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Ringrid assesses remote instrumentation in grids

Brazil and Chile take part in the project

In October, the international scientific community started the project Remote Instrumentation in Next-generation Grids (Ringrid). Latin-American Collaboration of Advanced Network (Clara) takes part in the project through the national networks of Chile (Reuna) and Brazil (RNP). The aim is to assess and propose patterns for the use of remote instrumentation in computational grids.

Institutions from Poland, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Mexico, Italy, Austria and the UK also participate in the project financed by European Union’s Information Society Technologies program, with an eighteen-month time limit and a budget of one million euros.

The computational grids, Ringrid’s object of study, allow the users to access, in an integrated way, computers, instruments and database from different sources. The access to industrial and scientific equipment, independently of its location, unifies and helps the researchers’ job a great deal. The aggregation of such resources into transcontinental infrastructures allows the execution of large-scale projects, which would not be feasible in local installations. The outcome is the creation of new opportunities for science, industry and business.

An example of that is the use of such technology by astrophysicists. In November, Laboratory of National Astrophysics (LNA) finished the tests to capture in its computers practically live images generated by Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (Soar), in Chile. Ringrid will study and assess the astronomers’ simultaneous use of those images all over the world.

Another benefited Brazilian institute is Synchrotron Light National Laboratory (LNLS) which will test the remote instrumentation of its electronic microscopes and the use of the synchrotron light through Ringrid.

A more widely spread adoption of remote instruments, one of Ringrid’s goals, will facilitate the routine of researchers from other institutions and reduce the costs of experiments and observations since scholars will have access to instruments without displacement, saving time and travel expenses, consequently. The first meeting held at Poznam’s Supercomputation and Networks Center, in Poland, had the presence of Mr. Michael Stanton, RNP’s Innovation Director.

Further information about Ringrid at: http://www.rnp.br/pd/grades/ringrid.html .

[RNP, 10.30.2006]