This Flagship provides the observational network and data systems that enable NIWA to deliver its science and research.
Data, including observational data and generated data, is foundational for environmental research and its application. This Flagship supports the collection, curation and management of data across all NIWA portfolios, ensuring its accessibility, usability, relevance and security. This includes NIWA’s National Significant Databases and Collections and other key datasets, such as NIWA’s geospatial and survey data.
A core part of the work programme is dedicated to build and evolve a new Data Platform that standardises and integrates various data pipelines into common frameworks, leveraging cloud and edge technologies, as well as seamlessly integrating with cloud and New Zealand High Performance Computing infrastructures. This evolving platform will empower our science to develop new solutions for increasingly complex problems the world needs to be solved.
We embrace the use of data science, including new types of modelling and analytical tools for identifying new relationships and enabling new applications. For example, we use advanced data analytics to monitor biodiversity from various sources, including satellites and field observations, and to track changes in species populations and habitats. We are developing new types of data pipelines that bring together multiple data types and big data sources and enable data modelling using high performance compute facilities. These are especially useful for the multi–disciplinary research (e.g. hazards, risks) and cross-domain applications (e.g. climate change impact assessment, such as on asset portfolios) that are increasingly being used by NIWA science.
Beyond NIWA science, major users of NIWA data are power companies and overseas customers, utilising our high-quality technologies and expertise in sensor data collection and management to manage consent and operational requirements.
