This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Michael Goodchild, University of California, Santa Barbara,

Laura Haas, IBM Almaden Research Center,

Arie Shoshani, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and

Alex Szalay, Johns Hopkins University.

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the report’s conclusions, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Jeff Dozier of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the institution.

We also thank National Research Council staff members Jon Eisen-berg and Paul Uhlir for their constructive comments on an earlier draft of this report.