A ‘Sea Change’ in ChemicalA ‘Sea Change’ in ChemicalInformationInformation

Bill TownManaging DirectorChemWeb, a division of Elsevier Science Ltd84 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8RR, UK

ACS Spring Meeting, Orlando, 8 April 2002

An overview

• what has been happening to chemicalinformation in the last five years

• chemical information today (a ‘sea change’?)• current trends in chemical information• examples of chemical information products

available today• what might happen in the next five years?

What has happened in the last five years?

• community websites (portals)• publisher websites• content aggregators• preprint servers• e-commerce market places• scientific search engineshave all been launched in this timeframe.

Chemistry portal

Chemistry portal

Publisher website

Content aggregator

Preprint server

e-commerce marketplace

Search engine

Scientific search engine

What has happened in the last five years?

• The rate of innovation has shown a dramaticincrease, which shows no sign of abating

• Publishers are completing the transition fromprint-based to hybrid electronic- and print-based businesses

• New players and new partnershipscharacterise the scientific information markettoday

• Consolidation of the industry has alreadybegun

Chemical information today (‘sea change’?)

• Some ‘traditional’ players (e.g. secondarypublishers such as CAS, Derwent, ISI, etc.)are still strong

• online hosts (Dialog, STN, Questel.Orbit)have consolidated or been absorbed

• content aggregators (SilverPlatter, Ovid) havealso consolidated or been absorbed

• subscription agents developing new roles?

Chemical information today (‘sea change’?)

• New players (Ingenta) getting stronger byacquisition

• New roles for existing players (e.g. publisherwebsites, portals)

• New partnerships creating linking initiatives(e.g. CrossRef)

• Search engines - the ultimate end user tool?• Self publishing - the new paradigm?

Chemical information today (‘sea change’?)

What has enabled this Tsunami of innovation?• Convergence of technologies (computing/communication)• Moore’s law effect on the cost of technology

(commoditisation)• Reduced barriers to entry• Ubiquitous communication networks (cable, satellite)• Improving software tools empowering end users to become

publishers• Changing business models

Current trends in chemical information

• Focus on end-user tools (SciFinder,DiscoveryGate)

• Integration through hyperlinking (handbooks,databases, primary journals)

• Web versions of existing products stillappearing (Xfire web browser)

• Creation of electronic versions of archivematerial (journals, databases)

Beilstein CrossFire

Documents

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH Molecules

---- ---COOH

Reactions

COOH CONH2Abstracts

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~

Beilstein Commander

Molecules

---- ---COOH

Reactions

COOH CONH2Abstracts

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~

Documents to Databases

---- ---

Handbooks

COOH

Documents

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

E-Journals

---- ---COOH

Databases

Completed circuit

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

MultipleDocumentRepositories

citationCOOH

MultipleDatabases

Dymond

LitLink

Dymond – Databases to Documents

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

MultipleDocumentRepositories

-----COOH

MultipleDatabases

Dymond

You are reading a publication..

Journal Text

MS-Word, Excel

Web Browser

Single Point Access

And are curious about Compound 1..

Just Click..

And CrossFire comes alive..

You export a hit-set & email it to a friend..

Journal Text

MS-Word, Excel

Web Browser

Single Point Access

Who clicks it into his Internet Explorer..

And Click..

Or he is interested in the references..

And transfers to MS Excel..

Journal Text

MS Word, Excel

Web Browser

Single Point Access

And the Links are still Active..

or it could have been MS Word..

A click, and he is into fascinating chemistry..

The last word in integration..

Journal Text

MS-Word, Excel

Web Browser

Single Point Access

Multiple Systems

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

MultipleDocumentRepositories

citationCOOH

MultipleDatabases

Dymond – Databases to Documents

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

MultipleDocumentRepositories

-----COOH

MultipleDatabases

Dymond

Multiple Systems

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

MultipleDocumentRepositories

citationCOOH

MultipleDatabases

LitLink – Databases to Documents

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

MultipleDocumentRepositories

citationCOOH

MultipleDatabases

LitLink

LitLink – Citation from Anywhere

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

MultipleDocumentRepositories

citation

LitLink

LitLink – Citation from Anywhere

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

MultipleDocumentRepositories

citation

LitLink

LitLink “Intermediate Window”

LitLink “One Click”

CrossRef

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

ParticipatingPublisherRepositories

citation

LitLinkCrossRefDOI

DOIserver

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

Other documentdatabases and services

Completed Circuit

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

MultipleDocumentRepositories

citationCOOH

MultipleDatabases

Dymond

LitLink

Documents to Databases

---- ---

Handbooks

COOH

Documents

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

E-Journals

---- ---COOH

Databases

LitLink and Dymond Philosophy

• The link is a query

• Multiple queries from one link

• Dynamic links

Multiple Queries from One Link

The “Intermediate Window”

• Gives user choice of service without cluttering theinitial rendering

• Gives user opportunity to refine query (e.g.specify operator)

• Can be configured for default behavior

Intermediate window gives user choice

Compound Warehouse

-----COOH

MultipleDatabases

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COOH

Dymond

-----COOH

-----COOH

Other structuredatabases and services

CompoundWarehouse

“hop into”COOH

query

Connected chemical information

User wants:• to be able to Click and go anywhere• free access to information (not the same as free information)• someone else to pay

Librarian wants:• predictable costs for chemical information products• affordable costs for content• uniformity of licensing models• contented users

What might happen in the next five years?

• More exciting products based ontechnologies just beginning to emerge today

• More integration• More consolidation• Emergence of self publishing?• Disappearance of old friends• Contented customers?

Any questions?