About the Australian Ocean Data Network
The Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) operates online infrastructure for marine and climate data resources. It is responsible for managing the IMOS data collection program which is augmented with data from other partners and data contributors such as universities, government agencies, industry and other organisations.
What is the Australian Ocean Data Network ?
The Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) stands at the forefront of marine data management in Australia, providing an essential infrastructure for the discovery, sharing and reuse of comprehensive marine and climate data. By managing the IMOS data collection program and incorporating contributions from universities and government research agencies, AODN supports a diverse range of users including researchers, data scientists, government, and industry. Our commitment to making these data freely available underscores our dedication to fostering an informed and engaged public, promoting sustainable environmental practices and driving economic growth through innovation.
AODN data covers a wide range of parameters in different ocean environments collected from ocean-going ships, autonomous vehicles, moorings and many other platforms. The scope of observations, geographically span ocean to coast and across disciplines (physical, biogeochemical, biological).
AODN Mission Statement: To increase the uptake of marine and climate data, fostering collaboration and innovation to support sustainable environmental practices, economic growth and societal well-being.
What is the AODN Portal?
The AODN Portal provides access to data from the IMOS program as well as a range of other data from contributors such as government, universities, industry and other organisations. All data are discoverable and accessible. The Portal incorporates metadata, a data search mechanism using controlled vocabulary terms and a map interface that can be used to interact with AODN datasets. Data download is offered in several formats, allowing users to download whole data collections or temporal and/or spatial subsets of these collections, together with the metadata describing the collection.
Data management standards and policies
The infrastructure of the AODN follows international standards and agreements for data/metadata formatting, discovery and sharing. The AODN works with the National Marine Science Committee to contribute to the development of a national interoperable network of marine and coastal data services including FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) data principles.
