Revolution in Science

Report_on_Digital_Data_2009.pdf

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Empowered by an array of new digital technologies, science in the 21st century will be conducted in a fully digital world. In this world, the power of digital information to catalyze progress is limited only by the power of the human mind. Data are not consumed by the ideas and innovations they spark but are an endless fuel for creativity. A few bits, well found, can drive a giant leap of creativity. The power of a data set is amplified by ingenuity through applications unimagined by the authors and distant from the original field.

 

A REVOLUTION IN SCIENCE “What is at stake is nothing less than the ways in which astronomy will be done in the era of information abundance.”1 The fabric of science is changing, driven by a revolution in digital technologies. These include (1) digital imaging devices for astronomy, (2) microarrays and high-throughput DNA sequencers in genomics, (3) wireless sensor arrays and satellites in geosciences, and (4) powerful computational modeling in meteorology. These technologies generate massive data sets that fuel progress. Technologies for high-speed, high-capacity networked connectivity have changed the nature of collaboration and have also expanded opportunities to participate in science through instant access to rich information resources around the world. While these digital technologies are the engine of this revolution, digital data2 are the fuel.

 

All elements of the pillars of science – observation, experiment, theory, and modeling – are transformed by the continuous cycle of generation, access, and use of an everincreasing range and volume of digital data. Experiments and observations can be better designed if a rich set of supporting information is easily accessible. A framework of data can provide a strong foundation on which expansive theory can be developed and refined. Data initiate, drive, and produce dynamic modeling and simulation approaches.