With whom do we collaborate?
eLTER is a recognised player in the European and global in-situ RI developments, contributing to the ESFRI landscape, the European Environmental Research Infrastructures cluster (ENVRI) and related global networks and Research Infrastructures (ILTER, GERI).
Collaboration with eLTER´s peers in environmental research and observation is therefore crucial to develop eLTER RI as a synergistic element of the European and global landscape, where eLTER's multi- and transdisciplinary approach stands for integration and co-location. This is also reflected by the large number of peers, with whom eLTER experts are involved and are related to.
Europe
The roles of RIs closely related to eLTER are shown in the figure below: standardised large-scale observations (ICOS, ACTRIS), experiments (AnaEE, AQUACOSM) and natural and socio-ecological systems research (eLTER) complement each other. These in-situ infrastructures provide data to the above infrastructures, which deal with modelling, data analysis and workflow automation (e.g. LifeWatch). All RIs should make use of generic supporting e-infrastructures and reference infrastructures such as EUDAT, EOSC and DiSSCo (bottom of figure). Scientific and other user communities (top of figure) will benefit from the cooperating RIs.
In addition to the general exchange and networking in formats such as the ENVRI Board, the relationships have been formalised in Memoranda or Letters of Cooperation with focal partners such as ICOS, LifeWatch and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Working Group of Effects' (UNECE WGE) International Cooperative Programmes (ICPs). ICOS and eLTER collaborate strategically, in matters of site co-location, cyberinfrastructure and observation standards. With LifeWatch, options for cyberinfrastructure co-design and -development are piloted, and the UNECE WGE ICP 'Integrated Monitoring' and ICP 'Forests' are close partners in physical network improvement and Standard Observation methods and protocols.
A wide range of joint activities with environmental and other RIs take place in the context of project collaborations including BioDT, IRISCC, PHENET, ENVRI-HUB etc.
Global collaborations of eLTER
The Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI) is a formal partnership of site-based research infrastructures dedicated to better understanding the function and change of indicator ecosystems across global biomes. eLTER and ICOS are the European partners, alongside the Australian Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN), and the US National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON).
Of particular relevance is the collaboration with the GERI partner NEON in the context of the eLTER EnRich project. As a Third Party, NEON will advise the introduction of System Engineering approaches needed to cope with the complexity and dynamics in eLTER RI planning and implementation.
In the global International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network, eLTER participates through 26 European national networks, represents the LTER-Europe Regional Group on the ILTER Executive Committee and chairs the ILTER International Collaborations Committee.
For both ILTER and GERI, eLTER provides the globally used site registry service (DEIMS-SDR), including its mechanism for adoption of sites and platforms by national LTER networks and customised services such as network documentation and visualisation of GERI. eLTER is also involved in the global Group on Earth Observation (GEO) and its European chapter EuroGEO, in particular in activities and working groups related to the in-situ component and the integration of in-situ with remote sensing data (representing the GEO Participating Organisation ILTER).