Abstract
There is little debate that recent advances in information technology (IT) are revolutionizing the practice of science and expanding its impact on global society. It is still debatable whether the transformation can take full advantage of these advances without open, international standards, embraced by the scientific community. Accompanying the increases in computing power and bandwidth, considerable discussion has surfaced about the availability and exchange of scientific data. Common themes in the dialogue underscore the need for new visions of data organization, storage, and dissemination (Nature Editorial, 2005).