LA Commits to the Sustainability of the e-Infrastructure (The Mexico Declaration)

One of the most relevant outcomes of the GISELA-CHAIN Conference held in Mexico City from June 27 to 29, was the commitment of LA institutions to inherit and sustain the GISELA e-Infrastructure. CEDIA, CUDI, RENATA, Uniandes and UNAM signed the following declaration:

Sostenibilidad de la e-Infraestructura de Grid y Cómputo Avanzado para la e-Ciencia en América Latina

Declaración

Conscientes que el Proyecto GISELA concluye el 31 de agosto de 2012, los representantes de las Redes Nacionales de Investigación y Educación(RNEIs) y RedCLARA presentes en la Conferencia GISELA-CHAIN celebrada en la ciudad de México, los días 27 al 29 de junio de 2012 reconocemos la importancia de dar continuidad a la e-infraestructura que se ha consolidado en los últimos seis años, con los proyectos EELA, EELA-2 y GISELA, como plataforma para el desarrollo de aplicaciones de e-Ciencia que requieren servicios de grid y cómputo avanzado.

Las RNEIs de Ecuador (CEDIA), México (CUDI) y Colombia (RENATA) se comprometen a buscar los recursos financieros para dar continuidad a la operación de la e-infraestructura en América Latina, que ha sido comprometida por las diferentes instituciones participantes en GISELA. Esto con el fin de poner a disposición de la investigación y la educación los recursos de cómputo avanzado y las redes de transporte en beneficio de la e-Ciencia que a su vez se manifieste en mejorar la calidad de vida de los pobladores de la región.

Para ello, en los meses de julio y agosto se intensificarán los trabajos del equipo de transición de CLARA (CLARA TT) quien coordinará con CEDIA, CUDI y RENATA el mecanismo de cambio de liderazgo y la nueva estructura que dará continuidad al proyecto GISELA y que buscará sumar esfuerzos con otras iniciativas regionales para fortalecer una organización latinoamericana de e-Infraestructura para la e-Ciencia.

México, D.F. a 29 de junio de 2012.

Por Ecuador        Por México            Por Colombia

CEDIA                CUDI                     RENATA
  
                         UNAM                   UNIANDES

Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia are committed to e-Science in AL

Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia signed the first regional agreement to continue the operation of the e-Infrastructure in Latin America, in order to make available for research and education advanced computing resources for the benefit of e-Science, impacting and promoting opportunities in strategic sectors of society such as health and environment.

CEDIA, CUDI, RENATA, the National Research and Education Networks of Ecuador, Mexico and Colombia respectively, as well as Universidad de Los Andes (Uniandes - Colombia) and Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM - Mexico), are the first institutions that aim to boost cooperation in the search of financial and organizational mechanisms for Latin America to undergo a process of consolidation and sustainability of the e-Infrastructure in the region and encourage its use by the academic communities. The agreement was signed as a result of the GISELA-CHAIN Conference held in Mexico City.

As we know, for six years the European Community funded the training process and development of the e-Infrastructure based on Grid technology, which allows the use of distributed resources to speed-up scientific research. The GISELA project is the latest phase of this process and focuses on the moment for transferring technical and organizational knowledge to Latin America. In this sense, the agreement signed by Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia is formally a political commitment to ensure the sustainability of this regional initiative, adapted to the particular context of Latin America.

The role of Mexico, one of the leading countries of the region on the subject of academic networks, is in this regard to guide the consolidation of the e-Infrastructure in Latin America. Salma Jalife, CUDI’s network representative, acknowledged the Conference GISELA-CHAIN as an activity of great importance, since it has been recognized worldwide by the various initiatives carried out in the field, but also the debate has landed on the concept sustainability of these services, in which national research and education networks play a vital role. "During this period of six years, Mexico has been a major beneficiary, we have developed an infrastructure and unified around the issue, with the network partners. This national awareness will allow us to be an arm that could encourage similar developments in the region, such as in the case of Mesoamerica to address critical issues as Risk and Disaster Prevention, using the platform available. "

For its part, Ecuador starts a leading role in this phase, recognizing a clear commitment to collaborate in the creation of mechanisms for sustainability of the new processes.

"The e-infrastructure involves machines, but beyond that, we must keep integrated the human resources trained for six years and strengthen the regional technically support for this platform. We also need the networks to generate awareness of the need and use of these technologies and have the support of universities. "

CEDIA Network has put in place a platform of 100 cores available for research in Ecuador and makes efforts to integrate the universities in this new phase of scientific production.

It is hoped that other regional national networks integrated the agreement that seeks to continue the work done by the GISELA project and, consequently, strengthen the organization of Latin America around the e-Infrastructure and e-Science.

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)

Modeling the past climate to improve the future

Recognizing that to predict the future, nothing better than revisiting the past, Phillipe Navaux presented at the CHAIN-​​GISELA Conference the idea of ​​a data repository with the climate activity of the last ten years in Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Uruguay. The idea is supported in the draft GBRAMS AMSUD project seeking to create tools for large-scale weather computing in this part of the region.

The LAGClima application and the creation of a computational Grid are the objectives of this collaboration generated between universities of the involved countries, together with France. The project uses the BRAMS application, an open software developed in Brazil to model weather conditions, inspired in RAMS (Regional Atmospheric Modeling), created in Colorado, USA. "We must build capacity to use local tools and methodologies," said Navaux.

The initiative would record a series of important data for studies of hydrology, weather predictions, predict natural disasters and other activities favorable to agriculture and urban development in the midst of a potential international network of specialists in this field.

The involved countries have already created the Grid for these purposes. Navaux said to be open to integrate efforts with the GISELA Project and the new Science Gateway environment for access to data derived from this project as well as other possibilities for working together. "We have common objectives."

The Google for Brain Imaging

The turn is up for biomedicine in the data tide that invades science. The Editorial of the February  2011 Nature Medicine Journal refers to the joint statement of 17 funding agencies calling for biomedical researchers to openly share data. This means more collaboration, but also new technologies that should help with this idea.

Alberto Redolfi, keynote speaker at the GISELA-CHAIN Conference, is enthusiastic about the possibilities that this approach may provide to physicians in terms of  innovative mechanisms for the diagnosis of diseases, benefiting clinical decision making.

Around what Redolfi called the google for medical imaging of the brain, handled by sophisticated and demanding computational algorithms, various initiatives have started in Europe with research communities and different technological platforms to manage distributed resources. Apparently, this is a gold mine, if a single virtual laboratory can be integrated with large medical image data of great interest to neuroscience, in which researchers could access, through a common web, images, clinical variables and statistical tools. This trend could precipitate collaborative solutions with major social impact, such as the prevention of Alzheimer's disease. And behind all this, the Grid infrastructure to manage distributed resources gets the glory. Redolfi does not reject the idea of replicating this option in Latin America.

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.

Began the discussion about the future of advanced computing services in LA

Latin America was central yesterday to the discussion of advanced computing services for science and education. In the first day of the GISELA-CHAIN Conference, being held in Mexico, the Deputy Director of Planning and International Cooperation of CONACYT Mexico warned that the region should "wake up" to the subject of e-Science and move faster to respond institutionally to this new way of generating Knowledge.

The afternoon began with the future of advanced computing services in Latin America. Discussions will continue today. It is expected that at the end of the Conference,  a memorandum of understanding between the major academic networks in the region, including RedCLARA, will be signed, to generate an atmosphere of cooperation in this matter.

Follow us live at: http://www.webcast.unam.mx/index.php?view=details&id=2100:gisela-chain-conference

Latin America must move toward the new way of producing knowledge

The Deputy Director of Planning and International Cooperation of CONACYT Mexico warned today at the opening of the GISELA-CHAIN Conference ​​that Latin America should "wake up" in the subject of e-Science and move faster to respond institutionally to this new way of generating Knowledge.

                        
The statement was made in the discussion environment generated by the GISELA-CHAIN ​​Conference at the  Autonomous University of Mexico, about the e-Infrastructure and its possible uses for the benefit of science and education.

As it is known, the GISELA-CHAIN Conference began today ​​in Mexico City and will be going on until June 29, with discussion sessions about the technical and organizational advances that have been generated in Europe and Latin America in the issue of e-Infrastructures available to science and education.

Bernard Marechal, Coordinator of the Grid Initiatives for e-Science virtual communities in Europe and Latin America –GISELA- project (primary organizer of the activity), addressed the expectations of the Conference, making emphasis that in addition to assessing the progress of the e-Infrastructure and its use in scientific areas in the region, this event also has the challenge of explaining to decision and policy makers in science and technology of the importance of the subject and its impact on the sector in Latin America. "E-Science is not a luxury but a necessity."

Marechal remembered that the current bet is on the system of academic and research networks in the region, grouped in RedCLARA as key players for the future of e-Science in Latin America, an idea that has been welcomed by the European Commission who is evaluating the transition of the entire accumulated experience in the region for six years in the field with European funding.

Felipe Bracho, director of Computing and Information Technology and Communication at the UNAM explained in this context the important role that Mexico had to meet in consolidating academic networks and stressed that UNAM is committed to scientific collaboration in Mexico and the region. "Behind these platforms are networks of people and ultimately it is these people that collaborate”, illustrated Bracho to refer to the long road to be traveled to join effectively the new way of doing science.

Follow live the GISELA-CHAIN Conference

The GISELA-CHAIN Conference, being held at UNAM, Mexico City, can be followed on line: http://www.webcast.unam.mx/index.php?view=details&id=2100:gisela-chain-conference

The discussions are around e-Infrastructures for science and educations as well as sustainability. In particular the GISELA infrastructure will be showed and analyzed, and how to keep it running after the end of the project.

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.

Joint GISELA-CHAIN Conference Mexico City June 27 to 30.

Everything is ready to welcome the participants of the GISELA-CHAIN Con­ference to be held in Mexico City from June 27 to 30. With the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) as host, this activity will bring together repre­sentatives from Europe and Latin America to discuss the latest trends in e- Infrastructure available to scientific research and educational environments. The meeting place will be the Unidad de Seminarios Dr. Ignacio Chávez, Vivero Alto, Jardines del Pedregal (UNAM).

The GISELA-CHAIN Conference is considered a suitable space to promote and discuss regional plans and disseminate the services involved in the GISELA e-Infra­structure, identify potential needs among the academic and research com­munities and promote the development of collaborative projects between dif­ferent institutions and National Research and Education Networks -NRENs. 

The GISELA-CHAIN Conference is a planned activity within the Project Grid Initiatives for e-Science virtual communities in Europe and Latin America -GISELA- co-funded by the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission (FP7). The activity is jointly organized by the UNAM, the Latin American Cooperation of Advanced Networks -RedCLARA-, the University Corporation for Internet Development in Mexico -CUDI- and the European project CHAIN, whose purpose is precisely to harmonize efforts between Europe and the rest of world on the issue of grid technology in order to ensure coordination and interoperability of infrastructures in various parts of the world.

The activity is open, free of charge, to local audiences in Mexico City, interested in the topic of e-Infrastructures and virtual environments for science and education and industry