Science.gov tool will browse public databases

A one-stop Web portal for government science and technology information is undergoing usability and accessibility testing before its launch early this year.The portal, at , will lead visitors to Web sites selected by federal research agencies, said Eleanor G. Frierson, deputy director of the National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, Md.Frierson co-chairs the Science.gov Alliance with Tom Lahr of the Geological Survey’s Biological Resources Division. Other members represent the Energy Department, Environmental Protection Agency, National Technical Information Service, Defense Technical Information Center, Food and Drug Administration, National Library of Medicine and CENDI, an interagency working group of technical information managers. The Education Department, National Science Foundation and NASA also are participating.Science.gov will have two search tools, Frierson said. One will search seected sites of participating agencies. The other Frierson called a “deep Web search.” It will access public databases of scientific information using an application developed by Energy.As the approved cross-agency portal for physical and life sciences, Science.gov has received $85,000 in grant money to develop an interagency database browse function [].Portal users will browse site listings by topic and by audience. The home page will highlight news about government research projects, Frierson said.Frierson said the alliance members expect the portal to become “a good marriage of intellectual content and technology.”