Shaping the Future of REN
Infrastructure & Services in Qatar
Antonio Sanfilippo
Research Director, QEERI
Qatar Foundation
e-Age 2014, 10-11 December 2014, Muscat, Oman
1
1
Workshop: REN infrastructure & services in Qatar
• Organized by Qatar Foundation R&D with GUQ, HBKU,
NWUQ, VCUQ, WCMCQ, UCLU, TAMUQ and MEEZA
• 52 members from the scientific and academic community in
and outside Qatar, including the private sector
• Guest speakers from APAN, TERENA and Internet2
• Breakout session on
• Global connectivity
• User expectations
• REN as a locus of innovation
• Held at QNCC, Doha, 6/1/14
2
Global connectivity
• Protected higher connectivity (≥10Gbps) needed now
• Fast connection to data centers is a priority
• Historical trends help forecast future needs
• Plan for the future, benchmarking against established NRENs
•
•
•
•
3
Wider community requirements to avoid doubling up of resources
Governance is very important – peer-based model is best
Leverage QF high performance computing facilities
Ensure local TELCOs provide the connectivity Qatar needs
User expectations
• More bandwidth!
• High quality service for data transfer, teleconferencing,
library services, social media analytics, data sharing,
networking, high performance computing, …
• Security remains a significant concern
• Standard entry level for free and charge for add-ons
• 24/7 user support, fault tolerance, shared authentication
• Training/outreach/education to optimize infrastructure usage
4
REN as a locus of innovation in Qatar
• Technologies most likely to foster innovation
• Mobile and cloud services, Internet of things
• Bringing innovative technologies to users
• Talk to users to understand goals and requirements
• Talk to funding sponsors to learn about grand challenges
• Current applications that are driving innovation
• Domains: Energy/water/food security, cybersecurity, healthcare
• Science: Climate modeling, particle physics, astrophysics,
genomics, health informatics
• Methods: Crowdsourcing, collaborative problem solving
5
REN as a locus of innovation in Qatar
• Expected scientific and societal impacts
• Interdisciplinary collaborative research
• Social and technical modeling using media and sensor data to
support applications in energy/water/food security, cybersecurity,
and healthcare
6
Conclusions
• Qatar is well-poised to grow a REN that will act as a catalyst
for research and education in the region
• Rich constellation of research and education institutes, and good
opportunities for high connectivity
• Inclusive, collegial, and collaborative policy to create a REN
that includes all research and education institutions in Qatar
• Non-profit, academic, government, and private sectors
• The workshop offers an initial example of such an endeavor
• Open dialogue among all local stakeholders
• Interaction with the international community
7
Thanks!
Workshop report, agenda and
presentations available at
http://qfrd.cloudapp.net/qfren/