What is the ALA?
The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is a collaborative, digital, open infrastructure that pulls together Australian biodiversity data from multiple sources, making it accessible and reusable.
The ALA helps to create a more detailed picture of Australia’s biodiversity for scientists, policy makers, environmental planners and land managers, industry and the general public, and enables them to work more efficiently.
The ALA is the Australian node and a full voting member of GBIF – the Global Biodiversity Information Facility – an international network and data infrastructure funded by the world’s governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, open access to data about all types of life on Earth.
Vision
To deliver trusted biodiversity data services for Australia supporting world-class research and decision-making.
International leadership
The ALA plays an important role in developing and maintaining international biodiversity data standards. We have membership roles on the Biodiversity Data Standards (TDWG) Executive Committee, Humboldt Core Task Group, Audubon Core Interest Group, Taxon Names and Concepts Interest Group, and the Machine Observations Interest Group.
Our users
The ALA is an essential resource for:
- Researchers in the fields of ecology, new species discoveries, systematics (relationships between living things), taxonomy (naming and classification), and digitisation of biological collections
- Researchers and practitioners in biodiversity conservation and environmental monitoring, sustainable ecosystem development
- Government agencies and land managers responsible for natural resource management and environmental impact assessments
- Community and education groups involved in ecoscience education and citizen science activities.
Data standards
The ALA uses the Darwin Core set of standards to mobilise and deliver biodiversity data. Darwin Core is the internationally agreed data standard to facilitate the sharing of information about biological diversity.
Governance
Learn about our advisory board, executive and contributors on the Governance page.
Funding
The ALA receives support from the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) and is hosted by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
ALA Strategy 2020-2025
