Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) Initiative

1957-1958年国际地球物理年（IGY）是继上个世纪一系列越来越成功的国际极地年（IPYs）之后的又一个国际地球物理年。IGY允许来自世界各地的科学家使用最先进的通用仪器和数据处理，参与对地球科学现象的系统和全球观测。IGY调查人员建立了世界数据中心系统来收集、存档和分发收集到的各种数据类型。然而，IGY最大的贡献也许是科学合作的精神和对新发现的兴奋有效地传递给了公众和决策者。电子地球物理年（eGY）打算利用国际地球物理年50周年纪念的机会，拥抱、促进和扩展国际地球物理年和早期国际国际年所确立的原则。该奖项支持协调美国与国际组织的活动，以实现eGY的目标。特别是，eGY已经或正在与纪念IGY 50周年的其他活动建立正式关系：国际极地年（IPY）、国际太阳物理年（IHY）、国际地球年（IHY）。与以往的国际行动年和国际行动年一样，国际行动年组织并不打算使自己永久化。由环境署发起和（或）恢复活力的国际协调活动将转交给现有或新出现的国际机构。50年前，收集和分发大量的硬拷贝记录是一项重大挑战。今天，地球科学的大多数分支学科已经建立了许多重要数据集的电子存档和分发。这些数据集有可能以意想不到的方式组合在一起，从而带来重大的新科学进步。eGY的主要目标是通过所谓的“虚拟天文台”，利用语义网和其他新兴数据搜索和组织技术的全部能力，促进跨学科的电子数据交换，eGY还包括教育和公共推广（EPO）工作，为学生和教师提供数据访问。这项工作将需要开发与选定的虚拟天文台并行的EPO接口，并开发课程计划和支持材料，以便学生可以访问、使用和学习虚拟天文台的数据。eGY打算寻求私人基金来支持EPO的这项工作。《数字鸿沟》的其他主要目标将使国际社会关注数据保存和拯救的必要性，并为解决与数字鸿沟相关的不平等问题提供框架。除了EPO的工作外，eGY的职能是通过赞助专题讨论会、主要会议会议和出版物来促进和提供信息。

The International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958 (IGY) followed the increasingly successful series of International Polar Years (IPYs) in the preceding century. The IGY allowed scientists from around the world to participate in systematic and global observations of geoscientific phenomena using the state-of-the-art common instruments and data processing. IGY investigators set up the World Data Center system to collect, archive, and distribute the wide variety of data types collected. Perhaps the largest contributions of the IGY, however, were that the spirit of scientific cooperation and the excitement of new discoveries were effectively transmitted to the public and policy makers. The Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) intends to use the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the IGY to embrace, promote, and extend the principles established in the IGY and earlier IPYs. This award supports efforts to coordinate U. S. activities with international organizations aimed at the goals of eGY. In particular, eGY has established, or is in the process of establishing, formal relations with other activities honoring the 50th anniversary of the IGY: The International Polar Year (IPY), the International Heliophysical Year (IHY), and the International Year of Planet Earth. As with previous IPYs and the IGY, the eGY organization does not intend to perpetuate itself. Those international coordination activities initiated and/or rejuvenated by the eGY will be transferred to existing or emerging international bodies. Fifty years ago it was a significant challenge to collect and physically distribute a large volume of hard copy records. Today most sub-disciplines in the geosciences have established electronic archiving and distribution of many important data sets. These data sets have the potential to be combined in unanticipated ways leading to significant new scientific advances. A major thrust of eGY is to facilitate interdisciplinary electronic exchange of data by exploiting the full capability of the semantic web and other emerging data search and organization techniques through so-called "virtual observatories." eGY also includes an education and public outreach (EPO) effort providing students and teachers access to data. This effort will require development of parallel EPO interfaces to selected virtual observatories and the development of lesson plans and supporting material so that students can access, use, and learn from data on virtual observatories. eGY intends to seek private foundation funds to support this EPO effort. Other major thrusts of eGY will focus international attention on the need for data preservation and rescue and provide a framework to address inequalities associated with the digital divide. With the exception of the EPO effort, eGY's function is to facilitate and inform by sponsoring symposia, sessions in major meetings, and publications.