Speaker
Description
Environmental research infrastructures (RIs) generate extensive datasets on ecosystem processes, biodiversity, and climate dynamics. However, despite major advancements in open data accessibility and FAIR principles, translating these data into actionable knowledge for planners, policymakers, and land managers remains a critical challenge. This study aims to identify key barriers to the societal uptake of RI data and propose a framework for transforming environmental observations into decision-support products for sustainable land-use planning. The study builds on evidence from three complementary investigations examining RI access and integration, co-location and scientific collaboration across European supersites, and the capacity of RI data services to address forest health and biodiversity challenges. A mixed-methods approach combined document analysis, a systematic review of 129 publications, 24 stakeholder interviews, and an international survey of 73 RI users from 26 countries. Data were analyzed to identify user needs, barriers to integration, opportunities for cross-RI collaboration, and pathways for data valorization. The findings reveal a persistent gap between environmental data generation and their uptake in decision-making. Although environmental RIs provide valuable open-access datasets, challenges remain in data integration, accessibility, and the translation of scientific outputs into decision-relevant information. Limited engagement with private-sector stakeholders, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), further constrains the societal uptake of RI data. The results also highlight the important role of co-location in enhancing collaboration, interoperability, and knowledge exchange across RIs, while identifying thematic and geographic gaps in areas such as land-use change, socioeconomic dynamics, and biodiversity-related impacts. Drawing on these findings, this study proposes a conceptual framework and research agenda for enhancing the societal value of environmental RI data. The framework transforms RI data into value-added, stakeholder-oriented products through cross-infrastructure integration and co-design with end users, providing practical pathways to enhance the scientific, societal, and policy impact of environmental research infrastructures and strengthen their contribution to sustainable land-use planning.
| Are you participating to the "AnaEE Environmental Rising Star Award "? | Yes |
|---|