Cyber-infrastructure refers to the ability to access and integrate today's hardware, software, and human information technology resources in order to facilitate science, engineering, research and education goals. In the next five years, the challenge for Cyber-infrastructure will be socio-cultural and behavioral dynamics, economics, and policy. The objective of this award is to hold a hold a workshop that will seek to identify for the SBE and CISE Directorates at NSF the key problems in the social sciences, economics, organizational, and policy studies for Cyber-infrastructure. The goal of the workshop will be to stimulate discussion within and between the communities served by the SBE and CISE Directorates about Cyber-infrastructure and to produce a report that outlines some of the key challenges and areas for fruitful research, development and experimentation by SBE and CISE. Specific goals for the workshop are 1) To produce a report which lays out a Cyber-infrastructure research and development roadmap for the SBE and CISE community and provide a framework for projects and efforts going forward; 2) To provide a venue for community building within the SBE and IT communities; 3) To lay out a program for research on the effects of IT on society and the dynamics of IT-focused organizations and the cyber-culture
Broader Impacts: SBE plays a key role in the development of Cyber-infrastructure. Not only is data and computational Cyber-infrastructure an enabler for key efforts for SBE communities, but SBE can play a critical role in the design, development and culture surrounding the deployment of Cyber-infrastructure itself. A strategic approach to the development of a body of research, development, and experimentation that addresses the socio-cultural, economic, and policy challenges of Cyber-infrastructure will be critical to ensure its success. In particular, social and behavioral scientists, humanists, organizational, policy and management researchers, etc. are critical as process builders for Cyber-infrastructure as well as end users of Cyber-infrastructure. Such communities have only sporadically been engaged in the development of Cyber-infrastructure models, social and organizational structures and have a wealth of experience and context to offer.
