SBIR Phase I: Glitta Research: Accelerating Online Research for Scientific Knowledge Workers

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I research project will study and prototype novel approaches to knowledge management, knowledge dissemination and visualization for science and technology professionals. Working scientists and technologists today have improved search and research capabilities at their disposal, but the ability to record, organize and communicate the results of those capabilities remains ad hoc and difficult. Moreover, discovering new research resources is largely trial-and-error. The project will develop prototype capabilities to accelerate online research and enhance the memory of researchers by capturing online activities, extracting critical linkages, creating visualizations to assist in discovering new research directions, and suggesting novel external resources. In addition, we plan to enhance on-line presentation capabilities to create assistive and findable presentations of research results. The end result will be a comprehensive information dashboard for research professionals which will accelerate research activities and help researchers to more efficiently perform their duties. The research has profound implications for scientific research practice by reducing time-to-market for pharmaceutical and technology companies, accelerating basic research, and enhancing the educational process for working science and technology professionals. Aspects of the proposed research have assistive technology implications and will improve the understanding and use of research results by worldwide audiences. The commercial opportunity for the technology extends to 10.5 million scientists and technologists in the United States. Open application programming interfaces (APIs) will foster community support of the technology by providing a platform for domain-specific enhancements to the core capabilities.