Workshop on Science Applications and Infrastructure in Clouds and Grids

The "Science Applications and Infrastructure in Clouds and Grids" workshop is a follow-on to our two previous workshops on High Performance Applications of Cloud and Grid Tools held in April, 2011 and Science Agency Uses of Clouds and Grids held July, 2011.

Science in general continues to make increasing use of advanced computing methods to process and visualize data, to perform simulations for comparison with expensive or difficult experiments, to extend the reach of theory beyond accessible experimental ranges, and to mine results from large collections of complex data.

Cyberinfrastructures and e-infrastructures are being used to carry out these computations and data processing in ways that both enable individual researchers and that support collaborations between researchers. As time goes on, clouds are increasingly being used to broaden and extend the range of tools used to meet demands for computing and data services.

Previous workshops in this series have been used to explore the high-performance range of cloud and grid applications and to discuss science agency uses of clouds and grids. The purpose of this workshop is to investigate cloud and grid framework software efforts and applications in greater detail, exploring ways in which cloud resources are being used to complement or supplement resources from traditional grids, supercomputing, and local cluster resources for science. 

•     What are the benefits in moving to a cloud model, and are clouds best used in conjunction with other resources?
•     Are some areas of research better suited to the cloud than others?Are some areas not suited at all?
•     How does the different cost model affect research, planning, and funding?
•     How do trust issues and other constraints affect the uptake of cloud resources?
•     What sort of scientific applications are better suited to a cloud model? Which run better on grids?
•     What is missing to improve the uptake of cloud resources? What is missing at the cyber/einfrastructure layers? What is missing in the applications and supporting libraries?
•     How can scientific research best make use of the work coming out of the many cloud projects and related activities?
•     What are the roles of standards and interoperation in improving the uptake of research in the clouds? How can we improve on the situation?

We invite prospective participants to submit brief abstracts, on the order of one paragraph, on any of the related topics from the above list to the workshop organizers, and to request special topics for consideration if so inclined. We are also interested in presentations on forefront applications and/or framework infrastructures useful in clouds and grids in support of science application areas. These will be considered for acceptance for a short (order 20 to 30 minute) presentation at the workshop, to be followed up by an optional short position paper to be published in the workshop report.

Deadline for submission of abstracts is Feb 24, 2012.  To submit an abstract visit the workshop website.

Logistics:
The workshop will be free to attend but we ask you to register beforehand. It is expected that the workshop day will be scheduled for Thursday March 15, possibly extending to the morning of Friday 16th, depending on the number and quality of submissions.