Walt Warnick, Ph.D. Director, Office of Scientific and Technical Information U.S. Department of Energy Accelerating the Spread of Knowledge About Scie n ce and Technology

OSTI Mission To advance science and sustain technological creativity by making R&D findings available and useful to Department of Energy (DOE) researchers and the American people

OSTI Corollary Premise: Sharing knowledge (our R&D findings) advances science Corollary: Accelerating the sharing of knowledge speeds the advancement of science (discovery)

Premise:

Sharing knowledge (our R&D findings) advances science

Corollary:

Accelerating the sharing of knowledge

speeds the advancement of science (discovery)

Advancing Science for 60 Years 60-year anniversary this year! Whether by print or by pixel, OSTI has long been committed to ensuring appropriate access to research results From 1947 to 2007 – from Nuclear Science Abstracts to the Science Accelerator – mission accomplished!

Foundation – Collections Collections, some now virtual, such as: Searching within databases As technology has radically changed, the way OSTI accomplished its mission has radically changed

Two Major Advances Beyond Searching Within Databases Harvesting and federated search are useful when full bibliographical control is not feasible OSTI is on the cutting edge of both Harvesting Federated Search

Harvesting

Federated Search

Two Major Advances Beyond Searching Within Databases Harvesting Analogous to Google – crawls and mines data that does not reside in databases but … Different from Google – directed, selective crawling Different than “harvesting” STI via E-link Example

Two Major Advances Beyond Searching Within Databases Federated Search Transforming a query and broadcasting it to a group of disparate databases Merging the results collected from the databases Presenting results in a succinct and unified format with minimal duplication, Providing a means, performed either automatically or by the portal user, to sort the merged result set. In traditional search engines, such as Google, only sources that have been indexed by the search engine’s crawler technology can be searched, retrieved and accessed. The large volume of documents housed in databases is not open to traditional Internet search engines because of limitations in crawler technology. Federated searching resolves this issue by the technique described above and makes these Deep Web documents searchable without having to visit each database individually. Examples

Transforming a query and broadcasting it to a group of disparate databases

Merging the results collected from the databases

Presenting results in a succinct and unified format with minimal duplication,

Providing a means, performed either automatically or by the portal user, to sort the merged result set.

OSTI Resources Federated Search Harvesting

Progression Highlights 1999: OSTI introduced federated search to the public on behalf of the government 1997: OSTI introduced first system searchable using software within the database – while not a federated search, having IB searchable online set stage for next step 2002—2007: Now in its fourth version, OSTI introduced federated search across government agencies, and introduced relevancy ranking in 2004 2007: Taking it international, a handshake in London dedicated to searching science worldwide

DOE’s STI Offerings A gateway to over 24,600 Web sites and databases worldwide, containing e-prints in basic and applied sciences Reports of DOE-funded R&D Results Science and technology conference proceedings and conference papers from a number of authoritative sites Project summaries of ongoing or recently completed DOE research projects Information about the outcomes of past DOE R&D that have had significant impact

DOE-generated resources DOE-related resources Soon to be added : * Patents Database * ESTSC

DOE/OSTI STI products now searchable via a single query www.scienceaccelerator.gov

We’ve come a long way in the past decade – From Information Bridge to the Science Accelerator And we have much ahead!

The Web’s Impact on Accessing Technical Documents

Web Traffic

A Strong Start in 2007 January 2007 February 2007 April 2007 May 2007 Science.world statement of agreement signed Workshop on Accelerating Science at NAS Science Accelerator launch Patent Database launch June 2007 Science.world proof of principal Google collaboration on IB reports Internet Archive Collaboration On EPN CrossRef collaboration On IB reference linking

Things Legislative Elevation of Science in DOE – Established Under Secretary for Science (part of Energy Policy Act of 2005) – Raymond Orbach in position for 1 year Energy Policy Act of 2005 reiterated earlier enabling legislation requirements The Secretary, through OSTI, shall maintain within the Department publicly available collections of scientific and technical information resulting from research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications activities supported by DOE DOE O 241.1A requires that DOE-funded STI (reports, conference papers, software, and journal articles) be provided to OSTI. Federal Research Public Access Act (Cornyn-Lieberman) Would make mandatory the free electronic availability of published journal articles on work sponsored by DOE and all science agencies Introduced in 2006; session ended before passage Prospects for re-introduction in 2007 uncertain Open access is gaining momentum worldwide, particularly in the European Union – bodes well for U.S. researcher access to foreign R&D results.

Elevation of Science in DOE – Established Under Secretary for Science (part of Energy Policy Act of 2005) – Raymond Orbach in position for 1 year

Energy Policy Act of 2005 reiterated earlier enabling legislation requirements

The Secretary, through OSTI, shall maintain within the Department publicly available collections of scientific and technical information resulting from research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications activities supported by DOE

DOE O 241.1A requires that DOE-funded STI (reports, conference papers, software, and journal articles) be provided to OSTI.

Federal Research Public Access Act (Cornyn-Lieberman)

Would make mandatory the free electronic availability of published journal articles on work sponsored by DOE and all science agencies

Introduced in 2006; session ended before passage

Prospects for re-introduction in 2007 uncertain

Open access is gaining momentum worldwide, particularly in the European Union – bodes well for U.S. researcher access to foreign R&D results.

Washington Perspective American Competitiveness Initiative Uses Laboratory and university infrastructure as foundation for advancing science and U.S. competitiveness DOE has opportunity to double Science budget by 2016 Education as a Cornerstone to Maintain U.S. Pre-Eminence in Science Academic Competitiveness Council National Commission on the Future of Higher Education National Academies’ “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” report OSTI working with SC workforce development program to federate searching across DOE's multiple science education sources and databases Re-birth of Nuclear Energy Technology: Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP)

American Competitiveness Initiative

Uses Laboratory and university infrastructure as foundation for

advancing science and U.S. competitiveness

DOE has opportunity to double Science budget by 2016

Education as a Cornerstone to Maintain U.S. Pre-Eminence in Science

Academic Competitiveness Council

National Commission on the Future of Higher Education

National Academies’ “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” report

OSTI working with SC workforce development program to federate searching across DOE's multiple science education sources and databases

Re-birth of Nuclear Energy Technology: Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP)

IWGDD National Science and Technology Council Committee on Science Interagency Working Group on Digital Data Purpose: to develop and promote the implementation of a strategic plan for the federal government to cultivate an open interoperable framework to ensure reliable preservation and effective access to digital data for research, development, and education in science, technology, and engineering

IWGDD Policies Under Consideration Metadata – numeric data, unlike textual data, requires metadata to ensure access Not all data is worth preserving. Numeric databases need a curator Agencies should seek to harmonize practices regarding access, preservation and interoperability Numeric data are likely to be most effective when presented in the context of, or with links to, accompanying data (e.g., technical reports with which they are associated, publications, contracts under which the data were generated, etc.)

Metadata – numeric data, unlike textual data, requires metadata to ensure access

Not all data is worth preserving.

Numeric databases need a curator

Agencies should seek to harmonize practices regarding access, preservation and interoperability

Numeric data are likely to be most effective when presented in the context of, or with links to, accompanying data (e.g., technical reports with which they are associated, publications, contracts under which the data were generated, etc.)

We’re Accelerating OSTI is committed to accelerating the sharing of knowledge to accelerate discovery. New initiatives are already under way to provide … Superior Access to Quality Content!

Workshop: Accelerating Science June 2007 Conclusion: Superior Access to Quality Content is key to accelerating science and technology February 27, 2007 Convened a panel of experts at the National Academy of Sciences

Science.world January 2007 February 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 Demonstration in France January 22, 2007 LONDON, ENGLAND Global Science Gateway Agreement Signed in London DOE Partners With British Library on “Science.world” Initiative "It is timely to make the science offerings of all nations searchable through one global gateway,” Dr. Orbach said. “Science is international, and centralizing access will enhance the rate of scientific discovery. It is a privilege to be associated with such a venture.” The agreement notes that international collaboration is essential to revolutionary advances in science. June 2007

OSTI & Google Google moves ahead with plan to open up federal Web sites Google is making strides on an initiative to make information stored on public government Web sites more accessible to people looking for it, but challenges remain, officials with the search engine company said Wednesday. Three federal organizations recently agreed to structure their sites to make them accessible for nearly all Internet searches, the officials said. Information on the Plain Language Web site aimed at eliminating jargon in government communications, and on sites by the Energy Department's Office of Scientific and Technical Information and the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, has been opened up to the three most popular search engines: Google, Yahoo and MSN. April 4, 2007

On Horizon Federated Search of DOE Education Resources SBIR Research Phase I Science.world