Briefings

Supercomputing: Empowering research – February 2011

Computer simulations have evolved as an essential part of scientific research, complementing theory and experiment. Scientists and engineers use simulations when problems are complex, or experiments are too dangerous, expensive, or impossible to carry out. Today supercomputing has simulated rat brains, tested engineering structures and modelled global warming. Investment in these technologies can lead to real economic benefits while ensuring researchers remain internationally competitive.

Mapping the e-Infrastructure Landscape - November 2010

Today the World Wide Web provides information for people across the globe but, as yet, no single networked system provides a similar service for researchers to help them access, share, store and process large amounts of data. With this in mind three reports – a “Blue Paper” from the e-Infrastructure Reflection group (e-IRG), a High Level Expert Group report on Scientific Data and the Distributed Computing Infrastructure Collaborative Roadmap – have recently detailed ways in which Europe’s e-Infrastructures can work together to ensure a more integrated service. This briefing details the findings of these reports and the actions we can take to provide a harmonised landscape of services for our researchers.

Putting the 'e' in education: eLearning and grid computing - July 2010

Computers and the Internet have transformed our homes and businesses, and have the potential to do the same for education and training. Known as eLearning, using such technologies can be as simple as accessing a school timetable online, through to running virtual communities for sharing and creating knowledge. This briefing looks at the issues surrounding the topic, and how grid technologies and Europe's e-Infrastructures can play a part in this new way of learning.

The Future needs of the ESFRI projects - June 2010

In April 2010 the European e-Infrastructure Forum released a report that examined the requirements of the ESFRI-projects and outlined the services and resources that the e-Infrastructure community can offer. This briefing summarises that report and the issues it raises.

The European Grid Infrastructure (EGI) - May 2010

On 1 May 2010, EGI took over the coordination of European grid infrastructure. Through the previous DataGrid and Enabling Grids for E-SciencE (EGEE) projects, researchers across the globe reaped the benefits of grid technologies. Now EGI.eu, the organisation established to coordinate EGI, hopes to continue this trend. A discussion of the opportunities and challenges EGI faces on the road to a sustainable future.

The Data-centric Age - April 2010

It is estimated that more scientific data will be generated in the next five years than in the history of mankind. But while more data provides opportunities for new discoveries and fields of inquiry it has created problems with regards to storage, curation, access and analysis. This GridBriefing provides a snapshot of the most pertinent topics resulting from the so-called data deluge.

Digitizing culture: Grids and eHumanities - December 2009

The era of eHumanities has arrived. No longer consigned to manuscript, memory or museums, digitization is transferring the humanities to our computers. “Our original sources are scattered in many ways: historical documents in archives and libraries, works of art in museums, archaeological finds in ancient sites, disappearing languages on the tongues of native speakers,” says Peter Doorn, director of the proposed humanities infrastructure, DARIAH.

Transferring technology: Grids in Business - October 2009

Grid technology is used in a number of differing areas - from biomedicine to geoscience. However, grid technologies can also be used outside the academic arena - helping organizations to provide enhanced processing power, access distributed resources and form stronger collaborations. A look at how the technology and expertise created by the grid community can be used in the commercial world.

The future of Healthcare - eHealth and Grid Computing - September 2009

From a patient's heart monitor to electronic health records, ICT has integrated itself into all aspects of healthcare with grid computing playing a key role. A closer look at how eHealth and grids are shaping the future of healthcare. Also available in Spanish.

A Greener Way? Grids and Green Computing - July 2009

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing us in the 21st century and, across the globe, efforts are being made to cut down on energy usage and carbon emissions. How grid computing and green ICT can help us reach the European Union's green targets by 2012. Also available in Spanish.

The future of innovation: developing Europe's ICT einfrastructures - April 2009

What do Europe's ICT infrastructures look like now? What needs to happen over the next ten years to ensure we remain competitive? Summarizing the achievements and challenges of European e-infrastructures for e-science.

Facing the skills shortage: attracting more women to ICT - March 2009

How can we encourage more women to go into Information and Communication Technologies? Analyzing the situation of women in ICT and ways in which we can increase their number.

Grids and clouds - January 2009

What's the difference between a grid and a cloud? How can these technologies interact? Investigating the role of grids and clouds in providing the extra computing power needed for European innovation.

European Grid Initiative - September 2008

What is the European Grid Initiative? What does it hope to achieve? Summarizing the blueprint for EGI: towards a sustainable long-term European grid infrastructure.

What is a grid? - August 2008

How do grids work? Why are they useful? Introducing grid computing, with case studies of its application to high energy physics, fusion energy, malaria control and more.

Grids and standardization - June 2008

What are grid standards? How is the grid community meeting the standards challenge? Examining the standards debate and the need (or otherwise) for grid standards