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If current trends continue, in 2100 we can expect environmental information systems will have access to vast stores of data from automated sensor systems, scientists and the public will interact with these systems using natural human interfaces (including touch, speech and 3-dimensional vision), and natural language will replace technical query languages and syntax. In short, we will be approaching the "Star Trek" era of computing where concept replaces syntax and speech replaces text as the means of requesting information. To get there, we need ubiquitous and sophisticated metadata for all environmental data we collect.

Sheldon, W.M. Jr. 2012. Presentation: Transparent Metadata Capture for Environmental Science. Ecological research from a truly long-term perspective: What needs to be done today to support ecological analysis in 2100? 2012 LTER All Scientists Meeting, September 10-13, 2012, Estes Park, Colorado.