Informatics studies the way people work with and use information and the technical, psychological, and social aspects of information technology.

Informatics is the process of learning how to gain information, and thus knowledge, from data using information technology. X-ray crystallography provides an excellent discipline for informatics research. The field is data intensive; requires advanced computing techniques in the collection, storage, and analysis of raw data; is highly dependent on visualization for interpretation of the final results; has complex database requirements; and the results of crystallographic research are potentially useful not only to research scientists, but to educators and students at all levels from K to 16.

The Informatics Research Institute has picked Crystallographic Informatics as one of its first "focus areas".

The following are examples of crystallographic informatics research in progress at Indiana University. These projects involve researchers from the Department of Chemistry, Computer Science Department, School of Library and Information Science, School of Education, and the research staff of the University Information Technology Services.

• Distributed Databases (Reciprocal Net)
• Molecular Visualization (XMView/CMView/WMView)
• Remote Access to Instrumentation (Telepresence)
• Collaboration Systems (XPort Collaboratory)
• High Speed Data Transport and Storage (AVIDD)
• Cluster Computing (IUMSC Beowulf system)
• Computational Steering (Crystallographer in a Box)
• Laboratory Information Management Systems for Crystallography