Science gateways today and tomorrow: positive perspectives of nearly 5000 members of the research community

Science gateways are digital interfaces to advanced technologies that support science/engineering research/education. Frequently implemented as Web and mobile applications, they provide access to community resources such as software, data, collaboration tools, instrumentation, and high-performance computing. We anticipate opportunities for growth within a fragmented community. Through a large-scale survey, we measured the extent and characteristics of the gateway community (reliance on gateways and nature of existing resources) to understand useful services and support for builders and users. We administered an online survey to nearly 29,000 principal investigators, senior administrators, and people with gateway affiliations. Nearly 5000 respondents represented diverse expertise and geography. The majority of researchers/educators indicated that specialized online resources were important to their work. They choose technologies by asking colleagues and looking for documentation, demonstrated reliability, and technical support; adaptability via customizing or open-source standards was another priority. Research groups commonly provide their own resources, but public/academic institutions and commercial services also provide substantial offerings. Application creators and administrators welcome external services providing guidance such as technology selection, sustainability planning, evaluation, and specialized expertise (e.g., quality assurance and design). Technologies are diverse, so flexibility and ongoing community input are essential, as is offering specific, easy-to-access training, community support, and professional development. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.