Restricted Access Species Data (RASD) are biodiversity datasets which contain information which may compromise individuals, species, personal property or landholdings and that have some restriction over availability of the data.
Types of restricted access species data include (see the Framework for more detail):
Pink Cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri) Photo Credit: Peter and Shelly CC BY NC
The Restricted Access Species Data Pathways project (previously named Sensitive Species Data Pathways project) is an initiative supported by the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA).
The RASD Pathways project was a collaborative effort between the ALA, ARDC, Australian Government, state and territory conservation agencies, museums, herbaria, EcoCommons and the Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute. The project is part of Australia's research infrastructure and was designed to respond to multiple government and non-government calls to improve access to withheld or modified biodiversity data by streamlining processes and systems to enable the sharing of sensitive species (restricted access species) data for authorised and approved users. The three outputs from the project were:
1. A national framework outlining consistent best practice guidance for sharing RASD between trusted parties and a nationally consistent method for modifying restricted access data for public release.
2. A Restricted Access Data Service (RASDS) where users can request and access RASD from custodians via a single point of contact.
3. A trial proof-of-concept trusted environment for using RASD for modelling and analysis, developed by EcoCommons Australia.
For further information, see the FAQs or contact us on info@rasd.org.au.
The Restricted Access Species Data Pathways From Decision Making to Research project received investment (https://doi.org/10.47486/PS027) from the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC). The ARDC is funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).
