Dissertation

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Abstract

David's dissertation traces development in the Cyberinfrastructure project GEON (the Geosciences Network) . GEON seeks to provide computing, visualization and data integration resources to the broader earth sciences. David's research focuses on the practical processes of work across distance, institutional difference and technical expertise in building an umbrella community infrastructure for the earth sciences. He shows how integrating -- or 'interoperating' -- the geosciences has involved much more than information technology R&D, it has also been a significant social and organizational undertaking. In building GEON members have had to navigate the multiple existing institutions of science and the diversity domain knowledges while simultaneously developing a distributed organization and information infrastructure. The primary method for data collection involved a three year multi-site ethnography including participant observation, interviews and document analysis. On several occasions David intervened on the GEON project providing formal feedback on social and organizational aspects of ongoing development.