FrontMatter -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Summary -- 1 Why Metagenomics? -- 2 A New Light on Biology -- 3 From Genomics to Metagenomics: First Steps -- 4 Designing a Successful Metagenomics Project: Best Practices and Future Needs -- 5 Data Management and Bioinformatics Challenges of Metagenomics -- 6 The Institutional Landscape for Metagenomics: New Science, New Challenges -- 7 A Balanced Portfolio: Multi-Scale Projects in the "Global Metagenomics Initiative" -- 8 Recommendations -- 9 Epilogue -- References -- Appendixes -- Appendix A Statement of Task -- Appendix B Committee Biographies.