The Globus Data Grid Effort: Experimental Projects
A number of scientific collaborations are currently building data grids for their own use, using the Globus data grid technologies as a starting point for their work. We work closely with these groups to define requirements on our core technologies and to coordinate development efforts. These groups have tested our software and provided valuable feedback and bug reports in addition to providing invaluable opportunities for "field tests".
Earth Systems Grid
The Earth Systems Grid (ESG) is an experimental data grid for scientists
collaborating on climate studies. The data is collected from ground and
satellite-based sensors or generated via simulations. Scientists can
register and "publish" their data for use by the community. Applications allow
scientists to specify parameters for climate model visualizations using
intuitive settings and then gather the required data from the community's
distributed data systems. A metadata catalog is used to identify relevant datasets and
files, and Globus data grid technologies are used to locate "nearby"
copies of the files and to transfer data to the local software using
high-speed data transfer.
European DataGrid
The European DataGrid project is an
international project for shared cost research and technological development.
The DataGrid project is focused on solving the data management and
analysis needs of the world-wide high-energy physics community and the next generation of
supercolliders at CERN.
GriPhyN
The GriPhyN (Grid Physics Network) collaboration
is a team of experimental physicists and information technology (IT) researchers
who plan to implement the first Petabyte-scale computational environments for
data intensive science in the 21st century.
The CMS and ATLAS experiments at the
Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN will search for the origins of mass and
probe matter at the smallest length scales; LIGO (Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-wave Observatory) will detect the gravitational waves of pulsars,
supernovae and in-spiraling binary stars; and SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) will carry out
an automated sky survey enabling systematic studies of stars, galaxies, nebula,
and large-scale structure.
Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation
NEESgrid is a virtual laboratory for
the earthquake engineering community. NEESgrid is funded by the National
Science Foundation for a
six month scoping study. The goal of the study is to develop a systems design
for integrating experimental and computational facilities for use by the
earthquake engineering community, which includes structural engineering, geotechnical
engineering, and tsunami research.
Particle Physics Data Grid
The Particle Physics Data Grid (PPDG) collaboration, like the European DataGrid
project, focuses on the needs of high-energy physicists. Composed mainly of
American institutions, PPDG is working toward the creation of a collaboratory
for particle physicists attempting to experimentally verify theories regarding
the fundamental nature of matter and energy.