Understand the Web and Explore New Ideas

Challenge: The Research Gap. The Web is not just technology, but “humanity connected by technology”. With over 1 trillion public pages (in 2008) and 1.7 billion people on the Web (in 2009), even experts do not fully comprehend the complexity and potential of this evolving system of people, information and links. This is a risk to the creative, yet responsible, evolution of the Web. The Web Science Program is the Web Foundation’s focused effort to address the “knowledge gap”. Web Science Trust and the Web Foundation have a common commitment to advance the new discipline of Web Science, and will work together on projects that improve our understanding of the Web and promote the Web’s positive impact on society. Web Science seeks to educate the next generation of scientists who will improve our understanding of the Web’s complex nature, and explore new technologies that could ultimately make the Web even more powerful for all people on the planet, an effort necessary to support our Web in Society program objectives.

The Foundation is also developing a Web Index, designed to measure growth and usage of the Web, and guide future investment in the Web.

WST and the World Wide Web Foundation have a common commitment to advance the new discipline of Web Science, and will work together on projects that improve our understanding of the Web and promote the Web's positive impact on society.