Date

NSF Publication Available Online
Cyberinfrastructure Vision for 21st Century Discovery

The publication is available at:
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf0728/index.jsp


Dear Colleague:

I am pleased to present NSF's Cyberinfrastructure Vision for 21st
Century Discovery. This document, developed in consultation with the
wider science, engineering, and education communities, lays out an
evolving vision that will help to guide the Foundation's future
investments in cyberinfrastructure.

At the heart of the cyberinfrastructure vision is the development of a
cultural community that supports peer-to-peer collaboration and new
modes of education based upon broad and open access to leadership
computing; data and information resources; online instruments and
observatories; and visualization and collaboration services.
Cyberinfrastructure enables distributed knowledge communities that
collaborate and communicate across disciplines, distances and cultures.
These research and education communities extend beyond traditional
brick-and-mortar facilities, becoming virtual organizations that
transcend geographic and institutional boundaries. This vision is new,
exciting and bold.

Realizing the cyberinfrastructure vision described in this document will
require the broad participation and collaboration of individuals from
all fields and institutions, and across the entire spectrum of
education. It will require leveraging resources through multiple and
diverse partnerships among academia, industry and government. An
important challenge is to develop the leadership to move the vision
forward in anticipation of a comprehensive cyberinfrastructure that will
strengthen innovation, economic growth and education.

Sincerely,
Arden L. Bement, Jr.
Director
National Science Foundation