The SCAR Expert Group on Antarctic Biodiversity Informatics works with the rOpenSci project to improve R software tools for Antarctic and Southern Ocean science (see https://ropensci.org/blog/2018/11/13/antarctic/ for more information). We are in the early stages of planning a "virtual tools hack" event and would like to gauge interest from APECS members to present at this event. The format is for a short initial session in which several presenters talk about the R tools that they are using or developing, and identify areas for improvement. There is then an intersessional period of several weeks in which community members can propose tasks to work on that will help address those issues, and then finally there is a half-day "hack" in which the actual work gets done.
We would be keen to hear from APECS members who are R users, and either (i) developing an R package with an Antarctic or Southern Ocean focus, or (ii) have a clear analytical project objective that is using R packages, but with identifiable areas for improvement or extra required functionality. In either case we'd anticipate that the hack event would lead to improved functionality in those packages that would be of value to the broader Antarctic science community.
If interested or want more information, please contact Anton Van de Putte avandeputte(at)naturalsciences.be and Ben Raymond ben.raymond(at)aad.gov.au.
