WWW and the aerobiologist: operating instructions

For several years now, the World Wide Web (WWW) has left the realm of information technology and represents a fundamental everyday working tool for a wide variety of disciplines. Aerobiology, though a newcomer in this virtual space, is proceeding at a fast pace towards the creation of an easily accessible and effective information network. The web gives access to text, imagery, movie and sound with relatively low-cost and user-friendly interfaces conceived as graphical magazines. A practical way to start navigating and looking for information is to operate a ‘search engine’ which is a large database containing addresses on a wide spectrum of subjects. As an alternative, a few selected sites exist that can initialize your search by providing a thematic list of addresses. After leaving the entry ‘port’ you are directed from site to site and eventually end up with a lot more information than you initially thought. Excerpts: information on public and private institutions, access to databases and image catalogs, bibliographical information, overview of monitoring networks, directions on national and international research programs, news (calendar of meetings, courses, etc.). Information is provided for the non-expert user who asks himself the key questions: ‘Where do I start to browse the net?’ or ‘Can I become a provider of information on the net and, if so, is it terribly difficult?’ The idea is that everybody can in principle become a ‘surfer’ or a ‘provider’ dedicating a reasonable amount of time and effort to the task. What one ends up with is an easy-to-use and powerful tool that is already helping the whole aerobiological community to pursue its goals and reach out for necessary interdisciplinary approaches to unsolved scientific issues. The server AEROBIOLOGY INTERNATIONAL ( http://www.fisbat.bo.cnr.it/AERO/ ) is presented as an example on how to proceed with the creation of a new server and its management.