Elsevier's Scopus Data Drives Visualization of International Collaborative Research Networks for new Max Planck Science Gallery

BERLIN, September 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier's Scopus data enables visualization of how densely Max Planck institutes are linked with their local and international partners. This visualization is part of the new Max Planck Science Gallery in the Science Forum building at the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, to open on September 8, 2011. This innovative multimedia exhibition center offers a platform to inform the general public how Max Planck scientists are working on the advancement of science and about potential impact of their research on future developments in areas such as medicine or energy.

Collaboration amongst scientists is increasingly important. Today about half of all scientific publications by German scientists are produced in collaboration with international partner institutes. Elsevier's Scopus data helps researchers worldwide to identify current and potential research partners. The development of the visualization at the Max Planck Science Gallery was coordinated by Information Visualizer Moritz Stefaner using Scopus data and shows how densely the Max Planck institutes are connected with other research partners at various universities and institutes.

"Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of research literature and quality web sources covering over 18,500 titles from more than 5,000 publishers. For this visualization, we aggregated over 94,000 publications from more than 16,000 institutions over the last ten years. We have been working with Moritz Stefaner to create an intuitive, impressive and interactive network visualization highlighting the global connectedness of the Max Planck Society," commented Christian Herzog, Vice President Elsevier's SciVal Custom Solutions.

Professor Peter Guss, president of the Max Planck Society, commented, "This multimedia exhibition at the Science Forum building will not only inform the general public about potential impacts of our research on topics such as the future of health or the future of energy but also serve as a platform for information exchange on controversial themes such as stem cells or gene technology."

In addition to the traditional Max Planck exhibitions like the 'Science Tunnel' and the 'Science Express', the Max Planck Science Gallery offers a novel experience centre and meeting point opening doors to the Max Planck Society.

About the Max Planck Society

The Max Planck Society (MPS) is Germany's most significant organisation for basic research. It was established in 1948, as the successor of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society which was founded in 1911. Today, the MPS maintains 80 institutes and 62 International Max Planck Research Schools, with more than 7,000 grantees and visiting scientists, as well as over 16,800 employees in science, technology and services. Its institutes conduct basic research at the cutting-edge, in those areas where our current knowledge of the world ends - at the threshold of the unknown. Max Planck institutes rank among the world's leading research institutions thanks to the internationally outstanding research results they generate and the excellence of their staff. Furthermore, Max Planck institutes educate thousands of highly qualified junior researchers each year, thereby ensuring the most rapid transfer of new methods and knowledge into practice. More information: http://www.mpg.de

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contacts
Christian Herzog
SciVal Custom Solutions, Elsevier
+49-221-16252060
c.herzog@elsevier.com

Dr. Andreas Trepte
Max Planck Society
+49-89-2108-1406/1407
trepte@gv.mpg.de