Scientific research has its own geography, with well-explored continents and treacherous peaks. Although individuals are familiar with their own fields, no one can fit it all together.
That's why a technique for visualizing research holds such promise. Developed at Sandia National Laboratories, the algorithms will soon analyze connections among 3 million papers. This data is then represented as a three-dimensional landscape, where a mountain range signifying hot research issues in biology may connect to an area in physics by a narrow ridge.
What might we learn from such a map? "Connections that were previously hidden," suggests Chuck Meyers, project manager at Sandia. At the very least, a map of all research would function like a world map: It would give us a sense of perspective.
