RDAR, a leader in results-driven agricultural research in Canada, has partnered with Genome Alberta and Genome British Columbia (Genome BC) to support the development and launch of an important new platform, the Agriculture Metadata Commons (AMC) – a transformative new database designed to improve access to agricultural research metadata across Canada. RDAR is investing $213,000 in the initiative.
Alberta's agriculture sector, which generated $23 billion in farm cash receipts in 2024, is a cornerstone of the provincial economy and a magnet for innovation funding. Genomics is the big data science that helps us understand DNA – the code of life. With advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence we are beginning to unlock a whole other level of insight from large data sets. However, a challenge we face is, research data often remains siloed, limiting visibility, collaboration, and efficiency across the sector.
The AMC addresses this challenge by cataloging metadata—information about soils, crops and livestock data—rather than the data itself. This approach will:
- Increase awareness of existing research projects and datasets
- Improve collaboration among researchers and funders
- Reduce duplication of efforts
- Enable more strategic, outcome-driven investments in new research areas
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