This project will enhance the capacity of Australia's plant industries to respond to future EPP incursions by providing comprehensive and relevant ‘real time' terrestrial data.

What is the biosecurity problem?

Despite Australia having one of the most advanced biosecurity programs in the world, it has some weaknesses in its analytical capacity to assess the most effective responses (alternative strategies) to EPP incursions and their associated economic costs either proactively or during an eradication response. In order to effectively validate/evaluate contingency plans that would be utilised in response to an EPP incursion, it is important that a detailed source of relevant terrestrial data is available for the predictive simulation system.

At present, a limited amount of historical data can be sourced but there is no capacity to provide ‘real time' data that includes all relevant factors. The NASA Terrestrial Observation System (TOPS) program has the potential to greatly enhance the capacity of Australia's plant industries to respond to future EPP incursions by providing this data source.

The main outputs of this project are to:

• train an Australian Postgraduate (PhD) candidate in GIS and ecosystem and socio-economic modelling to contribute to the validation and evaluation of contingency plans
  
  
• evaluate the NASA Terrestrial Observation System (TOPS) for use in incursion management in Australia, and
  
  
• identify opportunities for additional funding through NASA and other US funding sources, with a particular focus on enhancing international collaboration.

Who will be the end-users of this research?

This project will deliver a new PhD graduate trained in the use of GIS technologies, ecological modelling, and simulation and assessment of EPP incursions. The graduate will be available for immediate employment within the biosecurity industry, increasing Australia's capability to predict and respond to emergency plant pests using advanced technologies. If the NASA TOPS program is validated as being a useful monitoring system, this may also provide wider industry benefits that may have some commercial application.