Researchers from around the world will soon be able to use real-time data to forecast ecological processes with the development of an information “cafeteria” a team of OU researchers is developing.

The team received a $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop the program, called “cyberCommons,” which will lead the way in ecological forecasting.

“It’s taking the concept of forecasting we know so well on weather science and applying it to ecological science,” said Paul Risser, the chairman of OU’s Research Cabinet.

Ecological forecasting could be used to measure a number of important processes, such as the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by plants, how fast disease affecters move across the landscape, or what the effect of drought would be on different plant or animal species, Risser said. He said the program will be useful for business and policy makers and will enable students to learn from the study.

“The project is important because it allows us to think about ecological processes the same way we think about weather processes,” Risser said. “It’s also interesting because it brings together computer scientists and natural scientists, and it has an educational component to it.”

Teachers and students would be able to download data, models and visuals to use in the classroom for learning about ecological processes, predictions and the use and management of data, according a press release from OU’s Public Affairs office.

The quality of research conducted at OU was the reason the National Science Foundation gave the university the grant, said Risser.

“Because of the research done here, we’ve established a reputation in being essentially a leader in this idea of ecological forecasting,” he said.