Exploring the Microbial World: Why Should Humanity Care?

With the provision of extensive environmental metadata and considerable sequencing resources we have entered a new domain of advanced ecological research. It is now possible to explore microbial worlds from the perspective of the microbes, defining communities based on the n-dimensional hypervolume which defines niche theory. The EMP provides an ideal opportunity for community participation in this endeavor through an open access data interface. This talk will explore the EMP's efforts to create this reality.