Costa Rica also Signs the Mexico Declaration

At TICAL 2012 (Conference of Directors of Information Technology and Communication of Latin American Universities), in Lima, Peru, Costa Rica was presented with the declaration for the sustainability of the e-Infrastructure and did not hesitate to join in and signed it. Alvaro de La Ossa (right), the Executive Director of RedCONARE, the NREN of Costa Rica, signs in front of Luis Nuñes (left), from RedCLARA and GISELA, the declaration.

GISELA Latin American Institutions Contributed to it! (Higgs boson)

The CERN Director General has announced this morning (see below) the first observation of a particle consistent with the Higgs boson. The news is transforming to a snow ball being rolling all around the world in the TV and radio flashes.

The GISELA Community is particularly excited by the information. Indeed several Latin American Institutions, members of GISELA, such as UFRJ, UNAM, ULA, etc. are using its e-Infrastructure, in the framework of the Computing model of the LHC experiments in which they participate. The figure below shows the use of the GISELA e-Infrastructure by these institutions, for their various computing tasks such as simulation of physics processes, detector data processing and physics analysis. One should emphasize that Grid e-Infrastructures is a must for High Energy Physics experiments which could not otherwise deal with the sophisticated, CPU-consuming treatment of the data provided by their particle detectors. Hence it is really wonderful to observe, on a sensational case, the actual discovery power of Grid e-Infrastructures.

We take out of the event that Latin America made the right choice when investing, since more than 6 years in Grid e-Infrastructures, through the EC co-funded projects EELA (http://www.eu-eela.org), EELA-2 (http://www.eu-eela.eu/) and GISELA (http://www.gisela-grid.eu/). Finally we take the opportunity to underline the urgency to have the Latin American e-Infrastructure operation and its User support consolidated in the long term, to sustain e-Science over the continent, beyond its current outstanding outcomes.

Read the CERN Press Realease!

Now from Peru, Latin America Continues to Build e-Infrastructures

TICAL 2012 is the conference that held the Network of Information and Communication Technologies Directors from Latin American Universities (TICAL). Supporting by RedCLARA, TICAL offers an important space to discuss about the present and future of e-infrastructure services to Latin American needs, such as advanced computing services (Grid, HPC-Clouds), repositories management, high bandwidth communication,  and the pervasive interaction with the rest of the world, mainly with European partners.

This year, TICAL 2012 is in Lima, Peru, one of the most important capitals in the American continent. TICAL 2012, with more of 400 participants from different countries of Latin America (but also with North American and European guests), continues the reflection about the self sustainability, important in the GISELA-CHAIN conference was in Mexico last week. However, TICAL 2012 takes advantage of the participation of Latin American decision makers, directors of NRNE's and government representatives.

GISELA-CHAIN Conference social dinner

Last night GISELA-CHAIN Conference participants shared the dinner in a wonderful place called: Antigua Hacienda de Tlalpan.

Antigua Hacienda de Tlalpan

Delicious dishes were tasted, like Mole Negro and some other particular dishes like "Agave Worms" fried in olive oil.

Agave Worms

During the dinner, some NRENs personalities and the GISELA project coodinator established a discussion about the details of human resources needed to provide sustainability of the Grid services.

From left to right: Bernard Marechal (GISELA), Villie Morocho (CEDIA), Carlos Casasus (CUDI), Salma Jalife (CUDI) and Luis Núñez (RedCLARA)

First Roundtable on Sustainability of Latin America Grid Services

At the end of the first day of the GISELA-CHAIN Conference was carried out a roundtable on sustainability of the Grid services and Grid infrastructure in Latin America. Representatives from differents institutions of Europe and Latin America participated.

From left to right: Salma Jalife (CUDI -Mexico), Luis Núñez (RedCLARA), Luis Furlan (RAGIE - Guatemala), Rafael Ibarra (RAICES - El Salvador)

The main topic treated was about viable mechanisms and alternatives to support the services and the platform. Define clearly the specific services to be supported was another important point discussed. In this regard, participants agreed that one of the most important contribution of the GISELA project is the Science Gateway Portal, a web interface for the applications installed in the Grid. This service must have a high priority to be supported after GISELA. Others important services are:
maintenance of the infrastructure, integration of new application into the Science Wateway portal and disemination.

In this sense, some numbers of the needed staff have arisen. Measured in person per month (PM), the following requirements have been pointed out: 2PM for the operation of the platform, 1.5PM for the support to users and 0.3PM for the Resource Centres operation.

Representatives from several NRENs (CUDI, CEDIA) have made an informal offer to contribute with some resources to cover these necessities.

Flavors and Colors in GISELA-CHAIN Conference

Mole Rojo, Mexican Rice, Rajitas, Tortillas, Bean's Pot... fantastic colors and flavors of Mexican Food

Users of e-infrastructures are diverse, from biology scientists to social networks. And diversity is also the common denominator of the delicious Mexican food offered by local organizers to GISELA-CHAIN Conference participants.

Today, starting with worldwide structural biology community, passing for climatology researchers, seismic scientists and more..., Mexican rice, potatoes in sauce, "Rajitas" (some vegetables and peepers cut in slices with sauce),  Red "Mole" (really, there are not a good translation about it), "Frijoles de la Olla" (Bean's Pot), "Tortillas"..., and of course, the world famous Mexican hot chili peeper.

GISELA-CHAIN Conference Starts!!

GISELA-CHAIN Conference Principal Table during the Opening Session (Right to Left: Federico Ruggieri (Italy), Luis Mier y Teran (Mexico), Felipe Brancho (Mexico) and Bernard Marechal (Spain and Brazil, GISELA Coordinator)

In the middle of a beautiful nature environment, in the Jardines del Pedregal at UNAM Campus in Mexico City, the 2012 GISELA-CHAIN Conference starts. Open keynotes are around the social impact and the important role of information, collaboration and technology - as Grid Computing - in the advanced of the quality of life.

Researchers, Scientists, Engineers and users of 25 countries of LatinAmerica and Europe join this year to discuss about advances and challenges in the context of Grid Initiative Collaboration between  the two continents.

This year, the forum is addressed to treat two main subjects:

• Present outstanding results obtained by Scientific Communities using e-Infrastructures with focus on the advent of the new VRC-driven Science Gateway (SG) and their first outcomes;
• Discuss policies and plans for the long-term sustainability of SG-based Advanced Computing Services, with special emphasis on Latin America and under the auspices of RedCLARA.

2011 Itaracuça F2F GISELA Meeting: Thinking e-Science and Grid Computing Collaboration in America Latina

Among 3 days, GISELA  (Grid Initiatives for e-Science virtual communities in Europe and Latin America) members were joined in Itaracuça, Brazil to think the new actions face to Latin America community needs and perspectives. The board of 15 representatives and managers of different GISELA work package and CLARA  (Latin America Cooperation of Advanced Networks) transition teams, coordinated by Bernard Marechal, was discussed about actions and strategies to develop and evolve Grid computing infrastructure and support the research communities in accordance with specific and general needs. 

The action plan proposed for the board, implies different activities and strategies to ensure good dissemination of Grid Computing possibilities, custom user (and communities) support and the develop of infrastructure and oriented-services portfolio to scientists and academic communities.

In the picture (Standing right to left): Ramon Diacovo (WP4-NGI/LGI Infrastructure Services Manager, UFRJ Brazil), Bernard Maréchal (Project Coordinator, CETA-CIEMAT /UFRJ, Spain, Brazil), Phillipe Gavilet (Deputy Project Coordinator, CETA-CIEMAT/CERN, Spain, Switzerland), Herbert Hoeger (WP2-Dissemination and Outreach Manager, ULA, Venezuela), Diego Carvalho (WP3-User Communities Support Manager, CEFET-RJ, Brazil), Jesus Cruz Guzman (WP4-CLARA Transition Team, UNAM, Mexico), Luis Trejo Rodriguez (Technical Coordinator, ITESM, Mexico) and Carlos Jaime Barrios Hernandez (WP6-CLARA Transition Team, UIS, Colombia). (Sitting left to right): Luis Nuñez (CLARA Academic Communities Director, UIS/ULA, Colombia, Venezuela), Dago Hernando Bedoya Ortiz (WP3-CLARA Transition Team, RENATA, Colombia), Francisco Vilar Brasileiro (WP6-Intrastructure and Application-Oriented Services for User Communities Manager, UFCG, Brazil), Gilberto Javier Diaz Toro (WP5-Network Resource Provision Manager, ULA, Venezuela), Salma Jalife Villalón (Project Deputy Coordinador, CLARA, Mexico), Ysabel Briceño (WP2 Deputy, ULA, Venezuela) and Leandro Ciuffo (External Advisory Committee, RNP, Brazil)