The sequencing of the complete genome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was 
a landmark achievement and ushered in a new era of whole-organism, systems 
analyses of the biology of this powerful model organism. The success of the C. 
elegans genome sequencing project also inspired communities working on other 
organisms to approach genome sequencing of their species. The phylum Nematoda is 
rich and diverse and of interest to a wide range of research fields from basic 
biology through ecology and parasitic disease. For all these communities, it is 
now clear that access to genome scale data will be key to advancing 
understanding, and in the case of parasites, developing new ways to control or 
cure diseases. The advent of second-generation sequencing technologies, 
improvements in computing algorithms and infrastructure and growth in 
bioinformatics and genomics literacy is making the addition of genome sequencing 
to the research goals of any nematode research program a less daunting prospect. 
To inspire, promote and coordinate genomic sequencing across the diversity of 
the phylum, we have launched a community wiki and the 959 Nematode Genomes 
initiative (www.nematodegenomes.org/). Just as the deciphering of the 
developmental lineage of the 959 cells of the adult hermaphrodite C. elegans was 
the gateway to broad advances in biomedical science, we hope that a nematode 
phylogeny with (at least) 959 sequenced species will underpin further advances 
in understanding the origins of parasitism, the dynamics of genomic change and 
the adaptations that have made Nematoda one of the most successful animal phyla.