Federation helps launch new national data sharing hub
Federation University Australia will play a key role in shaping how Australia securely shares and uses data through a major partnership with the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC).
The newly launched Australian Dataspaces Hub will help researchers, government and industry safely share data that may be commercially sensitive or private, while allowing data owners to remain in control of how their information is used.
The Hub will also connect Australia to a global network of dataspaces hubs convened by the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA), which Federation University recently joined as a member.
Unlike traditional data-sharing approaches, a dataspace allows organisations to decide who can access their information, what it can be used for and under what conditions.
Agriculture is one area where the approach could deliver clear benefits.
Farmers already collect large amounts of information about their crops, land and businesses, but much of that data can be difficult to combine or safely share.
A dataspace could allow farmers to provide sustainability information once and securely reuse it across audits, lending and supply-chain reporting, reducing paperwork, costs and duplicated reporting.
Federation University’s Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI) is a key partner in the Australian Dataspaces Program and will work with ARDC to develop and test real-world examples of how dataspaces can help address data-sharing challenges.
Two exemplars will be developed across agriculture, earth and environmental science, with the agriculture exemplar the first to move into co-design.
Federation University Distinguished Professor Helen Thompson, Director of CeRDI, said the Hub would help organisations make better use of information that is currently difficult to share.
“Organisations hold huge amounts of valuable data, but privacy, ownership and commercial sensitivity can make it difficult to use that information collaboratively,” Professor Thompson said.
“Dataspaces provide a way to overcome those barriers while keeping data owners in control.
“That means researchers, businesses and government can work together on real-world problems without organisations having to simply hand over sensitive information.”
Hamish Holewa, Director of ARDC’s Planet Research Data Commons, said the Hub responded directly to the national reform agenda.
“The Ambitious Australia report is clear that Australia needs stronger data infrastructure and better collaboration between research and industry if we want to lift our innovation performance,” Mr Holewa said.
“The Australian Dataspaces Hub is a practical response: a national focal point for trusted, sovereign data sharing across research, government and industry.
“Working with Federation University’s CeRDI, RMIT University and other partners on real-world exemplars, starting with agriculture, we are helping organisations collaborate securely on complex challenges while keeping data owners firmly in control of their information.”
With the Hub now launched, CeRDI will work with ARDC, industry, government, researchers and other stakeholders to co-design the first exemplar, focused on agriculture.
Potential applications could include combining crop-yield data with soil and weather information to help farmers make more precise decisions about fertiliser use, with the potential to improve productivity, reduce input costs and limit unnecessary environmental impacts.
“For farmers, this is about making the information they already collect work harder for them,” Professor Thompson said.
“It could mean less paperwork, better decisions about how and where they use fertiliser and the ability to access new insights without giving up control of commercially sensitive information.
“That is the real value of dataspaces. They make it possible to use data in ways that benefit people and businesses, while still protecting the information itself.”
Professor Thompson said Federation’s leadership role in developing and testing the exemplars was strong recognition of the University’s expertise in digital research and data sharing.
“ARDC works with universities and national research organisations across Australia, so being chosen as a partner is significant for Federation,” she said.
“It means expertise based here at Federation will help shape how Australia shares and makes better use of data into the future.”
The project team is now seeking input from industry, government and research stakeholders, with further workshops and information sessions planned. For more information, visit https://www.cerdi.edu.au/AusAgDS or the ARDC’s Australian Dataspaces Hub at https://ardc.edu.au/program/australian-dataspaces/
The Australian Dataspaces Program is an Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) initiative, delivered through the Planet Research Data Commons in partnership with Federation University Australia, RMIT University and others. The ARDC is enabled by the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).