VIRTUAL CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES

• Address grand challenge science issues within the Sun-Earth system by bringing the international science community (the human element) together with the rapidly developing cyber-infrastructure (virtual observatories, data mining, data assimilation, high-speed computers, etc.)
• Facilitate exchange of views and information among participants
• Promote multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborations
• Explore the use of this new medium (virtual conferencing) for scientific communications
• Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year by taking advantage of the internet to create an interface for enhanced scientific collaboration worldwide

Why a Series?

• If too many science topics are addressed in one virtual conference, it becomes difficult for participants to find the time and energy to participate in all elements and the summary reports become unwieldy and diffuse. A solution, adopted here, is to spread the science topics over a thematic series of conferences spaced throughout the year. In this case, the conferences will address selected sun-Earth system science questions culminating in a F2F conference during October 2007 in Japan.