October 2018 national eResearch newsletter

This Workshop is a case study in how to build complex analysis systems for data-focussed (bio) science using Galaxy, on Monday 15 October, 1:30-3pm at eResearch 2018 at the Pullman Melbourne, Albert Park.

Galaxy is a mature, global and very capable bioinformatics analysis platform which leverages the efforts of a global community to maintain and support critical data and software resources. It provides users with a large library of analysis and visualisation tools, reference datasets, interfaces to global databases, and evolving workflow capabilities that provide provenance and reproducibility.

Register to join us next week, at https://conference.eresearch.edu.au/2018/07/galaxy-architecture-and-deployment-experiences-a-case-study-in-how-to-build-complex-analysis-systems-for-data-focussed-science/.

A cohort of data repositories is being assembled to apply for CoreTrustSeal certification as part of the AGU-led Enabling FAIR Data Project (see http://www.copdess.org/enabling-fair-data-project/enabling-fair-project-overview/). This demonstrates to a repository’s users and funders that they have been evaluated and endorsed by an independent authority. Currently only 3 Australian out of 137 repositories world-wide have this accreditation (see https://www.coretrustseal.org/why-certification/certified-repositories/).

A series of webinars in October will provide more information on CoreTrustSeal and how this ‘lets-do-it-together’ certification process is being planned for these repositories globally.

If you are interested, please contact Lesley Wyborn (lesley.wyborn@anu.edu.au).

With thanks to ARDC, EMBL-ABR’s 2018 webinar recordings will be online within a week after each event.

This month features Bob Kuhn, Associate Director, UCSC Genome Browser, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA:

• 23 OCTOBER, 10-11:30am AEST: Using the UCSC Genome Browser.
• • 24 OCTOBER, 10-11:30am AEST: A short tour of UCSC data.

Details and registration here https://www.embl-abr.org.au/webinars/.

Ideas for topics or speakers are welcome – just email us from link on our Webinar page and please subscribe to EMBL-ABR news from our home page (https://www.embl-abr.org.au/) or follow us on Twitter @EMBL_ABR to hear about future webinar topics.

Presented by Tinker, tailored research tools for the HASS community, an NCRIS funded project which is a product of the HASS DEVL, the DH Pathways Forum will bring together researchers and professionals to speak about the links between research, data, tools and national infrastructure.

Brisbane 26-Oct: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/brisbane-digital-humanities-pathways-forum-2018-your-pathway-to-the-latest-innovative-research-data-tickets-48824099195.

Sydney 7-Dec: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/sydney-digital-humanities-pathways-forum-2018-your-pathway-to-the-latest-innovative-eresearch-tools-tickets-48824315843?aff=ebapi.

The goal of the project is to develop a national framework and strategy to enable Australian research to exploit opportunities and overcome challenges arising from the revolution in open and big data technologies, and from developments in data science and machine learning.

The report will be informed by the contributions of a broad range of stakeholders. As part of this consultation, a set of ‘Ten Questions’ have been developed – see https://www.science.org.au/files/userfiles/support/reports-and-plans/in-progress-decadal-plans/Big-data-ten-questions.pdf. Please respond by 31 October to science.policy@science.org.au.

More information on https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/science-policy-and-sector-analysis/decadal-plans-science/big-data-australian

Are you interested in starting a hacky hour – a group dedicated to helping researchers with tech, especially around data science? Interested in talking to hacky hour coordinators?

Connect with others running hacky hours here at https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!forum/hacky-hour–coordinators or email a.miotto@griffith.edu.au.

There’s also a hacky hour handbook for those curious at https://github.com/amandamiotto/HackyHourHandbook.

The IEEE WIE International Leadership Summit for 2018 will be held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre on 26-27 November 2018.

The themes for the Summit are ‘Encourage / Empower / Engage’.

See http://sites.ieee.org/wieils-aus-2018/ for information. The Program is available at http://sites.ieee.org/wieils-aus-2018/program-2/. Registration is now open – http://sites.ieee.org/wieils-aus-2018/summit-registration/.

The 2017 New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (NeSI) Annual Review is now available to read online. 2017 was another milestone year for NeSI with lifts in its HPC, consultancy, and training capabilities, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment completing a comprehensive review of NeSI’s first six years. If you would like a hardcopy of the report mailed to you, contact events@nesi.org.nz.

Read more at: https://www.nesi.org.nz/about-nesi/reports-publications.

Researchers from the Geospatial Analysis for Environmental Change Lab at the University of New South Wales have previously used satellite image time series data and NCI’s supercomputer to calculate 26 years of water availability across the Murray-Darling Basin.
Now, they have worked to understand how vegetation in the Basin responds to rain and flooding across a quarter century of drought and deluge.

Read more at: http://nci.org.au/research/understanding-rivers-using-satellite-imagery/

NCI has created the new GSKY data service and software to make analysis and management of world-leading earth observation datasets easier than ever.

Read more at: http://nci.org.au/2018/09/03/talking-shop-making-data-deluge-gsky/.

A new CloudStor Feature makes editing shared documents easier for researchers.

In recognition of all the juggling researchers do throughout the research lifecycle, OnlyOffice (a document editor) has been added to AARNet’s CloudStor platform. OnlyOffice supports the co-creation of text, document, spreadsheets and presentation files and includes a “group talk” function as well as commenting, so there is less email exchange. OnlyOffice makes it easier to collaborate on writing and publishing project work or scholarship as documents (as well as data).

See https://news.aarnet.edu.au/editing-shared-documents-in-cloudstor-just-got-a-whole-lot-easier/.

The official site for Australia’s first nation-wide waterway monitoring event was recently launched, at www.waterbugblitz.org.au.

This is a citizen science project led by Federation University Australia’s Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation in partnership with Waterwatch, Corangamite CMA, Envirocomm Connections and The Waterbug Company. It is funded by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science as part of the Inspiring Australia – Science Engagement Program.

The project’s first monitoring event of Australia’s waterways commences this Spring. During the event, Australians will be encouraged to become citizen scientists and assist with collecting diverse water bug data, enabling assessment of the health of waterways and wetlands.

The AGU-led Enabling FAIR Data Project is winding up (see http://www.copdess.org/enabling-fair-data-project/enabling-fair-project-overview/). This project involved Publishers, Funders, Researchers, Repositories, and Societies dealing with Earth, Space and Environmental publications that reference data, software and samples and was partnered in Australia by NCI, ARDC and AuScope.

The Commitment Statement is now available for signature (http://www.copdess.org/enabling-fair-data-project/commitment-to-enabling-fair-data-in-the-earth-space-and-environmental-sciences/). Signatories include Publishers who have agreed to require that data must be in a trustworthy repository that can provide a DOI and a landing page. A set of Author Guidelines have also been developed.

For more information, please contact Lesley Wyborn (lesley.wyborn@anu.edu.au).

New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (NeSI) and REANNZ are pleased to announce the 10th Annual eResearch NZ conference will take place on 18-20 February 2019 in Auckland, NZ. We’ll be seeking submissions that share the experiences of other regions, highlight current and emerging research priorities and trends, and showcase innovative work in progress and project outcomes.

Read more at: https://www.nesi.org.nz/news/2018/09/save-date-eresearch-nz-2019-coming-auckland-18-20-february.

Don’t forget that AeRO is helping spread the word on the latest eResearch job opportunities.  We post jobs immediately to https://twitter.com/AeRO_eResearch and also update on our website at http://aero.edu.au/eresearch-careers/.

This is a free service for the eResearch community – to advertise a position, simply email loretta@aero.edu.au.

Current vacancies include: a Research Data Support Officer, a Machine Learning Engineer, Executive Director of Plant Phenomics, a University Head of Data and Technology, a Research Engineer – Communications Networks, a Research Systems Security Compliance Analyst, eResearch Analysts, Research ICT Positions, a Production Bioinformatician, Research-focused Business Analysts and Project Managers, a Senior Development and Operations Engineer, a Data Analyst Web Developer.