ITR/AP: The Analytic Web

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT 0205575 U of Mass, Amherst Leon J. Osterweil The internet has changed forever the way science is done. Collaborations such as NSF-sponsored Globus, and GriPhyN are beginning to employ internet access to facilitate data sharing and expedite collaboration among worldwide communities of geographically distributed researchers. This creates opportunities to do better science through the use of shared data and expertise, but it also creates risks arising from uncertainty about how internet-accessed data sets were produced and how they can be used. If scientists cannot determine how particular results were obtained, those results may be subsequently combined in ways that will lead to incorrect or misleading conclusions, possibly with devastating effects. Our project will develop, demonstrate, and evaluate technologies to facilitate the building of community consensus by supporting definition, validation, repeatability, and adaptability of scientific processes that integrate and combine web-based data sets and tools. Although there will always be debate about the most appropriate models, methodologies and conclusions used in scientific inquiry, our work should help scientists focus on areas of disagreement and resolve these disagreements more quickly, perhaps through further experimentation and inquiry. Thus, our work will also help policy makers in areas where scientific results are critical ingredients, such as economic policy, environmental management, and social initiatives..