Unsolved problems are both the cause and the effect of
mathematics research:  you do research to answer a question,
and almost always the answer leads to even more questions.

Most mathematicians are only aware of the problems in their
own specialized area.  And even then it can be difficult to
stay current on which problems have had recent progress,
which are considered most important, and which are likely to see
results in the near future.

At many AIM workshops a moderated problem session leads to
a discussion which helps clarify the state-of-the-art 
in that specialized area.  This is useful to the participants,
particularly the graduate students and postdocs who may be
seeing the "big picture" for the first time.  A writeup of the
session provides a similar benefit to all mathematicians.
Unfortunately, such a document becomes outdated rather quickly.

AIM is addressing this issue by developing a software tool
which is specifically designed for creating and maintaining
annotated lists of open problems.  The *AIM Problem Lists*
tool (AimPL) has features which help support a long-term
view of mathematics research. Problems have a permanent numbering
and permanent URL, and except to correct typographic errors,
problem statements do not change.  Remarks on the problems
are curated by experts, reflecting the community's current understanding
of the problem.  Problems are grouped into lists on a specialized
subject, and are furher organized into sections within the list.

Perhaps the most important feature is that the effort to maintain
each list is distributed across the research community, yet still
remains under the control of a handful of experts.  This resolves
the issue of placing the entire burden of maintenance on one
individual, without compromising the scholarly integrity of the
problem list.

The AimPL provides a new approach to organizing the problems which
drive research mathematics.  It will continue developing
to meet the needs of research mathematicians.
You can view the AimPL at  http://aimpl.org/.