is a cloud-based decision-support platform for modelling and analysing ecological and environmental problems that launched in November 2022. The Biosecurity Commons project is the first of its kind, a ‘proof of concept’, to showcase the cost-sharing and time-saving benefits of reusing and adopting EcoCommons’ infrastructure and approaches for deploying scientific workflows, integrating data, and designing a secure cloud-based environment. The initial release of the platform will focus on environmental biosecurity with a vision to expand its scope into the agricultural sector. The ARDC and NSW DPI have provided bridging funding to keep the project operational, and DAFF will be providing funding for the project to continue well into 2024.