ORNL, partners helping scientists deal with data deluge

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 18, 2009 - Vast amounts of information that could hold the key to breakthroughs in environmental research will be made readily available through a network created by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partners.

DataONE (dataone.org) is a global data access and preservation network made possible by a $20 million award through the National Science Foundation DataNet program. ORNL will receive $700,000 over five years. With this effort, universities and government agencies are coming together to address the growing need for organizing and providing large amounts of highly diverse and interrelated but often incompatible scientific data, said Robert Cook, a distinguished scientist in ORNL's Environmental Sciences Division.

"The network will drive advanced research and data acquisition, storage, mining, integration and visualization for citizen scientists, researchers and decision makers," Cook said.

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