GridGuide brings sites and sights of grid computing to the global stage
Want to know what science is on the grid, who the scientists are and where they work? Help is at hand with a new website launched today. GridGuide is an innovative introduction to the sites and sights that contribute to global grid computing, a technology that connects computers from around the world to create a powerful, shared resource for tackling complex scientific problems. The launch of GridGuide comes as part of the Enabling Grids for E-sciencE User Forum, an international conference bringing together hundreds of grid researchers, held in Catania, Italy, all this week.
The GridGuide website allows visitors to explore an interactive map of the world, visiting a sample of the thousands of scientific institutes involved in grid computing projects. Sites from 23 countries already appear on the GridGuide, offering insider snippets on everything from research goals and grid projects to the best place to eat lunch and the pros and cons of their jobs.
“We’re thrilled to see the GridGuide bringing grid sites to life,” said Dr Bob Jones, project director of the Enabling Grids for E-sciencE project. “This website shows the human aspects of grids by highlighting how people from all over the world are contributing to the success of grid computing.”
GridGuide has been developed by the EU co-funded GridTalk project. Dr Sarah Pearce, GridTalk project manager, says that sharing this human face of grid technology is essential to the continued success of e-science.
“Grid computing is powering research into issues that affect us all: global warming, renewable energy, drug discovery and more,” said Pearce. “GridGuide tries to show what it’s like to be part of that, encouraging each of us to be aware of and involved in the global research effort.”
“Grid computing helps modern science facilities make an important contribution to large-scale international collaborations,” said Dr Mihai Petrovici, Head of the Hadron Physics Department of the National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest, one of the sites featured in the GridGuide. “By being part of the GridGuide, we also help to substantiate the initiative for a ‘grid of excellence’ at the European level.”
The GridGuide is non-profit and inclusion is free for institutes using grid computing for their research. The site aims to increase its global coverage over the next twelve months and is working with GridPP’s Real Time Monitor to create an interactive 3D version of the site.
Media Contact
Cristy Burne – GridTalk
cristy.burne@gridtalk-project.eu
Mobile: +44 (0) 755 134 1992
www.gridtalk.org
www.gridguide.org
For more updates and behind-the-scenes blog updates from the Enabling Grids for E-sciencE (EGEE) User Forum, go to www.gridcast.org
Other GridTalk projects:
GridCafé
The GridCafé website is the definitive beginners guide to grid computing, created in 2003 and recently relaunched to keep the public informed about advances in grid computing.
International Science Grid This Week
International Science Grid This Week is a successful electronic newsletter with more than four thousand subscribers in one hundred countries. iSGTW is a joint project between Open Science Grid in the U.S. (http://www.opensciencegrid.org/) and GridTalk in Europe.
GridBriefings
GridBriefings are jargon-free articles that provide timely summaries of policy-oriented issues in grid computing. The briefings target non-technical policymakers in government and industry, as well as scientists and the public.
Travel the globe with the new GridGuide
