National Earth and Environmental Sciences Facilities Forum (NEESFF) Meeting February 2025

25 February 2025

AAF's Portfolio Managers Sarah Thomas and Nick Rossow were pleased to attend the recent National Earth and Environmental Sciences Facilities Forum (NEESFF) meeting in Canberra, in February 2025.

Australian Earth and Environmental (E&E) datasets are crucial for research across various domains of the Earth's systems. These datasets span multiple aspects, such as the geosphere (the solid Earth), biosphere (living organisms), cryosphere (ice and snow), hydrosphere (water bodies), atmosphere (air), and anthroposphere (human activity and its impact).

The types of datasets collected vary significantly in scale and complexity, ranging from simple observations made by small sensors or individuals to massive datasets spanning terabytes or even petabytes, often gathered through advanced monitoring technologies or modelling systems.

Australian E&E-related infrastructures have come together to form NEESFF. The collective aims to better coordinate infrastructure investments and manage associated data assets, fostering collaboration and improving data integration. Without a coordinated approach, the ability to leverage the vast and diverse collection of Australian Earth and environmental data has been limited, making it challenging to address pressing national and global sustainability challenges effectively. By working together, NEESFF hopes to maximise the use of these extensive datasets to tackle issues such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management.

Current members of NEESFF include: Atlas of Living Australia (ALA); Australia's Climate Simulator (ACCESS-NRI); AuScope; Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN); Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC); Australian Plant Phenomics Network (APPN); Bioplatforms Australia; Geoscience Australia (GA); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS); Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN); Marine National Facility; Bureau of Meteorology (BOM); E2SIP (CSIRO); National Computational Infrastructure (NCI); Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre; and AARNet.

By pooling resources and expertise, NEESFF aims to provide a more strategic, integrated approach to E&E research and data management, ensuring that Australia's E&E research is used to its fullest potential in tackling global environmental and sustainability challenges.

We look forward to continuing to contribute to NEESFF throughout 2025.