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CSIRO Boroowa Research Station trial plots
22 November, 2019

AARNet high speed link for new digital agriculture research station

Australia’s national science agency CSIRO has opened its new Boorowa Agriculture Research Station and the farm is directly connected to AARNet’s high speed optical fibre network.

Research Network & Connectivity News

Located in rural southwestern NSW, the 290-hectare facility is purpose built for research focused on developing Australian farms of the future. Drones, remote monitoring and advanced data analytics provide scientists with unprecedented accuracy in studying crops and farming systems.

The 10 Gigabit per second AARNet link will enable scientists working at the farm to share research data efficiently with other CSIRO facilities and partner institutions across Australia.

AARNet Director, eResearch Dr Carina Kemp said the AARNet network and services are designed to meet the ever-growing data sharing and collaboration needs of the research and education sector.

“We’re excited to be providing services to CSIRO’s innovative new research facility in regional Australia and enabling new opportunities for research collaborations. With food production challenges too big for one organisation to solve alone, this facility is an exemplar for enabling knowledge sharing across industry, government and the research community,” said Kemp.

Director of CSIRO Agriculture and Food Dr Michiel van Lookeren Campagne said it was more important than ever to advance innovative science to build resilient agriculture systems and increase food production.

“Our agriculture industries are facing major challenges, especially with the current drought,” Dr van Lookeren Campagne said.

“Here at Boorowa, we’ll be trialling new varieties of wheat, canola, legumes and pastures that can withstand warmer and drier conditions, such as those predicted for the future,” he said.

The CSIRO FD McMaster Laboratory near Armidale in regional NSW is also connected to the AARNet network via a 10Gbps link. The link went live in 2015, enabling scientists to share large data files with research partners in real time and boosting opportunities for agricultural research collaborations. Read the case study

Learn more about AARNet’s research data services.

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