The e-Atlas is a new web-accessible integrated knowledge management system designed to provide a framework to facilitate effective use and sharing of information in order to enhance evidence-based decision making for effective management and the long-term sustainable use of the Great Barrier Reef and its catchments, the Wet Tropics rainforests and Torres Strait.  The e-Atlas is a portal providing access to new data and information handling, spatial mapping and analytical tools to collate, integrate, share and analyse the vast array of biophysical and socio-economic data required to manage these environmentally, economically and culturally valuable systems effectively.  Based entirely on open-source software, the e-Atlas uses internationally recognised standards that enable its content to be interrogated and delivered into GIS systems, particularly those within federal and state government departments and agencies.  The e-Atlas currently holds more than six hundred maps derived from data contributed by nine different national, state and local institutions.  These maps illustrate numerous characteristics of North Queensland's ecosystems, particularly patterns and hotspots of biodiversity and threats, facilitating the identification and improvement of understanding of the major risk and resilience factors influencing the MTSRF region, and their ecological, social and economic impacts, and enhances capacity to evaluate and implement effective policy and management responses to enusre the long-term sustainability of North Queensland's natural assets.

Project Leader and Host Organisation

Dr Katharina Fabricius (Australian Institute of Marine Science)

Project Description and Objectives

For detailed descriptions of the outputs for this project for Year 4 (2009/2010) of the MTSRF Research Programme, see the Annual Research Plan.

Existing data and information on the Great Barrier Reef and the terrestrial tropical ecosystems has generally been under-used. The e-Atlas is developing the tools to make greater use of such data information. By providing the means to share and access data, maps and information on topics relevant to Australia's tropical land and seas, the e-Atlas aims to promote collaboration and support the work of management agencies, researchers, reef-based industries and community groups.

The objectives of the e-Atlas are to:

• Provide a 'one-stop shop' for accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive information, maps, reports, scientific papers and data;

• Produce interactive maps of environmental conditions, biodiversity, risks and hotspots of environmental concern;

• Provide high capacity storage, custom-developed open-source software for data processing and display as well as data access to the public and/or registered users;

• Provide the platform for data integration and collaboration across institutions; and

• Display the results of statistical and process models, to synthesise and interpret data and to inform management about contemporary ecological and environmental issues with an emphasis on risk, resilience and response.

The e-Atlas comprises four components:

• A Website to host the data repository and tools and to provide interpretative text summaries of key topics;

• A searchable Repository of data, metadata, maps and scientific reports;

• Tools to search, explore, interactively map and analyse spatial and temporal data; and

• Research into risk, resilience and response of the GBR system.

The technical and conceptual development of the tools that underpin the e-Atlas is progressing rapidly. The initial priority has been to develop the backbone of the system (web site, mapping, statistical tools, and automation of work flow; Figure 1) before populating it with content.

Figure 1:  Schematic representation of the architecture of the e-Atlas.

The e-Atlas is based entirely on an open source philosophy and uses a moderated wiki style approach in order to grow through contributions from a wide range of users. The e-Atlas will develop the tools to enable data owners to upload and contribute their contents. The cost savings due to this open source wiki philosophy will be enormous (probably >$200 per uploaded text page, with potentially hundreds of pages being contributed each year). So far, the system has been populated by the e-Atlas team with the first example pages of content being written and illustrated. Some of the most important data sets have been compiled, and converted into gridded data through statistical tools for mapping and graphic display. The spatial modelling of twelve key data sets comprising over six hundred variables (map layers) is complete, and numerous additional data sets will be added over the next two months. However, in order to initially increase the e-Atlas contents to a critical mass which starts making it useful for potential user organisations such as GBRMPA, a person in charge of uploading the contents will be required in the early period.