In this issue:

• National workshops proposed on Data in Science;
• NeAT projects;
• eResearch Australasia dates;
• Supporting the data lifecycle symposium;
• My Koala went where?!
• Underworld: a long term geodynamics simulation platform;
• Vision links to leading hospitals for surgical observation;
• Pilot AAF project;
• VeRSI news;
• Intersect is now hiring;
• eResearch on Twitter;
• Subscribing and posting to the newsletter

National workshops proposed on Data in Science

The National Committee for Data in Science, established by the Australian Academy of Science last year, met this month to discuss how to improve the use of data in science. A highlight of the meeting was a review of international developments with Dr Malcolm Read the head of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) that manages sector wide ICT investment in the UK in support of higher education and research.

Malcolm confirmed much of the thinking in Australia, especially around the establishment of the Australian National Data Service (ANDS) and also the barriers to adoption that better data management faces. These include many scientists' proclivity to data ownership, the apparent effort required to include data management in day to day science activity, and that there is a data sharing divide, some do and some don't.

In considering its future activity, the committee proposes to develop a report on Data in Science, covering the state of play in access, discovery and retention, and how to improve it. While this is expected to take a year and a half to complete, the plan is to run some fact gathering workshops in the week after the eResearch Australasia conference. Further details will be posted when available at: http://www.science.org.au/natcoms/nc-data.htm.

Rhys Francis
Chair, National Committee for Data in Science

NeAT projects

Towards the end of last year, the National eResearch Architecture Taskforce (NeAT) issued a call for ideas on possible activities that could lead to next generation eResearch tools and services.

Nearly 70 ideas were submitted and NeAT has since undertaken an evaluation process leading to the selection of several for project planning. As result, ten projects aiming to deliver new or improved eResearch services are likely to be developed, and several of the other ideas submitted will be further pursued, either in conjunction with existing NeAT projects, or by integration with other planned developments.

As the details for each of the projects is firmed up, they will be made available at pfc.org.au. 

On behalf of NeAT I would like to thank all those who submitted an idea. We were pleased with the growing interest in eResearch across the country and wished that our funding allowed more ideas to be supported.

Rhys Francis,
Executive Director, Australian eResearch Infrastructure Council

eResearch Australasia

Please mark your diaries for eResearch Australasia 2009, to be held 9-13 November in Sydney at the Manly Pacific Hotel.  Further information, including the call for participation, will be available in the coming weeks from www.eresearch.edu.au. 

Patricia McMillan
eResearch Australasia Conference

Supporting the data lifecycle

The lifecycle of research data and the typical workflows of research create the need for different types of research data management environments. Just what these environments might look like was the subject of a symposium, Supporting the Data Lifecycle, held in Sydney on February 11. Those who gathered to discuss all the issues around research data management included members of the research community and members of institutional and other infrastructure support providers.

The symposium was sponsored by ANDS (the Australian National Data Service), ARCS (the Australian Research Collaboration) and Intersect. It was hosted by the University of Sydney ICT. Read more about it at http://www.ands.org.au/events/sdl/  

Margaret Henty
Building Capabilities Program Manager, Australian National Data Service

My Koala went where?!

The Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation (QCIF) is working with researchers from San Diego Zoo and University of Queensland to visualise the movement of Koalas on Saint Bees Island from data from Global Satellite Positioning (GPS) collars. The tracking enables visualisation of the movement of Koalas over the island and will be combined with Koala bellows (calls) from listening stations on the Island. The researchers intend to use the site to understand the ranging (how Koalas move) habits and if there is a relationship between the bellows and the movement of Koalas. The recording of the Koala bellow and transmission by the mobile phone network is an eresearch project that has been undertaken by the Microsoft eResearch Centre at QUT. See www.qcif.edu.au/koalas for the QCIF visualisation and sensor.mquter.qut.edu.au/data.aspx?DeploymentTags=St%20Bees for the Koala bellows.

Franz Eilert
Industry Outreach Manager, Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation (QCIF)

Underworld: a long term geodynamics simulation platform

Underworld is a 3D-parallel geodynamic modelling framework capable of deriving viscous / viscoplastic thermal, chemical and thermochemical models consistent with tectonic processes, such as mantle convection and lithospheric deformation over long time scales. Underworld is under collaborative development by Monash University and the VPAC, as part of the NCRIS AuScope capabilty in the Simulation and Modelling Victoria program. To access more information, including downloads of the latest stable release Underworld 1.2.0, modelling capabilities and user documentation visit: http://www.underworldproject.org and http://www.auscope.monash.edu.

Megan Hough
Operations Manager, AuScope Simulation & Modelling Victoria

Vision links to leading hospitals for surgical observation

AARNet's eResearch team will deliver very high quality vision links to leading hospitals on the AARNet3 network for a surgical demonstration on April 2nd, part of the 109th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Surgical Society. Surgeons will use the links to remotely observe and discuss laparoscopic surgical procedures in real time with their Asia-Pacific colleagues, thus bridging geographical divides and spreading knowledge about advanced procedures.

By regularly facilitating these remote medical collaborations, the AARNet eResearch team is helping to build stronger medical research engagement between Australia and the Asia-Pacific medical community. Many of these medical collaborations happen under the auspices of the Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) medical working group. AARNet is proud to be hosting the APAN conference in January, 2010 - mark your calendars! For more details see http://www.apan.org.

This medical demo exemplifies AARNet's eResearch mission: to help researchers build innovative solutions to network-related challenges. We've been enjoying engagements with e.g. The Australian Telescope National Facility; the Large Hadron Collider teams; the OptIPortal communities, and of course the APAN medical working group - and we're here to help you as well! So if you want to know what we can do for you, please get in touch with us at eresearch@aarnet.edu.au.

Guido Aben
Director eResearch, AARNet Pty Ltd

Pilot AAF (Australian Access Federation) Project

Continuing on from technical and policy work completed by the AAF Project under the Systemic Infrastructure Initiative, CAUDIT (Council of Australian University Directors of IT) under the leadership of Neil Thelander as Chair, Pilot AAF Steering Committee has taken on board the responsibility for ensuring that a fully functional Australian Access Federation will be available to the Australian research and education community and service providers. A pilot AAF technical infrastructure is being rapidly deployed at QUT and ARCS and this pilot platform will be operational early in March 2009.  In parallel, the Pilot AAF Policy Group chaired by Paul Sherlock Deputy Chair CAUDIT is developing the AAF Rules of Membership, Operator Procedures and Draft Constitution that will also be piloted along with the technical infrastructure.

The Pilot AAF Steering Committee comprises the foundation members who have each contributed seed funds, along with support from DIISR, AeRIC and AARNet. The foundation members are: Edith Cowan, Griffith, Macquarie, Monash, QUT, UniSA, UQ, UTas, ARCS and CSIRO. The pilot project includes the selection of and transition to a production service provider within twelve months. 

Peter Nissen
Acting General Manager/Special Projects Officer, CAUDIT

VeRSI news

The latest issue of the VeRSI eNewsletter is now available. It can be downloaded from http://www.versi.edu.au/downloads/VeRSIeNewsletter6.pdf.  In this issue you’ll read about:

• Summer internships at VPAC - using GPUs in the life sciences;
• the visit to Victoria by Robin Rice, from the UK DataShare project;
• the VeRSI Laboratory Supervisor Management System, developed for Professor Ross Coppel of the Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium;
• $19M Victorian Government funding awarded VeRSI collaborator, physiotherapist Professor Mary Galea; and
• the growing VeRSI team.

Gaby Bright
eResearch Communication, VeRSI

Intersect is now hiring

Join our team & work with Australia’s best researchers on leading edge eResearch projects!

Intersect works with NSW universities and others to support NSW based research through advanced and specialised information and communication technologies.  Intersect is gearing up to design and develop a range of eResearch projects; as well as delivering services in the areas of improved management of research data; new methods for collaboration; and new research methodologies.

We are building a team of experts and seek enthusiastic, appropriately qualified professionals for the following roles:

• Senior Software Engineers (multiple positions)
• Software Developers (multiple positions)
• User Interface Designer

For more details about these roles including how to apply, visit our website: www.intersect.org.au.

Leonie Hellmers
Communications, Intersect

eResearch on Twitter

Increasing numbers in the international eScience/eResearch community seem to be starting to utilise Twitter for two-way communication (broader than
instant messaging), e.g.

Chris Rusbridge at DCC http://twitter.com/cardcc
Sarah Gentleman at RIN http://twitter.com/research_inform

There's also a strong digital humanities presence on Twitter in the US, e.g.

Brett Bobley at ODH NEH http://twitter.com/brettbobley
Dan Cohen at CHNM GMU http://twitter.com/dancohen

If you're using or considering Twitter, you might like to look at the hashtag #eresearch: see http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23eresearch which allows you to follow the tag on the web or by newsfeed. (Near the top as of late February you'll find links to blogs and online coverage of a UKRDS meeting at which ANDS Director Ross Wilkinson appeared via remote link.)

If you'd like to add the tag #eresearch to your own posts on Twitter, at least high-level ones like overall announcements of events or resources (not necessarily detailed discussion), it will help others to find your posts and perhaps follow you.

Jim Richardson
http://twitter.com/jimrhiz
Relationship Manager for eResearch, University of Sydney ICT

About the newsletter

The eResearch newsletter is published the first business day of each month, and submissions are due two business days prior to that.  Please send items to newsletter@eresearch.edu.au.  Each item should be no more than 150 words plain text, plus a link to further information. 

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Patricia McMillan
eresearch-announce List Moderator