Show Notes
Biology has changed. The amount of biological data we can now collect has exploded, from automated sensors at our borders to genomic data tracking where pests come from. But are we maximising the opportunities to gather insight that this data could offer?
In this episode computational biologist Dr Murray Cox joins Amanda and Peter to explore what biological data could do for our biosecurity system. His answer might surprise you. It is not about more sophisticated technology. It is about fixing the structure underneath all of it.
If you could reimagine the biosecurity system in Aotearoa, what would that look like? Murray has a view. And it is simpler than you might think.
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Chapters:
00:00 Rethinking Biosecurity Structure 00:51 Podcast Intro and Guest 02:08 Data Transforming Biosecurity 02:45 Where Bio Data Comes From 03:40 What Counts as Data 05:48 Linking Messy Datasets 08:06 Ownership Privacy and Access 10:07 LINZ and Open Data Model 12:55 Why Data Stays Siloed 14:07 Benefits of Integration 16:57 Genomics and Global Sharing 19:27 NZ Examples and Duplication 22:26 Asking Better Questions 25:36 AI as Literature Scout 28:52 Access and Secure AI Systems 29:45 National LLM Reality Check 30:18 AI Hype and Job Fears 30:57 AI for Specific Tasks 33:07 Proactive Biosecurity Future 34:20 Fragmented System Fix 36:48 Data Differences Don’t Matter 38:03 Genetics for Border Breaches 41:00 Windborne Threats and Surveillance 43:03 Cost Benefit and Cheaper Tech 44:14 Commercial Data and Access 46:52 Federated Data Ecosystem 49:50 Structural Reform and Models 51:06 Closing Thanks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Under the Lens
No one has said we don't need biosecurity. There are ways to do this. There are people with knowledge, there are communities who care, and there are ways to secure and protect the unique landscapes of Aotearoa.
Tame Malcolm (Te Arawa: Ngāti Tarāwhai, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Ngararanui, Ngāti Whakaue) has spent his career getting people excited about the bush, the birds, and the ecosystems that make Aotearoa unique. Because as he puts it, no one protects what they don't know. In this episode the General Manager of Te Arawa Lakes Trust explores what biosecurity could look like if we wiped the slate clean and started from something uniquely ours, grounded in Aotearoa's own identity, culture, and knowledge.
Biosecurity is often thought of as systems and agencies. But communities, people, and places are also doing the long term work, often with little resourcing and even less say in how it gets done.
Season two of Under the Lens is here, and we are starting somewhere unexpected. Fellow co-hosts Amanda and Peter turn the lens on Nick Waipara, drawing on his 25 years in biosecurity to ask what a reimagined system would actually look like.
Your feedback, your questions and what’s coming next.