Five big ideas

Virtual organizations (VOs) are groups of people who share a data-intensive goal.

To achieve their mutual goal, people within a VO choose to share their resources, creating a computer grid. This grid can give VO members direct access to each other's computers, programs, files, data, sensors and networks. This sharing must be controlled, secure, flexible, and usually time-limited.

FROM PASSENGER JETS TO CHEMICAL SPILLS

Many scientists form VOs to pursue their research. VOs exist for astronomy research, alternative energy research, biology research and more.

The needs of each VO are different. For example, a VO formed to develop a next-generation passenger jet will need to run complex computer simulations, testing various combinations of components from different manufacturers, while keeping the proprietary know-how associated with each component hidden from the other consortium members.

Another example is an environmental science VO, tasked with managing a chemical spill. This VO will need to analyze local weather and soil models to estimate the spread of the spill and determine its impact. They will need to create a short term mitigation plan and help emergency response personnel to plan and coordinate the evacuation.