Scientists Given Free Access to Cloud

[Another example why content peering at major IXs will be critical for future of scientific research. More and more research projects need access to global Internet community for crowd sourcing, cloud computing, distribution of educational video and citizen science. Excerpts from NY Times and Dan Reed’s blog – BSA]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/science/05cloud.html?hpw

U.S. Scientists Given Access to Cloud
The National Science Foundation and the Microsoft Corporation have agreed to offer American scientific researchers free access to the company’s new cloud computing service.

A goal of the three-year project is to give scientists the computing power to cope with exploding amounts of research data. It uses Microsoft’s Windows Azure computing system, which the company recently introduced to compete with cloud computing services from companies like Amazon, Google, I.B.M. and Yahoo. These cloud computing systems allow organizations and individuals to run computing tasks and Internet services remotely in relatively low-cost data centers.

Neither Microsoft nor the foundation was willing to place a dollar amount on the agreement, but Dan Reed, the corporate vice president for technology strategy and policy at Microsoft, said that the company was prepared to invest millions of dollars in the service and that it could support thousands of scientific research programs.

Access to the service will come in grants from the foundation to new and continuing scientific research. Microsoft executives said they planned eventually to make the new service global.
[…]
Simplicity of use is one Microsoft goal. Programming modern cloud systems for full efficiency has been difficult. The company is trying to overcome this difficulty in creating a variety of software tools for scientists, said Ed Lazowska, a University of Washington computer scientist who works with the Microsoft researchers.

Dr. Lazowska said the explosion of data being collected by scientists had transformed the staffing needs of the typical scientific research program on campus from a half-time graduate student one day a week to a full-time employee dedicated to managing the data. He said such exponential growth in cost was increasingly hampering scientific research

http://www.hpcdan.org/reeds_ruminations/2010/02/innovation-via-client-plus-cloud-microsoft-nsf-partnership.html

Innovation Via Client Plus Cloud: Microsoft-NSF Partnership

Today, February 4, Microsoft and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a collaborative project where Microsoft will offer individual researchers and research groups (selected through NSF's merit review process) free access to advanced client-plus-cloud computing. Our focus is on empowering researchers via intuitive and familiar client tools whose capabilities extend seamlessly in power and scope via the cloud.

I am very excited about this, as it is the fruit of nearly two years of planning and collaboration across Microsoft product and research teams, as well as many discussions with researchers, university leaders and government agencies. As part of this project, a technical computing engagement team, led by Dennis Gannon and Roger Barga, will work directly with NSF-funded researchers to port, extend and enhance client tools for data analysis and modeling. We also appreciate the support of the Microsoft Dreamspark, Technical Computing, Windows Azure, Azure Dallas, Public Sector, education and evangelism (DPE) teams, among others, to build and deliver this capability.

21st Century Innovation

The brief history of computing is replete with social and technological inflection points, when a set of quantitative and qualitative technology changes led to new computing modalities. I believe we are now at such an inflection point in computing-mediated discovery and innovation, enabled by four social and technical trends:
• Massive, highly efficient cloud infrastructures, driven by search and social networking demands
• Explosive data growth, enabled by inexpensive sensors and high-capacity storage
• Research at the interstices of multiple disciplines, conducted by distributed, virtual teams
• Powerful, popular and easy-to-use client tools that facilitate data analysis and modeling

The first two of these are well documented, and I have written about them before. (See Beyond the Azure Blue and Language Shapes Behavior: Our Poor Cousin Data.) The late Jim Gray also lectured and wrote perspicuously about data-intensive scientific discovery, which he called The Fourth Paradigm. As a logical complement to theory, experiment and computation, the fourth paradigm is based on extracting insight from the prodigious amounts of social, business and scientific data now stored in facilities whose scale now dwarfs all previous computing capabilities.

Climate change and its environmental, economic and social implications; genetics, proteomics, lifestyle, environment, health care and personalized medicine; economics, global trade, social dynamics and security – these are all complex, multidisciplinary problems whose exploration and understanding depend critically on expertise from diverse disciplines with differing cultures and reward metrics.
As our research problems rise in complexity, the enabling tools must rise commensurately in power while retaining simplicity. I have seen far too many multidisciplinary projects founder on the rocks of infrastructure optimization and complexity, when they should have focused on simplicity, familiarity and ease of use.

As Fred Brooks once remarked, "We must build tools so powerful that full professors want to use them, and so simple that they can." Simplicity really, really matters. It is for this reason that Excel spreadsheets, high-level scripting languages and domain-specific client toolkits are now the lingua franca of multidisciplinary innovation, the harbingers of invisibility.

Invisible Simplicity
[..]
Sadly, our technical computing experiences have been dominated and shaped by a focus on technology and infrastructure, rather than empowerment and simplicity. We talk routinely of data and software repositories, toolkits and packages; of cyberinfrastructure and technology roadmaps. In our technological fascination, it is all too easy to lose sight of the true objective. Infrastructure exists to enable. If it is excessively complex, cumbersome or difficult to use, its value is limited. The mathematician Richard Hamming's admonition remains apt: "The purpose of computing is insight, not numbers."

Empowering the Majority

To address 21st century challenges, we must democratize access to data and computational models, recognizing that the computing cognoscenti are, by definition, the minority of those who can and should benefit from computing-mediated innovation and discovery. Instead, we must enfranchise the majority, those who do not and will not use the low-level technologies – clusters, networks, file systems and databases – but wish to ask and answer complex questions. Remember, most researchers do not write low-level code; nor should they need to.

I believe we must focus on human productivity, not cyberinfrastructure, and leverage popular and intuitive client tools that hide infrastructural idiosyncrasies. This means deploying tools like Excel that can manipulate data of arbitrary size, reaching into the cloud to access petabytes of data and executing massive computations for epidemiological analysis as easily as one might balance a checkbook. It means coupling multiple, domain-specific toolkits via a script of a dozen lines, and launching a parametric microclimate study as easily as one searches the web. Perhaps more importantly, it means rethinking public and private sector partnerships for innovation, identifying and leveraging core competencies.
It all comes back to simplicity and invisibility. Technical computing can and should be an invisible intellectual amplifier, as easy to use as any other successful consumer technology. Now is the time; and Microsoft is committed to making it a reality. We look forward to working with the community.


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email: Bill.St.Arnaud@gmail.com
twitter: BillStArnaud
blog: http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com/
skype: Pocketpro

The Future of Higher Education and ICT - Research 3.0

[By popular demand I have started a new e-mail list to continue deliver information on subjects that I remain passionate about, especially related to R&E networks, green IT etc. In particular I will be expanding upon the subject of the Future of Higher Education and ICT in the coming weeks as I believe that clouds, content distribution networks and cyber-infrastructure are not only transforming education but will have a major impact on innovation in general and continue to drive the Internet revolution. Green IT and new wireless Internet will play a big part. I think R&E networks, once again can play an important leadership role especially in those later two areas (yes wireless). These 2 papers: the first a collaborative effort by Educause, JISC, CAUDIT and the SURF foundation and the second by JISC point to an exciting future for Higher Education, Research and ICT. Thanks to Donald Clark and Richard Ackerman for these pointers. Please see instructions below if you want to subscribe or unsubscribe to this list. It is also available on Twitter and my blog – BSA]



The Future of Higher Education and ICT – Research 3.0



http://bit.ly/5ejtEl



Information technology supports virtually every aspect of higher education, including finances, learning, research, security, and sustainability, and IT professionals need to understand the range of problems their institutions face so they apply IT where it brings greatest value. Creating this future will require collaboration across organizational and national boundaries, bringing together the collective intelligence of people from backgrounds including education, corporations and government.








Research 3.0: driving the knowledge economy

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/campaigns/res3.aspx





Digital technologies are rapidly changing the type of research we can tackle and the way researchers work. How will research be in future? As the key provider of the digital infrastructure for UK higher education and research, JISC is seeking answers to this question during the Research 3.0 campaign.

See our Research 3.0 video3 for more about the issues we’re addressing, go to our blog4 to give your views and say what are the important issues for you, or see what others are saying.

You can also find out what JISC is doing for research and researchers by going to our research lifecycle diagram5 and watch videos showing how researchers from different disciplines use digital technologies6 in their research.

------

email: Bill.St.Arnaud@gmail.com

twitter: BillStArnaud

blog: http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com/

skype: Pocketpro

Middle mile architecture using anchor institutions such as universities, schools, etc critical to future of broadband

[Just released report on the Recovery Act Investments in Broadband stresses the critical role of the middle mile in connecting small rural communities using anchor institutions such as universities, schools, hospitals, etc. The report cites the investment NSF made in the early regional networks as a precedent. NRENs and/or RONs can play a critical role in this regard -- BSA]

http://bit.ly/8nTBBA


RECOVERY ACT INVESTMENTS IN BROADBAND:
LEVERAGING FEDERAL DOLLARS TO CREATE JOBS AND CONNECT AMERICA

Bill St. Arnaud is leaving CANARIE

All:

With mixed emotions and many fond memories I will be leaving CANARIE as of January 8.

Over the past 15 years of tenure at CANARIE I am very proud to feel that I have made a small contribution to several significant developments in the areas of customer owned networks, user controlled lightpaths, development of infrastructure as service, various broadband initiatives and most recently in looking at how networks and cyber-infrastructure can help address the challenge of climate change.

I strongly believe that research and education networks will continue to play a critical in today's society not only in supporting next generation research such as cyber-infrastructure but in continuing to demonstrate new Internet and broadband architectures and business models.

I now look forward to pursing new opportunities related to my on going passion for Internet networking, especially in the area of developing network and ICT tools to mitigate climate change.

I will continue to personally blog, tweet and e-mail as usual on the subject of Internet, climate change and R&E networking in general as per the following coordinates:

e-mail: Bill.St.Arnaud@gmail.com
twitter: BillStArnaud
Facebook: Bill St. Arnaud
skype: pocketpro
blog: http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com/
or http://green-broadband.blogspot.com

It has been a fantastic experience working at CANARIE and I will depart with long memories of working with so many engaging and brilliant colleagues within CANARIE and throughout the world.

Until we meet again

Bill

New digital strategy launched for UK universities by JISC

[JISC has been at the forefront of many global technology
developments for education and research. They have been one of the
early champions of the use of clouds and understanding the impact of
Green IT-- BSA]

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/Home/news/stories/2009/12/strategy.aspx

JISC launches 2010-2012 strategy

The UK is at risk of losing its world-leading reputation for
education, unless it continues to invest in digital technologies to
meet the ever-changing needs of modern learners, researchers and the
academic community says JISC, in its three-year strategy which
launches today.

The strategy1 outlines a vision of the future whereby a robust
technological infrastructure is required to meet the shifting needs of
the 21st century education community. JISC believes it is crucial that
the UK’s education system continues to compete on the international
stage by investing in innovation, research and increasing the
availability of online resources.



Recent JISC projects, such as the Google Generation and sustainable
ICT studies, have defined a new world for teaching and learning and
have outlined the infrastructure needed to support it. With new
technologies constantly evolving, sustained investment is needed to
pioneer their use. Over the last decade JISC has invested its research
and development funds in around 200 universities and colleges to help
uncover new products, approaches and systems as well as increase
skills and capacity.

JISC through JANET has developed a world-leading computer network and
technical backbone which has transformed the way that technology is
used and understood. Now, a network once used by a select few purely
for cutting-edge research allows millions in education and research to
share, manipulate, analyse and reuse digital content from around the
world. It is also the first national research and education network in
the world to complete a 100Gbit/s network trial that is nearly two
hundred thousand times faster than the average broadband connection.

As the web continues to transform life in the education sector, JISC,
through its services will guide individuals and organisations to make
effective use of digital technology through training and staff
development

JISC’s strategy outlines four key areas of investment:

* effective, creative approaches to teaching and an enhanced
learning experience;

* increased research quality and innovative approaches to support
the research process;

* efficient and effective institutions;

* shared infrastructure and resources.

Within these four areas, focus will be given to online learning,
management information systems, cloud computing, innovation and
impact.

The launch of JISC's strategy 2010-2012, follows a period of
consultation in which UK higher and further education institutions,
membership bodies, mission groups, and key partners were invited to
respond and help inform the strategy’s final direction. The strategy
has been written to ensure JISC’s planned future investment
priorities focus on the areas of greatest importance to those in
education and research.

AARNet salutes the 20th anniversary of the Internet in Australia

[Congratulations to AARnet. Australia has been undertaking some very innovative approaches to networking - first with AARnet and now NBN. Great video on Youtube celebrating their 20th anniversary- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPDZd4VNIWI. Some excerpts -- BSA]

http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/327868/aarnet_salutes_20th_anniversary_internet_australia



Pioneer of the Internet launches book to commemorate historical milestones

Sydney, AUSTRALIA – 26 November 2009 – The Governor-General of Australia, Ms Quentin Bryce, AC, will launch a book today at Admiralty House, commissioned by AARNet (Australia’s Academic and Research Network) to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Internet in Australia.

AARNet – 20 years of the Internet in Australia documents the history of how the Internet network was established in Australia through AARNet. The book explores how Australia’s commercial Internet network, as we know it today, was originally developed by AARNet. It also documents key individuals, events and milestones that led to the growth and development of a high-speed Internet network dedicated to Australia’s research and education institutions.

[...]


The need for a dedicated high-speed Internet network to serve the research and education community was developed out of the special demands for a network that had the speed and capacity to manage innovative projects and collaboration between Australian and international researchers. AARNet’s unique governance and funding arrangements meant its network was always more technically advanced and affordable. AARNet has showcased how innovation and collaboration is possible and is future proofing potential applications for the National Broadband Network into the future.

[..]

Today, AARNet serves over one million users in Australia’s research, tertiary education and scientific sectors. AARNet continues to demonstrate its relevance and importance in promoting collaboration and innovation in Australia through its high-speed network, which will complement the advent of the National Broadband Network.

Harnessing Openness to Improve Research, Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

[A very useful overview of the impact of open courseware, open source software, open collaboration, and much more. The report emphasizes the point that institutions should be focusing on developing new tools and policies to support openness rather those that restrict access or require prior permission such as federated access, Shibboleth, Eduroam etc. While some applications will always require such permission based technologies, they should always be seen as a last resort subject to identifying alternative open solutions. Thanks to Mike Nelson for this posting on Dave Farber’s IPer list – BSA]

"Harnessing Openness to Improve Research, Teaching and Learning in Higher Education," a report by the Digital Connections Council of the Committee for Economic Development Committee
http://www.ced.org/images/library/reports/digital_economy/dcc_opennessedu09.pdf

CED’s Digital Connections Council (DCC), a group of information technology experts from trustee-affiliated companies, was established to advise CED on the policy issues associated with cutting-edge technologies.


The rise of the Internet and the digitization of information are affecting every corner of our lives. In a series of reports we have examined how these two changes are increasing the “openness” of information, processes and institutions.

The degree of openness of information, for example, can differ dramatically. To the extent that people have access to information, without restrictions, that information is more open than information to which people have access only if they are subscribers, or have security clearances, or have to go to a particular
location to get it. But accessibility, quite similar to the concept of transparency, is only one aspect of openness. The other is responsiveness. Can one change the information, repurpose, remix, and redistribute it? Information (or a process or an institution) is more open when there are fewer restrictions on access, use, and responsiveness.

The Internet, in particular, has vastly expanded openness. It is changing the nature of information, processes and institutions by making them more accessible to people next door and around the world. It also makes information more responsive—capable of being enhanced, or degraded, through the digital contributions of anyone interested enough to make the effort, be they experts, devoted amateurs, people withan ax to grind, or the merely curious.

In this report we examine higher education through the lens of openness. Our goal is to understand the potential impact of greater openness on colleges and universities. Like other service industries such as finance or entertainment, higher education is rooted in information—its creation, analysis, and transmission
—and the development of the skills required to utilize it for the benefit of individuals and society.

But finance and entertainment have been transformed by greater openness while higher education appears, at least in terms of openness, to have changed much less. We aim, in this report to identify some of the potential gains from making higher education more open. We also make a series of concrete recommendations for
policy makers and for institutions of higher education that should help harness the benefits of greater openness.
[…]