The AquaINFRA Virtual Research Environment

Once you have found your data on the AIP, the next step is the heavy lifting.

The AquaINFRA Virtual Research Environment (VRE) is where the actual science happens. Rather than wrestling with software versions on your local machine or struggling with limited compute power, the VRE provides a stable, cloud-based platform specifically tailored for aquatic data modeling.

📽️ Video Tutorial: Getting Started

Watch this short guide to see the VRE in action. It demonstrates how seamlessly the environment handles data subsetting and analysis through the Galaxy interface.

Core Features & Workflow

The environment runs on established open-source technologies (Galaxy, Binder, and OGC API) but is customized for environmental researchers. Whether you prefer a drag-and-drop interface or writing custom code in R or Python, the VRE gives you the freedom to:

1. Run Open Workflows: Instantly execute complex models developed by AquaINFRA experts.
2. Modify & Experiment: Take a peer’s workflow and tweak the parameters to fit your own research question.
3. Publish with Confidence: Share your finalized analysis as a structured package, ensuring anyone can reproduce your results.

[!TIP] Extensibility While Galaxy is currently the core component of the VRE, it offers a robust foundation for future integration of additional tools. A dedicated subdomain ensures that tools are tailored to the AquaINFRA user community, combining ease of access with powerful analytical capabilities.