What is Cyberinfrastructure?

Craig StewartIndiana University

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• Please cite as: Stewart, C.A. 2010. What is Cyberinfrastructure? Presentation. ACM SIGUCCS 2010 Annual Meeting, 24-27 October, Norfolk, VA. http://hdl.handle.net/2022/13987

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Cyberinfrastructure as defined by Indiana University• Cyberinfrastructure consists of computing

systems, data storage systems, advanced instruments and data repositories, visualization environments, and people, all linked together by software and high performance networks to improve research productivity and enable breakthroughs not otherwise possible.

The birth of a new word

• Derived in late ‘90s from foundational work in computer grids

• Gained widespread usage following 2003’s “Revolutionizing Science and Engineering Through Cyberinfrastructure: Report of the National Science Foundation Blue-Ribbon Advisory Panel on Cyberinfrastructure” (aka the Atkins Report)

• Based on “infrastructure,” a relatively new term

Okay, so what’s infrastructure?

• Merriam-Webster- Underlying foundation or basic framework (as of a

system or organization- Permanent installations required for military

purposes- System of public works of a country, state, or

region; also: resources required for an activity

• Oxford Dictionary of English- Basic physical and organizational structures and

facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for operation of a society or enterprise

Put them together and…

• Cyberinfrastructure: an infrastructure for knowledge

The evolution of language

• Cyberinfrastructure consists of computational systems, data and information management, advanced instruments, visualization environments, and people, all linked together by software and advanced networks to improve scholarly productivity and enable knowledge breakthroughs and discoveries not otherwise possible.

(2009 joint report of EDUCAUSE Campus Cyberinfrastructure Working Group and Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation)

Break it down

• Three discrete elements- Technology- People- Effect

• A supercomputer may be a component of cyberinfrastructure, but does not in isolation constitute cyberinfrastructure

• People are a key element

How do you know?

• What distinguishes cyberinfrastructure from information technology infrastructure?- People!- Also…

• Linkage of technology elements by software and high performance networks into a larger system

• Use of cyberinfrastructure having as its outcome the improvement of research productivity and breakthroughs not otherwise possible

I’ll take “cyberinfrastructure examples” for $300, Alex…• Open Science Grid• TeraGrid• Other examples at Indiana University

Simulation of gas giant planet formation

• An astronomer (3) views results of simulations on PSC’s Pople and NCSA’s Cobalt supercomputers (1) as they are written to IU’s Data Capacitor (2)

• Further analysis of data takes place on MSU’s Talon supercomputer (4)

How is it cyberinfrastructure?

• The simulations involve supercomputers, data storage systems, and visualization systems- At different geographical locations- Linked by networks (TeraGrid) and middleware

(Globus and the Coordinated TeraGrid Software and Services)

- With a researcher as an integral component of execution

LEAD II: Bridging the gap

• Research solutions often involve analyzing boundaries between systems- Agriculture: How often to apply fungicide to

minimize potato blight?- Meteorology: What are the ideal times to apply

fungicide?

• Cyberinfrastructure bridges the gap between sophisticated data products and information from one domain (meteorology) and application in another (agriculture)

Linked Environments for Atmospheric Discovery: LEAD II Science Gateway

How is it cyberinfrastructure?

• A user composes a computation by connecting tasks through a graphical interface in the LEAD II Science Gateway

• The task is handed to a workflow engine, which runs it

• LEAD II workflows require hundreds of CPUs and produce gigabytes of data which must be analyzed

• LEAD II pioneered the community account as a way for researchers to execute computationally intensive analysis and modeling tools on the TeraGrid

Polar Grid

• Polar ice caps are decreasing

• Traditional analysis couldn’t occur till researchers returned from the field- Accuracy and quality

unknown until too late- Had to wait a year to

repeat experimentsPhoto courtesy Keith Lehigh, Indiana University

How is it cyberinfrastructure?

• Ruggedized equipment allows scientists to begin data analysis in the field- Pinpoint collection errors and identify areas of interest for

further collection- Adjust experiments accordingly

• Polar Grid equipment in Greenland is used to transfer, process, visualize, and store data collected from air and surface radar and sensors and transmit it back to the US

• An excellent example of cyberinfrastructure enabling innovations and discoveries not otherwise possible

FutureGrid

• Cyberinfrastructure for computational science- Creates a hardware, network, and software

environment in which researchers can perform and replicate experimental research

- Humans interact with cyberinfrastructure to create new software for future cyberinfrastructure

Where is cyberinfrastructure going?

• Used often since 2003’s Atkins Report• NSF has announced new strategic

initiative: Cyberinfrastructure for 21st Century Research

• Capability vs. reliability- We accept uncertainty in cyberinfrastructure

that we wouldn’t accept in traditional infrastructure such as plumbing or electricity

- Cyberinfrastructure – as a term and as a concept – will continue to develop over time

Related terms

• Science Gateway: interactive interface providing end-to-end support for a particular workflow- Common components

• Data search and discovery• Security• User private data storage• Workflow tools• Tracking data provenance

- Examples• LEAD II• nanoHUB (Purdue)

Related terms

• eScience: large scale science increasingly carried out by global collaborations enabled by the Internet- Require access to very large data collections,

very large scale computing resources, and high performance visualization

- More about cyber-enabled science and less about the underlying infrastructure

Related terms

• Cybersecurity: measures taken to protect a computer or computer system against unauthorized access

Conclusions

• Two useful, useable definitions of cyberinfrastructure, depending on context

Cyberinfrastructure consists of computing systems, data storage systems, advanced instruments and data repositories, visualization environments, and people, all linked together by software and high performance networks to improve research productivity and enable breakthroughs not otherwise possible.

Cyberinfrastructure consists of computational systems, data and information management, advanced instruments, visualization environments, and people, all linked together by software and advanced networks to improve scholarly productivity and enable knowledge breakthroughs and discoveries not otherwise possible.

Questions?

Acknowledgements

• Research was supported in part by NSF- OCI-0116050, OCI-0338618, OCI-0451237, OCI-0504075, CNS-

0521433, OCI-0721656, OCI-0721674, CNS-0723054, OCI-0910812, AGS-0331480, OCI-1002526, and OCI-0928542

• Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation

• Thanks to Thomas Sterling and to CASC/EDUCAUSE workshop organizers and participants who helped develop a definition of cyberinfrastructure