Get Involved: The Benefits of Open Science (by Wojciech Gryc)

In early March, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released a new version of its World Wind software, much to the pleasure of tens of thousands of software users. World Wind is a perfect example of public knowledge being used to teach, entertain, and show people what the future holds for scientific institutions if we cultivate their growth in a positive way. It even lets them get involved in the process.

The software itself, available at http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/, is unprecedented in that it offers roughly 20 terabytes of data through an "on demand" strategy. Users download a program that shows a three dimensional model of the Earth, along with an index of different tools available. Would you like to see the Aral Sea evaporate, or an animation of water vapour levels during the 1997/1998 El Nino storm? Just select the options and you'll be able to download the information. Other features include satellite photos of almost any part of the world. While the original model of Earth is void of much detail, you can zoom in to receive up to 1 meter resolution.

World Wind's educational benefits are numerous. It is of the utmost importance to show students just how dynamic our global society is and World Wind has done this by providing detailed models of phenomena normally studied using textbooks. While the software runs best on computers with high-bandwidth and high-speed internet connections (20 terabytes of data would require over 30,000 CDs), it's a good first step.

More important, however, are the implications of this project for the scientific and research community. Satellites, research institutions, and experiments amass information faster than scientists can effectively analyze it, and it is rarely put into a publicly accessible, organized database. Access to such information can be extremely useful to both researchers and students, allowing more people to do better quality research and compare information more effectively. Doing so can lead to better informed decisions by public policy makers, development workers, and other professionals.

While World Wind does not do this, its consolidation of satellite imagery and information collected by NASA, as well as its ability to be expanded by third-party software developers, shows that the software holds much promise. The scientific community can build on NASA's achievement by working to create more public-access databases, allowing scientists from around the world to work together.

Another example of projects in line with an open philosophy to scientific research and information is the Public Library of Science (PLoS) at http://www.plos.org/. While most scientific journals are expensive and often inaccessible to those not affiliated with educational institutions, PLoS offers its articles for free online. These articles cover a breadth of topics, including biology and medicine, and are a terrific educational tool.

Statistical analysis tools, network models, and even spreadsheet software can all be found online for free, and can be used to benefit researchers and those that do not have access to sophisticated software. With increased use of the internet and faster speeds available, cultivating such an open philosophy stands to benefit everyone around the world.

This bears great implications on the social sciences community, and those working on projects to promote sustainable development, conservation, and even disaster relief. By making relevant data more available to those working on such projects, staff members could supplement their decision making processes with scientific data and outlooks, along with past experience and personal research. World Wind, for example, offers the "Moderate Resolution Image Spectroradiometer" (MODIS), which is updated daily and catalogues information about floods, earthquakes, and other current events; an indispensable tool for those working in the field of international issues or current affairs.

The billions of people and countless scientific processes in this world work together and interact to create a chaotic system that reacts to our decisions in complex ways. By converging humanity's knowledge and making it more accessible to everyone, we come one step closer to understanding the processes that shape this planet, and have a better chance of using them to humanity's advantage.

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