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Heri Apriyanto's Growing Tech Solutions for Biodiversity
As a software developer, Heri Apriyanto is an unlikely champion for plant biodiversity. However, he is one of the minds behind Indonesia’s integrated botanical data system.
Working as an IT specialist at the Centre for Data and Information, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), Heri recognised the need for a system to support those working to conserve plant life.
The tool would be a user-friendly system for monitoring plants, providing care instructions, and offering additional information to prevent their extinction.
To pursue this vision, Heri decided to deepen his understanding of enterprise management. In 2019, He was accepted into the Masters of Information Technology program at the University of South Australia (UniSA), funded by the Australia Awards Scholarship.
"Many developers focus solely on delivering the latest technology to users. However, what truly matters is addressing the users' problems or needs," Heri explained.
"In my masters program, the emphasis on enterprise management equipped me with the ability to always consider the business objectives."
Researching a Bushfire Management System in South Australia
In 2020, Heri's capstone project at UniSA took him to the National Park and Wildlife Service in South Australia.
Under the guidance of their lecturer Dr Anisha Fernando, Heri and his peers Nam Thanh Nguyen from Vietnam and Sadi Abdullah Bin Mohsin from Pakistan undertook a research project that would contribute to a bushfire management system.
“The university connected us with NPWS, and we were tasked with creating a research plan for a website sitemap related to the analysis of the bushfire management system,” Heri explained.
This project was memorable for Heri and his team because, as developers, they were not accustomed to being involved in research. Their main challenge arose when they had to satisfy ethical guidelines before conducting field research.
“Australia has strict ethical standards. We spent late nights compiling extensive lists of ethical data, including obtaining surveyor consent. Even for an online survey, we had to complete and submit all necessary documentation to the ethics data council,” Heri recounted.
The team’s findings were presented to the National Park and Wildlife Service for its internal use in planning bushfire management strategies.
Developing Indonesia's First Plant Collections Management System
Upon his return to Indonesia in 2020, Heri was involved in the development of the Management of Plant Collections for the Indonesian Botanical Garden, known as Makoyana (Manajemen Koleksi Kebun Raya Indonesia).
The goal was to gather information on Indonesian flora from five of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (or LIPI, which in 2021 changed its name to BRIN) botanical gardens across the country—Bogor, Purwodadi, Cibodas, Cibinong, and Bali.
Previously, each of these gardens maintained its data collection and system, making it difficult to align information due to resource differences.
Heri identified with the problem and the need, and he eagerly joined the project.
“Dealing with large and diverse data has been a challenge for us for years. When this project was initiated, I was excited and eager to support this information system,” he shared.
“In the past, it took us weeks just to fulfil data requests from the House of Representatives (DPR) or even from the President himself. We had to cross-check and manually handle requests one after the other. It was a tedious process.”
With Makoyana, BRIN established a national-standard ecosystem, particularly for plant naming, based on references from World Flora Online, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and the International Plant Names Index.
Short Course Helps to Grow an Online Ecosystem
In 2023, Heri participated in the Australia Awards Short Course on Digital Transformation – Policy and Practice at the University of Queensland.
During this course, Heri aimed to expand the Makoyana project by integrating several more systems into the website.
As part of this project, Heri was responsible for adding various modules from stakeholders, including a monitoring system to display plant development, temperature, precipitation, and humidity for each plant.
“With the development of Makoyana, we’ve incorporated data from 19 from 57 botanical gardens throughout Indonesia. We are not just limited to BRIN’s botanical gardens. This has enriched our data system,” Heri explained.
His experience in developing plans for stakeholders in his capstone project greatly aided in the development of Makoyana.
“I felt more connected to this project. I applied critical thinking and considered problems from different perspectives to decide on the next steps. Thanks to all my supervisors at the Short Course,” Heri said.
“Moreover, my previous experience handling real-life cases at NPWS has been invaluable in the field. Now I understand how to address stakeholders’ requests and translate them into action.”
Makoyana is accessible online at https://makoyana.brin.go.id
Next Steps for the Biodiversity Database
With his unique experience and expertise, Heri is now contributing to the next steps in this important cultural conservation work.
In 2024, BRIN is set to establish a new system called One Data Indonesian Biodiversity, bringing together information on living and non-living resources.
As a first step, Heri will be working to complete SEKAR (Database Kehati Indonesia Terintegrasi), the first comprehensive biodiversity platform in Indonesia.
SEKAR will include biotic organisms like zoological and herbarium collections, Indonesian orchards, seed banks, xylariums (wood collections), and microorganisms.
Additionally, it will have a database of non-biotic organisms such as geodiversity (rocks) and archaeology.
Looking further ahead, Heri hopes to pursue further study in Australia.
"Alongside the SEKAR project, I plan to actively write for journal publications,” he shared. “I'm grateful for the support of my former professor, Dr Anisha. Hopefully, I can apply for my PhD next year."
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