Marine Virtual Laboratory Information System (MARVLIS)

The Marine Virtual Laboratory Information System (MARVLIS) will build on, and enhance, the software infrastructure developed by the NeCTAR early activity Marine Virtual Laboratory (MARVL), a system designed to integrate observations and model simulations for any user-defined region and time period. Using the Derwent Estuary in Tasmania as a pilot study area MARVLIS will develop software to utilise outputs of the MARVL and demonstrate the value of these products in aquaculture and fisheries management and to Tasmanian State Government environmental assessment programs. Integration of MARVLIS software into MARVL ensures the portability of the software tools to any region. Through this project (MARVLIS) we will enhance MARVL with additional software to: a) develop data products suitable for input to management ‘what-if’ scenarios and b) provide at least 2 demonstrations of these scenarios. MARVLIS will(i) enhance the synthesis and use of datasets in the Derwent Estuary not previously in the public domain (Note: this is not a data mining exercise, the data are routinely used in environmental assessments, this is more about automatic collation and aggregation utilising MARVL infrastructure).(ii) generate a data collection for the Derwent publishable in the ANDS Data Commons.(iii) add to MARVL a library of system enhancements to generate data products of value to environmental assessments.(iv) add to MARVL a library of system enhancements to aid management decision making.(v) use MARVL to conduct test ‘what-if’ management scenarios e.g. impacts of ‘events’ on water quality; impact of aquaculture management decisions e.g. moving or expanding the scale of fish farms; impacts and optimisation of coastal zone development; increased cost-effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment processes; prediction and adaptation of coastal industries to climate change.(vi) demonstrate how MARVL can improve ‘State of the Derwent’ assessments and thereby contribute to policy decisions.