A recent publication in Nature shows a clear need for interactive exploration of extremely large databases, especially in the area of scientific data management where ingestion of multiple Terabytes on a daily basis is foreseen. Unfortunately, current data management technology is not well-suited for such overwhelming demands.

The landscape for major innovations in database techniques for sciences is enormous. A peek preview is given in the award winning VLDB 2011 paper titled: The Researcher's Guide to the Data Deluge: Querying a Scientific Database in Just a Few Seconds.

It provides a sketch for five dimensions where technology should be significantly improved in coming years:

• One-minute DBMS for real-time performance
• Multi-scale query processing for gradual exploration
• Post processing for conveying meaningful answers
• Query morphing for proximity results
• Query alternatives for coping with alternative routes.

We strongly recommend this paper for inspiration in your database research endeavors.