Every year at the TED conference, a forum is provided for some of the country’s leading minds to present their “dream” for a chance to win the acclaimed TED Prize. In March 2007, eminent biologist E.O. Wilson proposed a collaborative web-based initiative that would leverage the Internet and its users to bring all the living creatures of our world to our fingertips through the creation of a grand Encyclopedia of Life. In May, the realization of this dream took its first steps with an initial contribution of $50 million dollars from five leading science foundations, including the MacArthur Foundation and the Sloan Foundation.

In February 2008, the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) went live. Compiled from existing databases as well as contributions from experts and non-experts around the world, the EOL launched with 30,000 entries and an ambitious goal of providing information on the “taxonomy, geographic distribution, collections, genetics, evolutionary history, morphology, behavior, ecological relationships and importance for human well-being” of all 1.8 million species currently known to science, and to later expand to those already extinct and newly discovered. It is estimated to take about 10 years and cost over $110 million dollars.

The EOL takes on a model similar to that of Wikipedia. The species pages, which are “infinitely expandable” by design, will have the capability to compliment text and host video, sound, images and graphics. Still in its beginning phases, the growing EOL has relied heavily on the synthesis of already established efforts including Sp2000 (Species 2000) and the ITIS Catalogue of Life, Fishbase and the Assembling Tree of Life (AToL) project.

Most exciting about this project is the opportunity for participation from non-scientists. In an age where Big Science — expensive projects conducted by a few highly trained individuals — rules the scientific landscape, projects that include opportunities for public participation and promote Citizen Science offer unique opportunities to engage a greater portion of the non-scientifically trained majority of society. And although careful considerations regarding the reliability and authenticity of the information available through the EOL must be made, steps have already been enacted to allow more direct contributions from the public.

One of the more ingenious developments in this area is the iPhone application called EOL Uploader (available through iTunes), which was launched earlier this year. This free app allows you to photograph organisms and have the photos automatically uploaded to the EOL Flickr group (geographic information included). Flickr members can login, comment, help identify unknown species and tag new photos to improve their organization. The Flickr group is periodically scanned by the the EOL for new photographs to add to appropriate species pages.

In addition to promoting a populace which participates and understands science in society, the data contributed from amateur scientists across the globe — accessible and facilitated through the Internet — has the ability to address questions that would otherwise be largely inaccessible. Scientists drawing upon this sort of data have already been able to do things such as track the emergence and impact of viruses, develop a better understanding of the ecological effects of invasive species and quantify the effects of global warming on the migratory patterns of birds, plants and insects.

With the goal of becoming a primary resource for scientists, teachers and students alike, the Encyclopedia of Life is easily one of the most ambitious projects of its kind. I encourage everyone to support this initiative simply by visiting their website, exploring its wealth of information and giving feedback about your experience. This alone will go a long way towards showing your interest and encouraging its continued growth.

Here’s E.O. WIlson’s 2007 TED Prize acceptance talk and his one wish to change the world — the construction of a networked encyclopedia of all the world’s knowledge about life.

For more on the encyclopedia, the Encyclopedia of Life Blog describes the encyclopedia, discusses challenges and highlights landmark achievements.

Are you a Twitter user? Tweet this!