Language Data Commons of Australia (LDaCA)

The Language Data Commons of Australia (LDaCA) will make nationally significant language data available for academic and non-academic use and provide a model for ensuring continued access with appropriate community control. Significant collections of language data already exist in Australia, including collections of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander languages, regional languages of the Pacific, and of Australian English, as well as collections important for cyber-security and emergency communication. LDaCA will integrate this existing work into a national research infrastructure while also securing collections which remain under-utilised or at risk. LDaCA will thus ensure long-lasting access for analysis and reuse of these invaluable language data, and will manage the data in a culturally, ethically, and legally appropriate manner guided by FAIR and CARE principles. To accomplish these goals, LDaCA is: • Developing a comprehensive language data access policy framework • Developing shared technical infrastructure and standards across institutions • Building a sustainable long-term repository for curating language data collections of national significance • Building portals for discovery and access of language data • Making analytic tools available to a diverse research community • Contributing to Australia’s emerging digital research culture. The lead organisation on the LDaCA project is The University of Queensland. Partner institutions are: • Australian National University • Monash University • The University of Melbourne • The University of Sydney • AARNet (Australia's Academic and Research Network) • First Languages Australia. Advisory/Consultative partners are: • PARADISEC (Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures) • Australian Digital Observatory • CLARIN (Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure). The LDaCA project receives investment from the Australian Research Data Commons.