Boston University has been closely involved in the development of a new website, the Digital Universe, which will offer access to various portals that link together information to encourage “creativity, communication, collaboration and education,” according to the site.

The first portals will link to subjects including the environment, health and outer space, the site notes. The goal of the Digital Universe, developed by ManyOne Networks, is to eventually expand and connect thousands of resources through these portals.

BU geography and environment professor Cutler Cleveland, a member of the Digital Universe Foundation Board of Directors, is heading up a team of programmers to develop software for the Digital Universe’s first portal.

This “Earth Portal” will give users free access to interactive maps, research results on environmental issues and “opportunities to engage with scientists, policymakers, writers and others in real time,” the website explains.

“The goal of the Earth Portal is to build a comprehensive … resource that will educate millions of citizens around the world about the state of the environment, empowering them to make informed decisions,” Environmental Information Coalition Executive Committee Secretary-Treasurer Peter Saundry said.

The Environmental Information Coalition Executive Committee is the partnership of organizations developing the Earth Portal aspect of the Digital Universe.

Saundry said the Digital Universe will focus on being reliable and utilizing multimedia in its resources.

Saundry said the portals of the Digital Universe will provide a “highly engaging resource for credible information,” and spare users from pop-up advertisements and other commercial influences in an attempt to keep unfiltered information from infiltrating the site.

However, some students say the Digital Universe is not that big of a deal because most students know how to navigate search engines and avoid these common problems.

“It sounds interesting and useful,” Metropolitan College sophomore Yacov Malen said, “but if you know how to use a search engine in the first place, the commercial stuff doesn’t always get in the way.”

To financially support this non-commercial endeavor, an Earth Portal Internet Service will eventually be available, offering the traditional services of other internet providers but channeling the proceeds back into the Earth Portal project, Saundry said.

While the Digital Universe and Earth Portal are being aimed at a general audience, Saundry said he believes many college students will use these resources for both school work and self-edification.

“If you’re interested in the environment,” he said, “this will be the place you’ll go.”

College of Communication sophomore Angela Wang said the program has the potential to become powerful and popular.

“I think it would make research a lot less of a pain,” she said.

While College of Arts and Sciences senior Kate Hackett said she could see herself using the Digital Universe and Earth Portal “all the time,” CAS sophomore Elise Peizner said she did not believe she would use these resources on a day-to-day basis.

“I think I’d rather open up a newspaper or watch the news for that kind of information,” Peizner said.

The Digital Universe will rely on “highly interactive” portals and “new rich-media tools to convey knowledge in … visually astounding ways” in order to provide an enjoyable online experience to its users, according to the website.

But some students say they feel an ideal search engine wouldn’t be too flashy.

“For me, that’s over-stimulating and I’ll get frustrated that I can’t find what I want and I’ll just leave,” Peizner said.

Sensitive to these issues, developers of the Digital Universe and Earth Portal have made “intuitive” presentation of material a top priority, Saundry said.

But CAS sophomore Ben Wolfe said he was not sure if there is a market for such software in terms of personal usage.

However, if the Digital Universe and Earth Portal can achieve their ambitious goals, the result could be “awe-inspiring,” he said.

“I can see it being a very good teaching tool,” Wolfe said.