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Knowledge Discovery & Scientific Advancement

Walter L. Warnick, CENDI Chair

FY 06 CENDI Annual Conference
University of Maryland Inn and Conference Center
Adelphi, Maryland
September 7–8, 2005

Slide 2: Welcome

We look forward to the coming year — new faces, new ideas, new energy.

Slide 3: And a special welcome to Keynote Speaker: Teresa Fryberger

Keynote Speaker: Teresa Fryberger. Link to larger image.

Assistant Director for Environment OSTP

Slide 4: 2005 was a good year.

2005 was a good year. Link to larger image.

Science.gov Alerts Launch, Feb 2005 AAAS
Terminology Resources List, Spring 2005
PDF in Government Environment, NARA Workshop, May 2005

Now it's time to plan for next year

Slide 5: R&D spending tops $120 billion.

R&D spending tops $120 billion. Link to larger image.

CENDI agencies represent 97% of the Federal R&D budget

CENDI increases productivity of this vast R&D effort

Slide 6: It is well known that science builds on the work that has come before.

Science builds on the work that has come before. Link to larger image.

Isaac Newton expressed this thought most eloquently in 1676, when he wrote:

"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

Slide 7: Science progresses when knowledge is shared.

Science progresses when knowledge is shared. Link to larger image.

Corollary: Speeding up diffusion of knowledge will accelerate scientific progress

Slide 8: Together we are entering a new era of Knowledge Diffusion & Global Discovery.

A new era of knowledge diffusion & global discovery. Link to larger image.

Simultaneous, ranked search of distributed digital collections — made broadly available via the Internet — speeds up diffusion of scientific knowledge and accelerates scientific progress.

Slide 9: Already CENDI organizations have made tremendous strides.

CENDI organizations have made tremendous strides. Link to larger image.

We have undergone radical transformation with the advent of the Internet.

At OSTI alone, the number of information transactions is many hundreds of times higher than our pre-Internet days.

Slide 10: A measure of progress: 11 years

A measure of progress: 11 years. Link to larger image.

It has only been 11 years since DOE posted its first home page.

Of course, by today's standards, that home page was primitive.

To draw an analogy, let's look at another transformational technology ...

Slide 11: Ford's beginnings Model A – 1903

Ford's beginnings, Model A. Link to larger image.

Slide 12: 11 years later – 1914

Ford, 11 years later. Link to larger image.

This was amazing progress for Henry Ford, but from our perspective ...

Slide 13: There were still decades upon decades of progress to come.

Decades of progress. Link to larger image.

1928 Model A
1937 Coupe
1950 convertible
1960 Sun Star
1975 Luxury T-Bird
1994 New “global family mid-size”

Slide 14: Ford Fusion – 2006

Ford Fusion, 2006. Link to larger image.

And innovation must continue.

Slide 15: So the future is unpredictable

Future is unpredictable. Link to larger image.

Our position today — 11 years after the first real deployment of the Internet — is not unlike the position of Ford 11 years after the launch of its first model.

Slide 16: There are no facts about the future

There are no facts about the future. Link to larger image.

But we can make some predictions —

Slide 17: Prediction #1: There is likely to be a Ford in 2015

But we can't draw it.

Slide 18: Prediction #2: There is likely to be an Internet in 2015

Prediction #2: There is likely to be an Internet in 2015. Link to larger image.

But we can't know its features.

Slide 19: But we do know –

Ford He revolutionized transportation and changed human behavior. Link to larger image.

Ford didn't just invent the car. He revolutionized transportation and changed human behavior

Ford made the car more user-friendly
Ford made the car faster
Ford made the car relatively easy to operate
Ford made the car a part of every household

Slide 20: So a second parallel

A second parallel. Link to larger image.

Just as Ford sensed the burden of transportation was an obstacle to human progress, we know that the burden of searching is an obstacle to science progress.
Ford transformed the behavior of the traveling public. We are transforming the behavior of the research scientist.

Slide 21: Our job at CENDI:

Do everything we can to make use of the evolving internet to diffuse knowledge related to our agency missions.

Slide 22: Our near-term opportunities are emerging to speed knowledge diffusion

Our near-term opportunities are emerging to speed knowledge diffusion. Link to larger image.

Science.gov 3.0
AAAS Symposium
ASIS&T Annual Meeting
Compilation of Agency Practices for Journal Access
DASER II Summit
Enhancement of CENDI Tools
NFAIS Annual Conference
Science.gov 4.0

Slide 23: Milestone: OSTI becomes law with Energy Policy Act of 2005

Milestone: OSTI becomes law with Energy Policy Act of 2005. Link to larger image.

"The Secretary, through the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, shall maintain within the Department publicly available collections of scientific and technical information resulting from research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications activities supported by the Department."