Porter, J.H. 1998. Scientific databases for environmental research. Pages 41-46 in William K. Michener, John H. Porter, and Susan G. Stafford. Data and information management in the ecological sciences: a resource guide. LTER Network Office, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. Abstract:The questions that scientists can answer are dependent upon the databases available to them. Modern genome research would not be possible without genome databases. Similarly, synthetic and integrative environmental research will be dependent on the quantity and quality of available databases. Examples of scientific databases include large "deep" databases such as Genbank and PDB, "wide" databases such as the National Geophysical Data Center and NASA Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), and project-oriented databases such as those at Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites. There are advantages and disadvantages for using database management systems that balance the capabilities gained against the costs of maintenance. The World Wide Web is a recommended interface for scientific databases. Such databases may be constructed on both UNIX and Windows NT workstations. :: Notes: submitted by jporter, Mon Jul 27 10:51:27 EDT 1998 ::