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NSF’s Office of
Cyberinfrastructure
Kevin Thompson
Program Director
National Science Foundation
Office of Cyberinfrastructure
kthompso@nsf.gov
(many of the slides
Are courtesy of
Dr. Atkins)
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NSF Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel
on Cyberinfrastructure
“a new age has dawned in scientific and
engineering research, pushed by continuing
progress in computing, information, and
communication technology, and pulled by the
expanding complexity, scope, and scale of
today’s challenges. The capacity of this
technology has crossed thresholds that now
make possible a comprehensive
“cyberinfrastructure” on which to build new
types of scientific and engineering knowledge
environments and organizations and to pursue
research in new ways and with increased
efficacy.”
http://www.nsf.gov/od/oci/reports/toc.jsp
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Daniel E. Atkins, Chair
University of Michigan
Kelvin K. Droegemeier
University of Oklahoma
Stuart I. Feldman
IBM
Hector Garcia-Molina
Stanford University
Michael L. Klein
University of Pennsylvania
David G. Messerschmitt
University of California at Berkeley
Paul Messina
California Institute of Technology
Jeremiah P. Ostriker
Princeton University
Margaret H. Wright
New York University
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Some Science Drivers
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 Inherent complexity and multi-scale nature of todays
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frontier science challenges.
Requirement for multi-disciplinary, multi-investigator,
multi-institutional approach (often international).
High data intensity from simulations, digital
instruments, sensor nets, observatories.
Increased value of data and demand for data curation
& preservation of access.
Exploiting infrastructure sharing to achieve better
stewardship of research funding.
Strategic need for engaging more students in high
quality, authentic science and engineering
education.
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CyberInfrastructure is
about Connectedness
between
People
Ideas
Systems
Orgs
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Investing Within the Framework of
the NSF CI Vision
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Advances in components
of CI-systems for S&E R&E
Complex, multi-scale,
multidisciplinary S&E
research challenges
Call for Action
Blue Ribbon Panel reports
plus 30+ disciplinary or
interdisciplinary community
workshops on CI
Framework for
Action
NSB and NSF internal
working groups
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CI Vision for 21st Century Discovery
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High
Performance
Computing
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Drivers for HPC Strategy
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 Modeling, simulation, prediction
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complex systems
width: multi-disciplinary, more systemic
depth: multi-scale
community codes (complex collaborations)
 Extraction of knowledge/discovery from
massive collections of heterogeneous
data
 More powerful visualization and
interaction capabilities
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HPC Multi Track Strategy
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Track 1: One
solicitation funded
over 4 years: $200M
acquisition +
additional O&M cost.
Track 2: Four
solicitations over
FY06-09: $30M/yr
acquisition + additional
O&M cost.
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TeraGrid: 11 Resource
Providers, One Facility
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Grid Infrastructure
Group (UChicago)
UW
PSC
UC/ANL
NCAR
PU
NCSA
IU
Caltech
UNC/RENCI
ORNL
Tennessee
USC/ISI
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SDSC
LSU
TACC
Resource Provider (RP)
Software Integration Partner
Network Hub
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The TeraGrid Offers
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 A portfolio of high performance computing
and visualization architectures
 Common user environments
 Pooled community support expertise
 Targeted consulting services (ASTA)
 Science gateways to simplify access, support
collaboration, and integration of research and
education.
 Knowledge management & collaboration
infrastructure
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Science Gateways
(Virtual Organizations)
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Built to serve communities of practice by bringing
together a variety of resources in a customized portal
Examples include:
• NanoHub (models, analysis tools, education tools for nano-science and
nano-engineering)
• NEES (A distributed earthquake engineering collaboratory)
• LEAD (A gateway to support on-demand modeling and analysis of
tornados and other strong storms)
• SCEC Earthworks Project (Earthquake hazard assessment from first
principles)
• NVO (National Virtual astronomy Observatory - increasingly used
vehicle for astronomical study)
http://www.teragrid.org/programs/sci_gateways/
Projected TeraGrid Performance
Growth (withTrack 1)
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• 14 PF/s
• >1000 TB largest memory
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TACC Track-2 a
Compute
power - 504 Teraflops aggregate peak
– 3,936 Sun four-socket, quad-core nodes
– 15,744 AMD Opteron “Barcelona” processors
 Quad-core,
four flops/cycle (dual pipelines)
Memory
– 2 GB/core, 32 GB/node, 125 TB total
– 132 GB/s aggregate bandwidth
Disk
subsystem
– 72 Sun x4500 “Thumper” I/O servers, 24TB each
– 1.7 Petabyte total storage
System power: 3.0 MW total
System: 2.4 MW
– ~90 racks, in 6 row arrangement
– ~100 in-row cooling units
– ~4000 sq.ft. total footprint
Infiniband
interconnect
– Full non-blocking 7-stage Clos fabric
– Low latency (~2 msec), high-bandwidth (~950 MB/s) 18
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TeraGrid HPC Usage by Discipline
4/01/06 – 3/31/07
CISE
3%
GEO
6%
SBE DMS
0.2% 0%
Staff
0%
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CHE
19%
PHY
15%
AST
15%
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BIO
23%
DMR
9%
ENG
10%
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Courtesy of
John Towns
CI Vision for 21st Century Discovery
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High
Data &
Performance Visualization
Computing /Interaction
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Drivers for Data
& Interaction Strategy
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Increasing Scale and Heterogeneity of Data
Integration, federation, interoperability
IP issues, sharing, openness
Curation, quality control
Long-term stewardship/preservation
(including appraisal)
 Operational sustainability
 Appropriate workflow, visualization
environments
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DataNet Partners: Three
Primary Goals
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 Building information integration capability
on the foundation of a reliable data
preservation network.
 Achieving long-term preservation/access
capability in an environment of rapid
technology advances.
 Achieving economic and technological
sustainability.
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New Types of Organizations
Envisioned
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 Integrate library and archival sciences,
cyberinfrastructure, computer and information
sciences, and domain science expertise.
 Provide reliable digital preservation, access,
integration, and analysis capabilities for science
and/or engineering data over decades-long timeline.
 Continuously anticipate and adapt to changes in
technologies and in user needs and expectations
 Engage at the frontiers of computer and information
science and cyberinfrastructure with research and
development to drive the leading edge forward; and
 Serve as component elements of an interoperable
data preservation and access network.
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Earth Observing Systems
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NEON
WATERS
OOI
ORION
CUAHSI
GEON
Tools
Interoperability
Data and Computation
DATANET Foundation
CI Vision for 21st
Century Discovery
NVO
Virtual Organizations for
Distributed
Communities
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CMS
LEAD
High
Data &
Performance Visualization
Computing /Interaction
ATLAS
iVDgL
NanoHub
NEES
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Drivers for Virtual Organization
Strategy
 Research community driven demand for
distributed multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional,
multi-observational, multi-facility science projects.
 Need for new approaches to broadening
participation in both research/discovery and
passion-for-science building, inquiry-based,
learning/education.
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Benefits of Virtual Organizations
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 Possibilities for “better than being there”
organizational forms:
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decreased time to discovery;
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decreased time from discovery;
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increased intellectual cross-section and transformational
results;
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enhanced stewardship and RoI for research infrastructure
investments;
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multi-use: discovery, learning, rapid-response, ....
 A key to transforming the What, How, and Who
participates.
 A key to economic leadership in a global knowledgebased flat world.
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Geographic
Place
Different
Same
Virtual Organizations offer additional modes of
interaction between People, Information, and
Time
Same
Different
Facilities
(synchronous)
(asynchronous)
ST-SP
P: Physical mtgs
I: Print-on-paper
books, journals
F: Physical labs,
studios, shops
DT-SP
P: Shared notebook
I: Library reserves
F: Time-shared
physical labs, ...
ST-DP
P: AV conference
I: Web search
F: Online
instruments
DT-DP
P: Email
I: Knowbots
F: Autonomous
observatories
P: people, I: information, F: facilities, instruments 29
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VO-Global: International R&E Networking
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NSF’s International Research Connections
(IRNC) Program
 Goal - enable international science and
engineering research collaborations and
activities involving U.S. scientists, engineers,
and educators
5 year program (2004-2009) and 5 main awards for US $25M
total:
US-China and other partners (GLORIAD)
US-Japan and TEIN2 partners (TransPAC2)
US-Europe (Translight/Starlight)
US-Latin America (WHREN)
US-Australia (TransLight/PaacificWave)
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But What About the Social
Architecture?
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 Many “collaboratories” have been less
effective than hoped or even outright failures.
Reasons are often more social than technical.
 Need more principled understanding of the
analysis and design of virtual organizations
from a combined socio-technical perspective
is critical to achieving the flexibility and
agility to respond to new and emerging
challenges in an increasingly competitive
knowledge-based economy.
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VO Challenges
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 Need interdisciplinary experimental research
involving practicing science and engineering
communities to create more systematic knowledge
about the intertwined social and technical issues of
effective virtual organizations and how they can act
as a collective force to change not only how we
practice research but what we produce from it.
 Leaders of science & engineering virtual
organizations need help in understanding social
architecture design principles.
 Need better understanding the forms and attributes
of new organizational forms made possible by CI.
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CI Vision for 21st Century Discovery
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Virtual Organizations for
Distributed
Communities
High
Data &
Performance
Visualization/I
Computing
nteraction
Learning & Work Force
Needs & Opportunities
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Drivers for LWD Strategy
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 Education and workforce development to create
and use CI for S&E research and education.
 More effective learning through the application of
cyberinfrastructure.
 Exploiting the new opportunities that
cyberinfrastructure brings for broadening
participation by people who, because of physical
capabilities, location, or history, have been
excluded from the frontiers of scientific and
engineering research and education.
 Explore CI support for integrated research and
education.
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Possible Next Frontiers for
CI-enabled Learning and Workforce
Development
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 Develop authentic cyberlearning opportunities through
the creation of virtual environments that provide
laboratory-based research experiences to enhance
formal and informal education.
 Enhance teacher training for and with cyberinfrastructure
tools and resources to prepare a 21st century teaching
force for a 21st century workforce.
 Use cyber tools and resources to collect and analyze firsttime data pertaining to individual and organizational
learning to improve our understanding of human cognition
and meta-cognition, action and interaction.
 Investigate the use of handheld mobile devices as
platforms for cyberlearning delivery and discovery.
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OCI Funding Opportunities
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
High Performance Computing
– TeraGrid III – informational meeting June 25 at NSF
– Track II 2009 – stay tuned
– PetaApps – stay tuned
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Data
– DataNet – Sustainable Digital Data Preservation and Access
Network Partners, 07-601, next prelim proposal due date
October 6, 2008
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Virtual Organizations
– Virtual Organizations as Sociotechnical Systems (VOSS), NSF
08-550, deadline was June 2, 2008
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Other programs
– Strategic Technologies for Cyberinfrastructure (STCI)
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next target date August 14, 2008
– International Reserach Network Connections (IRNC) program
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solicitation expected early 2009
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Thank You
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