V.ISC.2301 - Potential implications and benefits for the agricultural technology sector from the introduction of an Australian Agricultural Data Exchange
The Australian Agricultural Data Exchange (AADX) is an initiative designed and overseen by the agricultural industry to enable participants to share, discover, merge and re-use data from disparate systems in a secure cloud environment.
| Project start date: | 31 August 2022 |
| Project end date: | 15 November 2023 |
| Publication date: | 23 January 2024 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Grain-fed Cattle, Grass-fed Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | National |
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Summary
In August 2020, an initiative called the Australian AgriFood Data Exchange (AAFDX) was launched outlining a proposal for an Australian agricultural data exchange to be overseen by the agrifood industry. The purpose of the proposed data exchange was to enable sharing, reuse and merging of data from disparate systems by participants in a secure environment on a permissioned basis. The AAFDX, now called the Australian Agricultural Data Exchange (AADX) to better reflect the whole agricultural industry, was envisioned to allow industry participants to leverage a common data sharing infrastructure to generate insights and stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship and consumer assurance. In September 2022, a research team from Charles Sturt University was engaged to investigate the potential implications and benefits for the agrifood technology sector from the introduction of the AADX.
Objectives
The aim of this research is to identify the opportunities and challenges that a data exchange presents to agricultural technology (AgTech) vendors, and to describe the conditions for optimal participation in a data exchange by the AgTech sector within the Australian context. In line with this aim, this research project had the following research objectives:
- Investigate the priority service benefits for the AgTech vendor community and the customer service requirements that the AADX might need to provide to this user group
- Explore the potential barriers to engagement with the AgTech sector and to recommend ways of overcoming these
- Stratify any identified risks to AgTech vendors that might arise from the existence of the AADX, and recommend relevant standards to mitigate risks for the AADX
- Consider how the AADX may be designed to maximise benefits and participation opportunities for small, medium and large AgTech vendors
- Identify the opportunities that the AADX presents to AgTech vendors
- Explore the factors that affect optimal participation in the AADX by the AgTech sector
- Explore the impact of the AADX on the adoption rates of AgTech by other stakeholders in the agricultural sector
- Develop a list of public datasets that could be included in the Australian agricultural data exchange data catalogue.
Key findings
There is an opportunity for a data exchange in Australia to leverage current gaps in data sharing within the sector, particularly in relation to data integration and interoperability, as well as data management and its access control. There are barriers in relation to trust, that will need to be overcome. This is a matter of building genuine relationships, good governance, and strong and robust technological risk management strategies. Transparency in governance and data handling are essential aspects of gaining and maintaining stakeholder trust and encouraging participation.
Benefits to industry
Enabling agricultural industry participants to leverage a common data sharing infrastructure for the benefit of the agricultural sector.
MLA action
MLA has invested in Phase 4 of the Australian Agricultural Data Exchange project.
Future research
Further investment made for the Australian Agricultural Data Exchange project - Phase 4 to establish the minimum viable product of the data exchange platform.
More information
| Project manager: | Anna Ly |
| Contact email: | reports@mla.com.au |
