The development of several large‐, “continental”‐scale ecosystem research infrastructures over recent decades has provided a unique opportunity in the history of ecological science. The Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI) is an integrated network of analogous, but independent, site‐based ecosystem research infrastructures (ERI) dedicated to better understand the function and change of indicator ecosystems across global biomes. Bringing together these ERIs, harmonizing their respective data and reducing uncertainties enables broader cross‐continental ecological research. It will also enhance the research community capabilities to address current and anticipate future global scale ecological challenges. Moreover, increasing the international capabilities of these ERIs goes beyond their original design intent, and is an unexpected added value of these large national investments. Here, we identify specific global grand challenge areas and research trends to advance the ecological frontiers across continents that can be addressed through the federation of these cross‐continental‐scale ERIs.

The world’s forensic entomologists have much in common. They face similar research challenges, apply the same scientific methodology, study the same kinds of evidence, and access global research databases. Nevertheless, some regional heterogeneity inevitably exists. For most countries, and particularly those that have complex and diverse ecosystems, the current priority is to stimulate use of forensic entomology by establishing open access databases with time series data using standardised protocols for occurrence, abundance, distribution, niche preferences, life cycle, and identification characteristics for the key regional species that may be encountered in forensic entomology cases. Even in countries where forensic entomology is routinely used as a tool in reconstructing the history of corpses found on crime scenes in accordance with principles found in the rapidly developing body of literature, there is still much to learn about forensically useful insects. Examples of regional gaps include the taxonomy of lesser-known carrion insect species, seasonal occurrence of carrion species in the country’s various geographical regions, and rates of development of the local species modeled in the many site situations of forensic interest. The first published study of carrion insects found in Athens, Greece published in this journal is an example of entomologists in a region taking the necessary first step towards establishing baseline data about native and introduced species and hence, physiological and behavioural responses to local environmental conditions, including life cycles and likelihood of occurrence or absence in the region.

Guided by the Framework Criteria of the Group of Senior Officials (GSO) on Global Research Infrastructures, 6 major ecosystem research infrastructures (SAEON/South Africa, TERN/Australia, CERN/China, NEON/USA, ICOS/Europe, eLTER/Europe) came together in 2020 under an MOU, establishing the Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI). With its goal of providing interoperable data and services based on terrestrial and coastal in-situ observations from a high number of observational sites, organized in a common hierarchical system and standardized in the highest possible degree, GERI provides a unique opportunity to advance our understanding of ecological processes across continents, decades, and disciplinary boundaries. Aggregating ecological and biogeophysical data is complex. Not only do those data cover a myriad of different types of natural phenomena, and the interactions between, but the data are generated in different jurisdictions using different standards and approaches. Thus, as a critical first step in understanding the challenges and potential of its multi-institutional, multi-country data landscape, GERI has identified and mapped all the data types from each of its members, grouping the data suites provided by each GERI member into the drivers of changes (causes) and the ecological processes (effects) and then visualizing it into broad (searchable) respective common ecological categories. This exercise has allowed evaluation of the potential for a targeted data harmonization effort based on a subset of data products with high relevance to specific use cases (e.g., drought across multiple continents). By using the subset of relevant data as a community test case, GERI can ascertain the efficacy of a specific harmonized data set in advancing a priority area of science. Such a prototype will set the stage for future efforts and ensures GERI addresses the most pressing global research challenges, i.e. those frontiers of knowledge where a global-critical-mass effort is required to achieve progress.

Global environmental challenges, such as climate change, transcend international borders, requiring a unified approach to data management and analysis. The Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI) was founded to address this need, building relationships and establishing data sharing practices among six of the largest ecosystem research infrastructures in the world. Data harmonization is required to standardize and ingest data products from these infrastructures into a findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR) global dataset. Harmonized global data can improve existing global climate models and inform environmental research studies. Here, we present challenges involved in data harmonization and progress to date resulting from a U.S. National Science Foundation AccelNet award. This GERI-affiliated AccelNet project focuses on harmonizing ecological drought data collected by different countries and establishing a broader network-of-networks for pursuing ambitious global-scale environmental science research. We describe the analytical pipelines and the philosophical decisions made in designing the GERI framework, as well as some of the challenges and lessons learned along the way. We also present the initial harmonized drought data products, exploring how environmental variables like soil moisture and temperature vary across the world. Future work will be focused in two areas. First, working with our colleagues at DroughtNet and the International Drought Experiment, we will further explore the implications of these global harmonized drought data. Second, we will begin global data harmonization efforts for new data products related to other research areas, primarily led by the GERI early career researcher working group.

Global environmental challenges do not abide geopolitical borders but require international cooperation to address. The Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI) was founded to address this need, building relationships and establishing data sharing practices among six of the largest environmental research infrastructures (ERIs) in the world, located on five continents. Early career researchers (ECRs) are essential to these global efforts, yet often face barriers to participation, including gaps in training and support. To understand how these ECRs could be better prepared and supported in this work, GERI distributed a survey to assess training needs, skills, and obstacles to international collaboration. The survey received responses from 577 researchers across 61 countries. Our findings reveal key differences between the Global North and Global South, as well as notable mismatches between the training ECRs receive and the skills they deem critical for research success, particularly when it comes to team science skills. ERIs serve a pivotal role in bridging these gaps. ERIs provide ECRs with unique opportunities for networking, skills development, and career advancement that are otherwise difficult to access. Participation in ERIs fosters transferable skills—such as data management, project management, and interdisciplinary collaboration—crucial for international projects and long-term career retention and advancement. By developing partnerships with ERIs and supporting targeted training programs, higher education institutions could better prepare ECRs for leadership in international science collaborations. Strengthening ECR engagement with ERIs is vital for building a resilient, globally connected scientific workforce capable of addressing the grand challenges of the future.

Earth systems including the geosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere complexly interact to create a planet on which life and humanity has thrived. Throughout history we have studied and observed all these systems, but too often there has been too little strategic integration of activities supporting observing and monitoring, storage and access to data, computing and modelling, and predicting future states. This has reduced our ability to quickly advance our understanding of the interdependence of these complex systems, particularly as data has often been collected in isolation, or to address a very specific research problem. The challenges to achieving such an integrated perspective are scientific, technical, social, political and organisational.In order to address this issue the Earth and environment related research infrastructure facilities in Australia have self-organised to create the National Earth and Environmental Sciences Facilities Forum (NEESFF). NEESFF is intended to harness the capacity of its environmentally-focused capabilities to collectively create solutions and deliver the information needed for sustainable development and use of environmental resources. NEESFF’s vision is an effective and coordinated response to global environmental conditions in a uniquely Australian context. Many NEESFF organisations are funded through the National Research Infrastructure Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) which supports research activity across many STEM and HASS disciplines. The Australian Government recently developed a Roadmap outlining the Challenges, opportunities for system enhancement and potential step-changes that the next phase of research infrastructure investment will drive. These too are guided by national and global science and societal challenges and rely on underpinning robust and integrated FAIR open data systems across the RI network.Here we will outline the national approach to these challenges, the current thinking on the data challenges that we face in an Australian context and the first steps we are taking as a community to develop a framework for the delivery of integrated Earth data.Members are: Atlas of Living Australia (ALA); AuScope; Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN); Australian Research Data Commons; Australian Plant Phenomics Facility (APPF); BioPlatforms Australia; Geoscience Australia (GA); Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS); Australian Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN); Marine National Facility; Bureau of Meteorology; E2SIP (CSIRO); National Computational Infrastructure; and AARNet.