Dr Philipp Bayer1,2, Dr Sebastian Rauschert1,2, Dr Matthew Fraser1,3, Dr Eric Raes1,2, . OceanOmics Division1,2, Dr Priscila Goncalves1,2
1Minderoo Foundation, Perth, Australia, 2Minderoo OceanOmics Centre at UWA, Oceans Institute, Perth, Australia, 3School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, WA, Australia, Perth, Australia
Biography:
Philipp Bayer is a Principal, Research, Computational Biology at the OceanOmics division within the Minderoo Foundation in Perth, Western Australia. He leads the computational biology pillar and focuses on increasing trust in eDNA-derived data.
Abstract:
Scaling up the generation and usage of environmental DNA (eDNA) has been one of the main goals of Minderoo OceanOmics. End-users such as managers of marine protected areas need tools that help make biological sense of eDNA. In this lightning talk we present the OceanOmics dashboard, a web-based portal that transforms complex eDNA data into accessible and actionable insights. The dashboard also displays the current progress of associated Ocean Genomes which aims to accelerate and scale the production of reference quality genome resources for marine vertebrates, linking to available data. Lastly, the dashboard lets users ask questions in English which a Claude-based large language model answers by writing Python code to analyse eDNA data, bridging the gap between complex data and user-friendly interpretation. By democratising access to cutting-edge eDNA technology, the OceanOmics dashboard empowers researchers, conservationists, policymakers, and the public to make informed decisions about marine ecosystems.