Dr Miwa Takahashi1, Dr Luke R Thomson3, Dr Cecillia Villacorta-Rath2
1CSIRO, Crawley, Australia, 2Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Australia, 3Mississippi State University, Northern Gulf Institute, Starkville, MS, USA
Workshop Overview:
Do you want to maximise the impact of your eDNA science? If yes, then join our workshop to learn how to make your eDNA data FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable)!
Background: Although eDNA has emerged as a cutting-edge technique in biomonitoring, its true potential lies not only in its collection but in ensuring that this data is shared in ways that maximize its re-usability. Encouragingly, most eDNA-based data from published papers are now public. However, these datasets are typically stored in a variety of repositories in multiple formats, making it challenging to collate and reuse them. To address this, an international, multidisciplinary working group — comprising researchers, journal editors, and ‘omics and biodiversity data publishers — has developed a best practice guide for formatting and publishing eDNA data according to FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) principles. This guide defines essential data types, formats, and metadata checklists for both targeted taxon and multi taxa detection approaches (i.e., qPCR, and metabarcoding), ensuring that the published eDNA data are complete, machine-readable, and thus interoperable and reusable.
Workshop contents: Our workshop will introduce you to this guide so that you are one step ahead when it becomes the global standard. The workshop comprises three sessions: 1) introduction to an overview of FAIR data principles and best practices for eDNA data formatting and archiving; 2) hands-on session to provide practical guidance on data formatting to help you start working with your own data; and 3) brainstorming session to discuss challenges of data management and formatting for eDNA scientists and explore potential solutions. “Making eDNA FAIR” is an on-going, community-driven initiative, with the ultimate goal of extending the eDNA data lifecycle and facilitating the reuse and reanalyses of this invaluable biodiversity data resource.
Biography:
Miwa earned her undergraduate and honours degrees in Marine Biology from James Cook University. After gaining diverse experiences through work and travel, she completed a PhD in Marine Ecology at Curtin University, where she was introduced to the world of environmental DNA (eDNA). Driven by a passion for leveraging eDNA to protect the natural world, Miwa is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency, where she leads a global initiative to “make eDNA data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)”.