Interactive Peer-to-Peer Scientific Communication in the Digital Library Environment

Government digital libraries have a unique opportunity to facilitate communication between scientific communities of common interest. These libraries can add functionality to their electronic dissemination products, providing a catalyst for communication and collaboration among users. However, to date, agencies within the governmental digital library environment have not deployed this type of collaboration technology. This project will develop a prototype tool that will enable interactive peer-to-peer scientific communication in the digital library setting. Phase I will include a comprehensive survey of commercial technologies and technologies under development at universities, within DOE, and within other government agencies. Then, a plan for configuring, developing, integrating, and testing a peer-to-peer system will be developed. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Any research institution or information provider that makes a body of scientific information available should benefit from this project. The communication mechanism would enable members of scientific communities to discover others with common interests, facilitate a broader perspective on specific topics, and increase and enhance the amount and quality of information available for a specific community of interest.