  Wide-angle surveys have been an engine for new discoveries throughout the
modern history of astronomy, and have been among the most highly cited and
scientifically productive observing facilities in recent years. This trend is
likely to continue over the next decade, as many of the most important
questions in astrophysics are best tackled with massive surveys, often in
synergy with each other and in tandem with the more traditional observatories.
We argue that these surveys are most productive and have the greatest impact
when the data from the surveys are made public in a timely manner. The rise of
the "survey astronomer" is a substantial change in the demographics of our
field; one of the most important challenges of the next decade is to find ways
to recognize the intellectual contributions of those who work on the
infrastructure of surveys (hardware, software, survey planning and operations,
and databases/data distribution), and to make career paths to allow them to
thrive.
