Gaia Resources

05/11/2026

Today is World Digital Preservation Day , and digital preservation has been a big part of our work at Gaia Resources for some time.

As part of our recent discussions from a number of archival conferences, we've recently compiled a white paper on digital preservation as a way of managing risks. You can access this white paper off our web site at https://www.gaiaresources.com.au/digital-preservation-risk-management

We hope that this white paper helps you in your own digital preservation efforts, and would love to hear more about your journey in that space!

30/10/2026

Tomorrow (October 31st) marks 10 years at Gaia Resources for one of our Consulting Scientists, Mieke.
Today she shares some of her highlights from the last 10 years

I can’t believe how quickly 10 years can go by! As they say, time flies when you’re having fun. My experience at Gaia Resources has continued to fulfil my aspiration to keep on being challenged and to learn and grow from those challenges and have fun while I’m doing it. No standing still for me! I will admit, I did have a bit of anxiety stepping into this role as I was emerging from the land of baby brain and not having any experience in software or information technology outside of using software as a biological scientist, but Piers assured me that it was my science background that made me a valuable hire. Gaia Resources values sustainability and has a focus on clients that interact with the environment and my data, collections, and taxonomy knowledge would come in handy. From there my understanding and involvement in how software development worked grew tremendously and the combination of skills has proven to be an ideal complementary pairing for our niche of clients.

My top 5 client/collaboration highlights over the 10 years (in chronological order) include my involvement in:
- Customising a new archival management system and migration mapping of 3 million Queensland State Archives’ records.
- Awarded an Atlas of Living Australia Biodiversity Data Mobilisation grant with the Queensland Museum for incorporating 40 years of research data from my former PhD supervisor’s laboratory into the Museum and the Atlas.
- Designing the federal Biodiversity Data Repository data model with the federal Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy, and Water for data transformation, standardisation and aggregation from states and territories using linked data.
- Redesigning an optimised digital data capture model for the read-only and new transactional API for accessing complex data from the New South Wales BioNet biodiversity data repository.
- The Restricted Access Species Data TDWG task group working on a Darwin Core extension to protect sensitive species and biodiversity related data.

My top 5 Gaia associated life experiences (in no particular order) include:
- Soft skills training with Yentle. Such an amazing team that really expanded my self-awareness and communication skills.
- Becoming a “cultural champion” in the business where we foster wellbeing of the employees through a peer buddy system.
- “Field trips” to Canberra, Darwin and Hobart for client workshops and conferences.
- Becoming the leader of the Data Science functional group team.
- Team Week!! The all employee company gathering for socials and strategy in Perth.

Thanks Gaia Resources for some wonderful times and lots of growth. Here’s to the future, cheers!!

27/10/2026

October 27th marks World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. A topic very close to our hearts with our work in collections and recent trip to Malaysia for SEAPAAVA in June this year.

UNESCO sums it up so well when they note that audio visual material “represent a priceless heritage which is an affirmation of our collective memory and a valuable source of knowledge since they reflect the cultural, social and linguistic diversity of our communities”. Thanks to our team of specialists we have had the opportunity to work with collections and archives across the country on preserving material and making sure that knowledge remains accessible to communities for decades to come.

What's your favourite piece of audio visual material you would want to see preserved for future generations?

22/10/2026

Happy Aussie Bird Count Week! 🐦

Across the country, thousands of everyday people are stepping outside to record local bird populations. It’s an incredible initiative because in conservation, long term data is everything.

To celebrate the Aussie Bird Count, this we’re opening our photo vault and we're including a few images from bird count events that Gaia Resources was involved with across the Pilbara in 2007, 2009, and 2013 - there are some great memories in there!

Are you counting birds in your backyard or local park this week?
Tell us in the comments what feathered friends you’ve spotted so far! 🦜

https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/

14/10/2026

October 14th marks the 56th celebration of World Standards Day. As an ISO 27001-accredited organisation, we understand the value of worldwide standards. Standards bring trust and understanding across borders and organisations.

While we’re fond of our own ISO accreditation, we also welcome the chance to celebrate another favourite standard: ISO 3103. This ISO standard “specifies a method for the preparation of a liquor of tea for use in sensory tests, by means of infusing the leaf.” Is your tea making in line with ISO? What’s your favourite standard?

08/10/2026

It’s TBT (Throwback Thursday) again! Remember when we announced we would be making a video series based on our Duct Tape and Downloads: Digital Preservation on a Budget series - the workshop we presented at iPRES 2025, PARBICA 2025, and SEAPAVAA 2026? Whelp! We’re very happy to share that it is now live! Go check it out on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG-neSu20ZGg

This series is a high-level introduction to open-source tools that you can use in your digital preservation workflow. We share the context around why you would use the tool and things to look for.

If you’re interested in a more in-depth or hands-on workshop, get in touch! We are happy to expand on this content!

Want to share your own journey and learnings? Also get in touch - we love to talk shop!

After the popularity of our Duct Tape and Downloads - Digital Preservation on a Budget presentation at the iPRES and PARBICA conferences in New Zealand in 20...

01/10/2026

Happy International Coffee Day ☕

Whether we're catching up for a virtual coffee chat or grabbing a coffee together in the office you'll always see our Gaia reusable coffee cups being used.

We've been using reusable cups for almost 10 years now, that's approximately:
➡️ 2,500 single use cups per person prevented from entering landfill
➡️ 8kg of plastic waste saved (from lids and cup linings)

23/09/2026

What happens when more than half of your public archive’s visitors aren’t human?

As of mid-2026, bots now generate over 57.5% of all internet traffic. Your collection holds the data AI crawlers want, perfectly formatted, well-labelled, with no paywall in sight. We're calling it "Death by a Thousand Bots," and it's happening across archival collections right now, as AI crawlers treat open digital archives like an unguarded gold mine.

In our latest blog, we break down why archives have become prime scraping targets and what “open access” could mean in the future.

Imagine suddenly finding your institution's digital doors battered down by automated crawlers harvesting your collection at unimaginable speeds. Protecting archive and collection systems from the volume-driven impacts caused by AI-driven crawlers and automated scraping bots is now a serious problem....

16/09/2026

Most World Software Developer Day posts celebrate speed, features, and the next big commercial launch.

We’d like to celebrate something different: Sustainability and Openness.

Every year on September 13th (World Software Developer Day), the tech industry takes a moment to applaud software creators. But in the proprietary software world, developers are often forced to build closed "black boxes" - trapping organisations in cycles of rising fees and locked data.

At Gaia Resources, our developers take a different approach. We choose an unashamed commitment to Open Source Software (OSS) because true sustainability in tech means creating tools that survive and thrive long after the initial build is complete.

When developers build on open foundations:
➡️ Essential public infrastructure stays in public hands.
➡️ Global collaboration drives faster bug fixes than any single company could achieve.
➡️ Technology is democratized so smaller community projects aren't priced out.

To keep this ecosystem healthy, you can't just consume - you have to give back. That’s why our team stays actively involved in contributing to the packages we rely on.

Are you building open-source tools for the environment or heritage sector? Let's connect, share insights, or collaborate. Drop a comment below or drop us a line at [email protected]

At our core, we’ve always believed that technology should leave the world better than we found it. It’s a values-driven commitment we live every day at Gaia Resources. Whether we’re building solutions for environmental data, protecting cultural archives, or supporting community projects - our ...

10/09/2026

Today is RU OK Day

This year we decided to do something a little different.
With our team spread across Australia, we gathered online for what we like to call Minigaine! It was a well deserved break to share some laughs, connect and was a great mood booster.

Taking an hour out to connect is great, but the real message of today goes much deeper. You don't need a special day to check in on someone, a simple conversation can happen any day of the year.

Not sure how to start? Keep it simple with these 4 steps:
1️⃣ Ask R U OK?
2️⃣ Listen
3️⃣ Encourage
4️⃣ Check in