A Data Ecosystem for Land and Water Data to Achieve the Challenge Mission

To address the question ‘What are the best data structures for land and water information to achieve the Challenge Mission?’ a small group of experts were commissioned to produce this white paper.

The growing diversity, complexity, and volume of data represent a rich source of opportunity to lift primary sector productivity, social license to operate, and value for premium product. Thus one of the greatest ‘additionality’ gains for Our Land and Water is gathering this amorphous collection of data into a dynamic, shared data ecosystem in which data can be widely used, and more easily understood, integrated and analysed.

The use of a Data Management Maturity Model was recommended as a framework for thinking and action. The paper set out a set of principles and practices the Challenge should adopt, described a roadmap to achieve the data ecosystem including first steps, and identified an initial set of research topics.

This paper contributed thinking to the MBIE National Research Information System (NZRIS), expected to launch its first iteration by the end of 2019.