SEAF FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is SEAF? The Shared Environmental Analytics Facility (SEAF) is a mechanism for interpreting environmental data that has been developed in consultation with end users and stakeholders. It creates a trusted data and information supply chain that generates information products, like maps, reports and forecasting tools, which can be used in research and decision making.
2. Who can use SEAF? SEAF is designed to be used by regulators, organisations planning a development, Traditional Owners, scientists and the broader community. It will provide efficiency for proponents, confidence for regulatory bodies and other decision makers who assess environmental impacts as well as transparency for consumers.
3. How does SEAF benefit organisations? By using shared environmental analytics and data through a trusted governance process and trusted legal agreements, SEAF effectively provides a common infrastructure and shared service. It not only saves time and money, but it also allows users to maximise value by bringing down the cost of, often expensive, field research and data collection. Sharing the cost of data collection and curation, and legal agreements brings down costs. If the culture of sharing data is working well, data collected by one organisation can be shared with another. As with train infrastructure, it is much for efficient to have one train line than 10.
4. How does SEAF differ from, or interact with, national platforms like the ‘Biodiversity Data Repository’, the ‘Atlas of Living Australia’ and Western Australia’s ‘Dandjoo’, Biodiversity Information Office (BIO) and Environment Online? SEAF, which has a regional focus, will consume data from these and other data provider platforms and convert it into products and forecasts. SEAF will take data from both BIO and Dandjoo and put it to work, integrating it with data from multiple other, disparate sources, turning them into reports, maps or forecasting tools. SEAF has a different purpose to ‘Environment Online’, but the systems are complementary. It is anticipated SEAF reports and forecasts will be accessible through ‘Environment Online’, as relevant.
5. Who owns the data and models in SEAF? There will be some private, public and research data and they will each have their own individual agreements, but it is anticipated they will be able to contribute to shared forecasting tools.
6. Can I remove my data after it has been used by SEAF? Yes, just as it is shared, it can also be withdrawn.
7. How will SEAF maintain confidentiality while ensuring transparency? SEAF relies on its good governance and legal agreements along with secure collaboration zones. This is where data can be placed and used by the people or organisations which can legitimately access it. It will be out of reach for those who do not have access to the zone. SEAF will use encrypted data, in the same way health information is managed, to ensure confidentiality.
8. Is SEAF aligned with state and federal legislation? Yes, SEAF operates under Australian legislation.
9. Who operates SEAF and is it profit-driven? SEAF is currently operated by WAMSI and WABSI with a medium-term vision that its operation will transfer to a statutory agency or organisation. SEAF is designed as a not-for-profit cost recovery model. It aims to commoditise activities that are relatively expensive such as data collection and analytics, and create an environment where this information can be shared.
10. How can SEAF be used for cumulative impact assessment? SEAF is designed to provide an efficient and effective way of capturing and managing knowledge and data and turning that into products such as maps, reports and forecasting tools. These can help the regulator, proponent or community understand the impact of a new pressure or pressures. SEAF is not a decision-making body, but it will supply information to help determine the impact of a pressure on an ecosystem and how it can be forecast. It is a shared analytic facility providing trusted, evidence-based forecasting tools that help inform how proponents or the regulator or community assess cumulative impacts. The first stage is understanding pressures such as noise and temperature change. The next is to understand the current state of the environment and then assess what the impact will be.
11. Does SEAF work across all industries and why is it needed in different regions? SEAF is relevant to all regions where there is economic development and where industry may have an impact on the environment or where environmental monitoring is required. However, in a vast country like Australia, there are big economic, environmental and cultural differences between regions. SEAF’s focus on regions acknowledges those differences and priorities. It develops products based on data coming from these varied areas. SEAF operates on the principle that ‘one size does not fit all’ and efficiently develops products based on regional needs.
12. Can SEAF provide an environmental economic account/natural capital account (NCA) for a region? No. SEAF will help to support and inform the process of developing a natural capital account. A NCA needs SEAF to describe a state of the environment. Another body will need to put a value on that.
13. Does SEAF recognise Traditional Owner values? Yes. SEAF is respectful of Traditional Owner values and traditional knowledge of the natural environment. It is not a data facility for cultural or spiritual information.

Have more questions?

See the full set of SEAF FAQs, project background and feasibility studies on our project page.

Want to engage with the SEAF project?

Contact us:

Professor Owen Nevin, CEO, WABSI owen.nevin@wabsi.org.au

Dr Luke Twomey, CEO, WAMSI luke.twomey@wamsi.org.au