E-science project bears fruit

gallery

A new initiative to produce software that supports research activities is being launched next month by OMII-UK.

The software is collected under the banner of a new project - Software Solutions for e-Research, which will provide packages to enable researchers to conduct their work more effectively.

OMII-UK has already released software to perform chemistry simulations and clinical workflows ranging from the analysis of genes to weather forecasting, for example.

Neil Chue Hong, OMII-UK director told IT PRO they have now found ways to package software that takes into account the dynamic forms of resource and data sharing often required in research activities.

"The gap we've identified with this project is not one of functionality, because that has been filled after investment from government and the DTI [Department of Trade and Industry, now part of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform] UK e-Science Core programme," he said. "The gap is now more one of usability and integration."

OMII-UK will be demonstrating new packages under development next month, including Taverna Workbench, a user-driven tool, which will allow the management of several workflows through a single graphical interface.

It will also launch a new data management system, which will enable researchers to publish and share specific data sets and Campus Grid Toolkit, which will make it possible for campuses to incorporate unused machines into a campus grid.

"There is lots of software out there produced by ourselves and others. What we are doing is showing people how to put it together in a way that facilitates their research," said Chue Hong.

"For example, the Campus Grid Toolkit is designed to interface across different grid middleware, like Globus, Unicore or Condor. We've effectively tailored the tools that already exist for researchers on the ground, rather than for those more computer-savvy academics."

OMII-UK, was founded last year by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the UK e-Science Core programme.

The project will be demonstrated at the UK e-Science All Hands Meeting being held at the East Midlands Conference Centre from 10 to 13 September.

Email to a friend

Print this page