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e-Science and Technology Infrastructure for Biodiversity Data and Ecosystem Research

The research infrastructure

LifeWatch will construct and bring into operation the facilities, hardware, software and governance structures for all aspects of biodiversity research. It will consist of:  facilities for data generation and processing; a network of observatories; facilities for data integration and interoperability; virtual laboratories offering a range of analytical and modelling tools; and a Service Centre providing special services for scientific and policy users, including training and research opportunities for young scientists. The infrastructure has the support of all major European biodiversity research networks.

Rationale

While we are exploring other planets, it is surprising how little we still know about our own planet Earth.

This is certainly true for our understanding of the living world, the biological diversity of ecosystems, species and their genetic composition. We only know a fraction of the probably millions of species, and about their traits and ecology. The same holds for our poor understanding of ecosystem functions and of ecosystem services - for example air and water quality, food and health. It is urgent to accelerate scientific discovery, understanding and innovation by means of the LifeWatch research infrastructure capabilities.

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. The target of halting biodiversity loss will be redefined, and for this scientific knowledge is a prerequisite in order to be able to underpin policies and to assess effects. For the following decades, Europe calls for the integration of scientific knowledge into decision making processes. LifeWatch has the ambition to provide the research infrastructure to support advanced analysis and modeling of biodiversity data in an integrated system with virtual working environments for scientific and policy user groups.

Vision and ambition

The LifeWatch infrastructure for biodiversity research addresses the huge gaps we face in our understanding of life on Earth. Its innovative design supports scientists to enter new research areas with large-scale data resources, advanced analytical and modelling capabilities with computational power. LifeWatch will not only serve the scientific community, but will also be an essential tool for local and global policy makers in the understanding and the rational management of our ecosystems.

The research infrastructure includes:

• facilities for data generation and processing; cooperative networks of terrestrial and marine observatories, and global facilities such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility
• facilities for data integration and interoperability
• virtual laboratories offering a range of analytical and modelling tools
• a Service Centre providing special services for scientific and policy users, including training and research opportunities for young scientists

The architecture allows for dynamic linkages to other resources and associated infrastructures. As such, LifeWatch is a central component in the new generation of interlinked research infrastructures that together establish a cooperative fabric of facilities in support of innovation.

Features and Benefits

• A single portal for pure and applied researchers, policy makers, industries and the public at large
• Discovery and visualisation of biodiversity data: habitats, species and DNA sequences, geographical, climatological and ecological data, natural history collections data; temporal and spatial distribution
• Modelling tools for the analysis and simulation of the relationships between, among others, species occurrence data and environmental factors; creation and integration of geographic information system (GIS) map layers
• Biodiversity e-science to tackle system complexity at different levels and scales; decision support for research on ecosystem services and for science based management strategies
• Virtual laboratories and services to foster collaboration in large-scale projects

• Accelerating data capture for identified priorities and knowledge gaps with new enabling technologies

• Close cooperation with existing infrastructures and facilities

International cooperation

Successfully implementing LifeWatch is only possible through international cooperation. The sheer size of the infrastructure with respect to costs,functionalities and user communities requires large scale collaboration. The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) identified LifeWatch as an essential facility to be supported by European countries.

The preparatory phase started in Februari 1st 2008 and is paving the way towards infrastructure construction in 2011. The project consortium brings together a group of interested EU member and associated states in order to prepare a cooperation agreement on the construction and long term maintenance of the LifeWatch infrastructure.

A Policy and Science Board - composed of the representatives of more than 18 interested partner countries and 8 scientific networks, oversees process progress.