Will Venters (Lecturer in Information Systems) w.venters@lse.ac.uk
www.pegasusresearch.org.uk
UCL – 23/2/07

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Study of ICT’s development and use in the world of people, e.g.
 Systems development methods and their reshaping
 ICT and global outsourcing
 Business strategy and ICT
 Mobile technology and work
 ID cards debate

ICT in use influences and is influenced by the social context as well as by its technical characteristics
We draw on the social sciences (e.g. economic, social, organisational, and political viewpoints)
We have worked in, and done research on, complex infrastructures:
• knowledge management
• financial networks
• health information systems
• systems development / software engineering
• open-source processes
Pegasus builds on and will contribute to this stream of work

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Three year project funded by the EPSRC:
“ Usability challenges from escience”
Project started 1 st June for 3 years.
Members:
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Dr Will Venters (Lecturer – LSE)
Dr Tony Cornford (Senior Lecturer – LSE)
Dr Mark Lancaster (Senior Lecturer in PP – UCL)
 Dr Yingqin Zheng (Project Research Officer -LSE)
 Avgousta Kyriakidou (Project student -LSE)
Advisory Group:
 Prof. Tony Doyle, Prof. Steve Lloyd,
Dr Elaine Ferneley, Dr Susan Scott,
Prof. Wanda Orlikowski.
Will
Tony
Avgousta
Yingqin
Mark

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We aim to study GridPP’s approach to e-science infrastructure development, deployment and use, and as a mix of technology, practices, knowledge, people, cultures, institutions, and politics…
 We study GridPP as a means to “do” science .
 Relevant for improving the potential of other Grids, and to inform other large infrastructures (e.g. NHS
“connecting for health”, financial clearing and settlement …).

 Our interest is in how complex infrastructures develop and evolve
 particle physicists are pragmatic: contrast to other developers
(e.g. consultancies, corporations)
 particle physicists are distributed and have for a long time worked together as a "virtual organisation"; of great interest to others in e-science.
 GridPP has to deliver on time for LHC

 We trace:
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 development of GridPP; what influences the technology; how GridPP comes to be used for the LHC; how this use affects GridPP
 We are interested not just in the rationalistic processes of design, but in the emergent behaviours, the improvisation in practices, the dynamic competences which evolve
Image courtesy of PPARC
 For many areas of IS development these are crucial issues:
 global and distributed approaches, collaborations, and contingent ways of processes of innovation

Ethnography /
Interviews
Data Collection
Qualitative analysis using tools
Analysis
Journals
E-Science guidance
Education
Publication

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BUT…the particle detector is looking at “objective” particles: we are looking at intelligent, complicated humans
We cannot do a scientific experiment – instead we employ a technique from anthropology: Ethnography
 Not devolved objective observers (we know that doesn’t work!)
 Observe, discuss, experience and participate
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Interest in cultures, values, ways of working
Concerned with people’s interpretations
Confidentiality and Impartiality
Avoid bias from dominant opinions, or the researcher
 We are not from particle physics or computer science – so we can and will ask the “stupid” questions

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Over the next two to three years we will be:
 Attending Meetings etc. of GridPP, LCG, EGEE…
 Visiting workplaces (including UCL!)
 Asking questions
 Observing the technology in development and in use
 Reading and analysing documents
 Interviewing (usually around an hour)
 Taking lots of notes!
And analysing the results!

Grid Developers
(middleware)
Grid Users
(Actual and potential)
Grid
Deployment
(GridPP)

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Embedded PP practices are reflected in the way
Grid technology is being developed and the way the collaborative effort is organised. e.g. common goal, long term vision, improvisation, distributed collaboration, virtual organizations
Reliability, Scalability, and Efficiency
Mediating the specificity of PP computing and generality of grid infrastructure
Heedful systems and distributed cognition are emerging areas of theoretical focus.
(Weick and
Hutchins)

 Existing theories of infrastructure suggest infrastructure must be
(Star and Ruhleder)
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Embedded inside other technologies and social arrangements
Built upon the installed base reflecting an inertia.
Transparent in use (and not reinvented for each task)
Only visible upon breakdown.
Reach beyond a single event or practice.
Learnt as part of “becoming” a member of a community.
Embodied in standards (negotiated with other infrastructure)
 We aim to draw upon, and contribute to such literature using, e.g. concepts such as bricolage, situated actions, virtual organisations, translation and inscription.

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From all this observation we will write a set of “thick descriptions” describing:
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How the needs of the LHC shape GridPP
How GridPP is understood by, and comes to be used by, particle physicists preparing for the LHC
How GridPP is actually put to use by particle physicists in research using the data from LHC
 Using these reports to produce a framework and set of guidance for others developing similar Grids (including engineering, businesses and government).

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The insights from the PP community and the way you work will be of value to other scientific communities.
Help promote the work of GridPP as a national infrastructure for particle physics.
Help demystify particle physics, and let the public learn about the process of technological innovation within contemporary science.
Help the PP users reflect on their own practices with computing technology.
Provide an alternative perspective on experimental PP work.

INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND
INNOVATION GROUP
Will Venters – UCL – 23/2/07 w.venters@lse.ac.uk
www.pegasusresearch.org.uk