e-Science and Technology Infrastructure
for Biodiversity Research
Summary information sheet
2008
Rationale
While we are exploring other planets, its is surprising how little we still know about our own planet Earth. This is especially true for our understanding of the living world, the biological diversity of species, and their genes and the ecosystems in which they occur. We only know a fraction of the probably millions of species, especially of the insects, microorganisms and other small species which are in different ways crucial for goods and services such as pollination, health or biotechnology. Scientific developments generated knowledge about some components of biodiversity, but the research community needs a new methodological approach to understand the biodiversity system. LifeWatch is designed to serve science as a large-scale facility offering on-line facilities for such methodologies.
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 a large-scale methodological approach to data resources, advanced algorithms and computational capability. Life Watch will not only serve to support the scientific research, but also support the understanding and the rational management of our ecosystems by policy makers, the private sector and the general public.
The research infrastructure
LifeWatch (http://www.lifewatch.eu) will construct and bring into operation the facilities, hardware, software and governance structures for research on the protection, management and sustainable use of biodiversity. The infrastructure includes 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.
Mission and services
- Operate a single portal for pure and applied researchers, policy makers, industries and the public at large
- Enable new scientific practices and inspire a new generation of scientists
- Structure the scientific community with new opportunities for large scale projects and data capture priorities
- Offer knowledge-based decision-support for the rational management of our ecosystems on land and in the seas, and to policy makers and the public
- Innovate biodiversity based industry towards sustainable practices
- Educate to catalyze the discovery and innovation process
- Provide on-line and off-line user support
Architecture
The wealth of large data sets on the different levels of biodiversity (genes, populations, species and ecosystems) opens up an unprecedented new area of research. But the complex and multidisciplinary problems also force scientists to collaborate in virtual organizations at a global scale. LifeWatch will enable ‘distributed large-scale’ science, which is the only way to participate in new developments in biodiversity science.
User groups can create their own e-laboratories or e-services within the common architecture of the infrastructure. They may share their data and analytical and modeling algorithms with others, while controlling access. All public resources, such as data repositories, computational capabilities and capacity are available through the problem solving environment.
The architecture allows for dynamic linkages to other resources and associated infrastructures, such as GBIF and ESA. As such, LifeWatch is an example of the new generation of research infrastructures that form a cooperating fabric.
Scope
The scope of LifeWatch is defined in relation to the data resources, functionalities and services it offers to science and society.
Data - species (e.g. occurrences of individual organisms)
- ecology (e.g. species relationships)
- genetic (e.g. species variability)
- biodiversity related parameters (e.g. soil types)
Data availability - users may upload and share their data with other users using
standardized formats
- advanced technology for data capture in situ and in collections
- seamless connection with associated global, regional and national
data repositories (e.g. GBIF)
- provision of data sources for prioritized user demands
Functionalities - data handling (e.g. access, visualization)
- statistical tools (e.g. correlation analysis)
- modelling (e.g. scenario development)
Computation - On-line computational services
- Grid technology
Planning stages
The implementation of the research infrastructure follows a two-staged approach:
1) A preparatory project to elaborate all issues necessary to make the construction decision and to define the planning, logistics and organisation of the next construction and subsequent operational phases.
2) The construction phase to establish the Life Watch infrastructure organisation with its functionalities and services.
Preparatory project
Financing of the Life Watch research infrastructure has to be controlled by a cooperation of individual countries agreeing together to invest in a new research infrastructure. In order to facilitate the decision process, the European Commission financially supports a preparatory phase for the ESFRI projects in order to detail the required legal, financial and technical issues necessary to allow for a decision amongst interested countries. The Life Watch preparatory project includes the following work packages.
The European Commission and a number of countries provided budgets for the Life Watch preparatory project from 1 February 2008 for a period of 3 years. This project addresses a variety of issues, such as the legal set-up, the construction specifications and the infrastructure service organisation, the financial plans, and provisions for risk management and quality control. Specific case studies and pilot projects started in different countries.
The preparatory project will facilitate the decisions about the required investment for the infrastructure construction and for the annual operational costs.
Partners
The sheer size of the infrastructure with respect to functionalities and user communities requires a large-scale and international cooperation. ESFRI, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures identified LifeWatch as a European Research Infrastructure to be supported by European countries. Currently 19 European countries expressed their interest in the initiative.
A number of expert partners in the preparatory project contributes to the expected outcomes of the work packages. Interested countries desginated national organisations as member of the project Policy & Science Board to act as the interface between the project development and their national country decision process. Presently 19 countries are represented with their designated organisations. The coordinating institutes of the larger FP5 and FP6 biodiversity networks (of excellence) have a scientific position in the Policy & Science Board of the project.
Present country partners are:
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sloenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom.
The LifeWatch project defines which distributed infrastructure functionalities will located in the cooperating countries.
Various partners are not directly being involved in the core of the project development, but contribute in other ways to implementing the infrastructure. For example the data networks and data infrastructures, the major user sectors, and industry.
The scientific communities in the participating countries are establishing national Life Watch network to discuss their national research programs in relation to the new infrastructure, and to interact with the national authorities about involvement in the planned construction of the research infrastructure.
Summary financial information
Construction / operational costs: € 368 millions / € 72 millions
Duration preparatory project: 3 years (1-2-2008 / 1-2-2011)
Preparatory budget from the EC: € 5.000.000
Additional preparatory national budgets: € 4.600.000
www.lifewatch.eu
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