Australia’s interface to open access marine data

The waters surrounding the Australian island continent are significantly important, affecting climate, industry, economy, tourism, and lifestyle. In fact, despite its enormous landmass, 90% of Australia's population of 22 million live within 120 km of the coast! Australian waters have been ranked as the biologically most diverse by the recent Census of Marine Life, with 80% of species still unknown. Access to a variety of marine data – physical, biogeochemical, and biological – therefore should be the interest and the right of everyone. The reality is, however, that data is hardly ever shared with stakeholders outside of the respective research institution or governmental department. Due to this lack of cross-sector communication, “knowledge gaps” are less likely to be identified and duplication of effort in data collection and analysis is common.