Nature: Science communication today remains firmly wedded to its print origins says Cameron Neylon in Nature and yet there are opportunities that could "allow scientists to wire their research and publications into an interactive data web."
...Beyond ease of delivery, we take very little advantage of the potential of the World Wide Web to transform the way we store and transfer knowledge. We rarely take the opportunity to update material with new data, or to provide a record of how a document or data set has changed.
...Very few companies worldwide have both the expertise and resources to take on the task of stitching [scientific data] together. So it is with great interest that I have watched Google develop its product, Google Wave.
Neylon points out that Google Wave documents can use automated agents that can "look through your paper checking for Protein Data Bank codes or gene names, for example, and putting in links to the [associated] databases."
These agents can also help create a dashboard in your inbox to monitor and control instruments in the lab.
Google Wave also has version control, that notes every change to a data or record collection.
"This would allow a reader to step through an analysis to see where conclusions have come from, and would make detecting fraud —or honest mistakes—much easier," he says.
That sounds like a good use of google wave.
A very interesting article - and also very useful application of Google Wave I've seen to date.
Some of the features of Google Wave are not new of course. Version control, commenting, dashboards and much more are all features of other collaboration tools, like www.Glasscubes.com/online-collaboration (just an example).
When you also look at automation, it has to be set up and constantly managed as Google can get things like that wrong, it isn't an expert in physics after all. As with any automation, I think caution is crucial...
However, it's still a fabulous application of the latest tool available!!
I usually work with web-based applications like http://www.showdocument.com
I use it for sharing my designs and documents with partners and clients,
but i guess it can used for other purposes too. If you're looking for a free solution you should check it out.
- Laura W.