The pioneering discoveries in seismology over the last century have been made by those scientists fortunate to have access to key observations. In past eras, exchange of information has been limited by technology and sometimes by other restrictions on data sharing. This situation often created an artificial barrier between the ideas and curiosity of individual researchers and the data necessary to test those ideas. However, now we are seeing extensive databases of seismological data growing rapidly and becoming increasingly available via the Internet. Continued improvements in telecommunications technology are making global seismic data increasingly available in near-real time. These developments make possible a Virtual Seismic Network from which any seismologist with an Internet connection can access any data worldwide, in order to test a scientific idea. The guiding principles of such a system include: (i) Maintain open access to all recorded data; (ii) Maintain an open source software development philosophy; and (iii) Leverage advances in information technology and telecommunications to improve the reliability and speed of both data recovery and processing. One result of this improved research infrastructure will be the advancement of our understanding of the origin and evolution of the continental lithosphere. [References: 13]
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