What is the NWO Theme Digitalisation and Information Technology

We live in a society that depends on information. The ability to derive useful knowledge and information from large amounts of data is crucial to our wellbeing and prosperity. Our private and working lives, education and leisure, research and development are all influenced by innumerable information systems. After all, the media we use (text, still and moving images, sound) can all be stored and then processed, reproduced, and analysed digitally.

Accordingly, digital information systems are now far more than just simple tools. Their availability, reliability, manageability and accessibility is crucial. Research on these matters is central to this theme.

Research in these areas calls for an inter-related use of fundamental, strategic and applications-centred approaches. This can be achieved within large-scale, often multidisciplinary, research programmes. A number of these programmes have already been launched or are now being planned. The Netherlands enjoys an excellent position as regards research on embedded systems (the Programme for Research on Embedded Systems and Software (PROGRESS)) and infrastructure (the GigaPort network and the TERAS supercomputer). This offers good starting-points for research on distributed computing (Grids, Computational Science programme) and distributed databases (Biomolecular Informatics programme). Likewise, major research programmes have been launched on Multimedia (image and sound databases, language and speech technology) and Knowledge Retrieval (Cognition and ToKeN2000 - Accessibility and Knowledge Retrieval in the Netherlands).

However, there are still many fundamental questions to be answered, for example concerning the use of virtual environments, intelligent agents, the management of extremely complex information systems, and the ‘shelf life’ of digital information. Research in these areas is important to the advancement of science itself. To ensure efficient and effective use of information and knowledge, investments are required in the informatisation of science (for example, datamining and visualisation). There is a need, therefore, for a substantial injection of funds into research on the necessary generic techniques.

Information and communication technology is now responsible for a quarter of the Netherlands’ annual economic growth, although the sector still accounts for only 5% of the country’s economy. It is no wonder, therefore, that government policy is directed at maximising the exploitation of this source of economic growth. The Netherlands aspires to a place among the leading European countries on the electronic super-highway. The quality of the necessary Dutch research is excellent, but its quantity still falls far short of demand. Carefully targeted investment in this area can do much to help us catch up and to generate the necessary fundamental understandings and applications.

The research can be broken down into five different areas:

• Selection of sources and method of digitisation: What needs to be digitised? How can digitisation be automated?
• Storage and transportation: How can data be stored in a transparent way, transported quickly and safely, and made available on demand?
• Knowledge retrieval: How can we use automated systems to turn raw data into useful information?
• Modelling, simulation and visualisation: How can we use electronically generated information, alongside the two traditional methods of theoretical speculation and experimentation, to increase our knowledge?
• Applications and implications: How can information and modelling systems be used and what are the social, legal and economic consequences of information and communication technology?

Graphic designer Rhonald Blommestijn (Amersfoort) was inspired by the nine NWO Themes. Navigate to the different thematic subjects by clicking the emblems.