Join a community of data wranglers: large and complex research datasets in the cloud
The ability of biologists to manage, analyse and share research data is key to making new discoveries and understanding the molecular basis of life. To ensure bioscientists have access to essential data and tools, Australian BioCommons has partnered with the Center for Translational Data Science, University of Chicago, USA. Working with the team behind the open-source data platform, Gen3, several data commons are currently being tailor-made for use by large numbers of Australian researchers working across national consortia.
The Gen3 platform consists of open-source software services that support the emergence of healthy data ecosystems by enabling the interoperation and creation of cloud-based data resources, including data commons and analysis workspaces. Gen3 aims to accelerate and democratise the process of scientific discovery by making it easy to manage, analyse, harmonise, and share large and complex datasets in the cloud.
Gen3 is now a key component of the large-scale translational medicine data ecosystem in the USA, having been used to build over 15 data commons by organisations including several NIH Institutes and Centers. Australian BioCommons is also supporting multiple deployments, helping to establish new Gen3 data commons for management and secure sharing of human omics data holdings between research collaborators. One project that supports Australian cardiovascular research is designing a system for the Precision Medicine Flagship of the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA) that allows data to be received, managed, described, quality controlled and shared with authorised and authenticated individuals. Another project resulted in a webinar featuring partners from The University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research and the Zero Childhood Cancer Program who shared their experiences and progress towards Establishing Gen3 to enable better human genome data sharing in Australia.
With Gen3 use spreading globally, there is a demand to coalesce shared knowledge and activities into a community. A new Gen3 Community will meet for the first time at a virtual forum co-hosted by the University of Chicago and the Australian BioCommons. Everyone is invited to the Gen3 Community Forum 2022, taking place online 4-7 p.m. 10-12 October (CDT) / 8-11 a.m. 11-13 October (AEDT).
The inaugural Gen3 Community Forum will share knowledge about Gen3, its architecture, and the Gen3 roadmaps and priorities; strengthen the connection between the core team and those developing, operating and using Gen3 platforms; design a set of ongoing community engagement activities; and discuss and agree on key shared development priorities between the Gen3 core team and the community. The first day will showcase different examples of Gen3 data commons, and participants are welcome to attend some or all sessions.
Further details of the program and free registration is now available.