Sheep Genetics databases review and redevelopment scoping project

Summary

Sheep Genetics hosts and manages a set of databases of genetic traits and resultant indexes and breeding values. These databases service much of the Australian Sheep industry as well as parts of NZ and the US. The sheep genetics data collection and analysis model is significantly established in terms of data sharing and collaboration. This represents a significant value opportunity that the Australian Sheep industry has over the Australian Beef industry which contains silos of data held by breed societies desperate to protect their IP at the expense of much greater levels of genetic gain than currently being seen.

This will be a significant project expected to span at least 2 years covering database, website and API changes and will involve AGBU as well as other organisations such as SIL and AMSEA to adjust their current processes. It will also involve significant changes to the way all stakeholders work (i.e. breeders, database administrators, solution providers). However, it does present significant opportunities for each of these stakeholders to interact with Sheep Genetics databases and analytics which could significantly increase genetic gain in the Sheep industry.