Edmonton, AB (Dec 16, 2011) -- Space scientists will be ringing in the new year with an innovative new online platform for research and collaboration. The Cloud Enabled Space Weather Modelling and Simulation Platform (CESWP) project, managed by Cybera, has completed its test phase and will be accepting user applications in January 2012.
The CESWP project, launched in beta form in October 2009, was designed to simplify access to powerful compute resources for space weather modelling and simulations. These simulations are used to understand and predict harmful effects of solar storms on spacecraft, as well as weather and navigation satellites, and are often expensive and complicated to run. They require a large amount of heterogeneous computing and data resources, often from a variety of locations, which necessitates the availability of high-speed networks and IT. CESWP shields users from all of the associated complexities by integrating compute resources into a common platform through the use of open-source cloud computing software, and a remotely accessible web portal.
“The CESWP project is directly in line with Cybera’s goal to connect people – in this case, space scientists – using advanced computer resources, which will better enable them to perform leading-edge research,” says Robin Winsor, President and CEO of Cybera. “The project has also allowed Cybera to demonstrate what cloud computing is capable of, in terms of aiding big data research.”
“CESWP makes it easier for scientists anywhere in the world to develop and collaborate on space weather simulations, and run them on virtual machines (VMs) in the cloud,” says Robert Rankin, Professor of Physics at the University of Alberta, and Principal Investigator for CESWP. “This means space scientists can spend more time focusing on their research, which CESWP facilitates by allowing them to package models, software libraries and operating systems into VMs that can be transferred onto physical hardware with the click of a button.”
The $900,000 CESWP project is one of several Network-Enabled Platforms (NEP) Programs across Canada funded by CANARIE. These projects leverage CANARIE’s ultra-high capacity and high-speed research network to enable broader access to leading-edge research data and tools.
“The CESWP project, and others like it, accelerates research outcomes,” says Jim Roche, President and CEO of CANARIE. “By making these massive data sets and sophisticated tools easily available to a broad range of scientists and researchers, we are opening the door to new opportunities for discovery and innovation.”
“I’m looking forward to the launch of the CESWP,” says Hans De Sterck, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Waterloo. De Sterck contributed to the development and testing of the platform, and he built a space weather forecast model that will be deployed on CESWP. “Not only will this platform make it easier for my research team to develop complex models and simulations for predicting space weather, but it also creates a central location where we will be able to store information and develop models together, regardless of where our members are located.”
Other partners of the CESWP project include the Universities of Alberta, Calgary, New Brunswick and Waterloo. The University of California, Los Angeles, and Peking University in China are international participants. Cybera’s role with the beta stage of the project ends December 31, 2011.
Researchers interested in using CESWP are asked to register here.
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For more information, please contact:
Amanda Debenham
Communications Officer, Cybera
amanda.debenham@cybera.ca or 780.328.2366
BACKGROUNDER
About CESWP
CESWP represents the second phase of the Canadian Space Science Data Portal (CSSDP), a first round CANARIE NEP project. The CSSDP project was data-centric in facilitating access to distributed space science data from several sources through one online portal, simplifying the process of searching for, and retrieving, space research data. For more information on the project, visit www.ceswp.ca.
About Cybera
Cybera is a not-for-profit organization that works to spur and support innovation, for the economic benefit of Alberta, through the use of cyberinfrastructure. Cybera collaborates with public and private partners to accelerate research and product development in priority areas such as health, energy, environment, and emerging technologies. Cybera operates CyberaNet, a high-speed high-bandwidth advanced network in Alberta, and provides project management services to WestGrid / Compute Canada, a consortium that provides advanced computing in support of research across Canada. Follow Cybera on Twitter @cybera, Facebook or LinkedIn.
About CANARIE
CANARIE Inc. is Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network. Established in 1993, CANARIE manages an ultra high-speed network that supports leading-edge research and big science across Canada and around the world. One million researchers, scientists and students at over 1,100 Canadian institutions, including universities, colleges, research institutes, hospitals, and government laboratories have access to the CANARIE Network. Together with 12 provincial and territorial advanced network partners, CANARIE enables researchers to share and analyze massive amounts of data, like climate models, satellite images, and DNA sequences that can lead to groundbreaking scientific discoveries. CANARIE is a non-profit corporation supported by membership fees, with the major investment in its programs and activities provided by the Government of Canada. CANARIE keeps Canada at the forefront of digital research and innovation, fundamental to a vibrant digital economy. For additional information, please visit www.canarie.ca.
About Hans De Sterck
For more information on Hans De Sterck’s research, visit www.math.uwaterloo.ca/~hdesterc.
