Dear Jeremy and Air'ers - Having attended the e-science & e-social science session at the recent Oxford Internet Institute iCS symposium, here's a bit of a survey of what grid computing might mean in the context of a series of challenges that face e-Science. (ref's a bit sketchy at this point). Cheers! Denise 24. September. 2003 Denise N. Rall, Ph.D. candidate, School of Environmental Science & Management Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW 2480 Australia and visiting scholar, Learning Technology and Distance Education (LTDE), Division of Information Technology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin 53706 USA Why high speed computing infrastructures (grid) computing are required to support the enterprise of e-science High speed (grid) computing infrastructures designed to support e-science can be divided into the following categories: 1) high speed connectivity to large computing resources 2) interactivity among virtual research teams & projects 3) remote access to scientific technologies and tele-medicine 4) information services (messaging and databases). For examples of present and envisioned use of grid computing for purposes of e-science, see below. 1) high speed connectivity to large computing resources Grid computing can look to the history of super-computer access for scientists who had large data processing requirements (e.g. physics). The super-computer sites were remotely accessed, and service was provided by a time-shared operation that was very expensive. The code for the project was beamed over a high-speed satellite link that was not ftp-compatible. Therefore, small subsets of computing problems had to be organized and represented in code that could be tested locally. Then, the code to address the large data set could be uploaded to the local computer, where it would sit in a queue for beaming to the super-computer site (MACC, n.d.). Note that all of these procedures were expensive. It is particularly costly to code up small data sets or simulations in a small computing environment for delivery onto a larger computing platform. In theory, access to grid computing will remove the necessity for working in an 'offline-online' fashion to process and analyze large data sets. Likewise, grid computing should provide real time analysis for ongoing large computations in the fields of physics, astronomy, computer science, economics as well as biological areas such as the human genome project. 2) interactivity among virtual research teams & projects The scientific community lives in a fully interactive environment, with globally distributed research projects. For one recent example, the zebra mussel invasion of the coastal waters of the United States has now invaded the Great Lakes (Lee, 2002). Due to practices in international shipping, it was difficult to trace the geneology of this invasive pest, although current thinking points to the Black sea in Turkey. The research effort (at this point) includes data collection from over 100 research sites, inclduing, the Black sea, the Caspian sea, European seas and lakes, the St. Lawrence seaway in Canada, and the Great Lakes in the US. Clearly, high speed computer access to input data and provide real-time analysis for this vast database is required. For another timely example, the SARS epidemic showed an unprecedented international response. The data analysis and broadcast via web site alerted the world wide community. The concerted interactivity, and frequent updates via the WWW allowed public health officers, epidemiologists, genetic analysis laboratories, medical staff, and the World Health Organization (WHO) to work together: resulting in the quickest ever identification of a life-threatening virus to date (see www.who.org). In short, natural phenomenon are not demarcated along political boundaries. Scientists will increasingly need their colleagues based at research centers, universities, and medical laboratories around the world to assist with consultation, data collection and analysis, as well as real-time world wide dissemination of results. 3) remote access to scientific technologies and tele-medicine Real time (grid) computing will be essential to promote a variety of remote services that include, at their core, the application of scientific work. As above, political boundaries cannot contain scientific technologies, particularly during military conflicts, environmental, and health-based disasters. While real-time computing is used to support strategic weapon systems, the Web also provides access for real-time reportage on military conflicts and a quite visible channel for political resistance. Beyond posting on the web, however, is the urgency to work via the web, which the current internet does not allow. Note that there is a long history of remote diagnotic work by medical pioneers in remote locations, including the African subcontinent and the Australian outback. Currently, heart surgeons in Germany have already begun to work under computing 'hoods' that allow them to operate on patients physically located in the next room via robotic medical instrumentation (see report from Catalyst, abc.net.au/science). And generally, many more remote patients need assistance than is currently available, but working in areas of conflict and epidemic are fraught with risk to the medical staff. Tele-medicine, however, could diagnose via x-ray and other instrumentation, perhaps located on floating hospitals not directly in the zone of conflict or epidemic. Working remotely in tele-medicine and other remote technologies will clearly require a high-speed computing grid, which will supplement the internet's ability to deliver the publication of international conflicts (and solutions). 4) information services (messaging and databases). The requirement for high speed computing to deliver increasing large data resources and information access to facilitate scientific work has already been well detailed by other authors (see Palmer, 2001). However, one theme carries on from above. Remote high speed access to large scale information and database infrastructures will greatly assist the world's information-poor, but they will also assist the world's information rich. Remote links to developing world technicians and scientists are obviously required to facilitate scientific data collection and analyses (above). But there is more. Today's computing instrastructures cannot be built and maintained without high speed access to a world-wide community of programmers and database managers. The internet, in its current topology is a global enterprise that cannot develop within the confines of the industrialized world community. Likewise, the implementation and management of a high speed grid to support the enterprise of e-science, and all of its supporting technologies will be a world enterprise. In conclusion, locating the e-science enterprise means building a truly international framework alongside the infrastructural requirements for grid-based computing. References: [sketchy] Catalyst, science television show, www.abc.net.au/science. Lee, C. E. 2002. Evolutionary genetics of invasive species. Trends. Ecol. Evol. 17: 386-391. MACC [Madison Academic Computing Center], n.d. "Procedures for Super-computer access" printed brochure, 3 pp. Palmer, Carole L. (2001). Work at the Boundaries of Science: Information and the Interdisciplinary Research Process. Dordrecht: Kluwer. SARS epidemic reports, collected on www.who.org. ===== "The distance between here and there is growing; and getting even larger as we speak" (S. S. Hall) Denise N. Rall, PhD student, School of EnvironSciMgmt, Southern Cross Uni, Lismore, NSW, 2480 Australia Phone +61-2-6624-8627 Fax +61-2-6624-8637 Office (Tuesdays) (02) 6620 3577 Mob 0438 233 344 http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/staff/pages/drall/index.html __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com