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Idaho Universities Cyberinfrastructure Strategic Action Plan April9,2013

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Cyberinfrastructure Strategic Action Plan For Idaho Universities

February2013

Prepared by:

Idaho Universities EPSCoR Cyberinfrastructure Working Group

with the assistance of Croswell-Schulte IT Consultants, Inc.


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Wewishtothankthefollowingfortheirhelpandsupportinpreparingthisdocument.

PrimaryAuthors PeterCroswell,President,Croswell‐SchulteITConsultants GailEwart,Croswell‐SchulteAssociate PaulGessler,UI GregGollberg,UI KeithWeber,ISU

EPSCoRCyberinfrastructureWorkingGroup

PaulGessler,UI,Chair KeithWeber,ISU DanAmes,ISU BruceGodfrey,UI NancyGlenn,ISU JimMcNamara,BSU WaltSnyder,BSU GregGollberg,UI LukeSheneman,UI

AdditionalkeypartnersatISU

RandyGaines,CIO HowardGrimes,VicePresidentforResearchandEconomicDevelopment MarkNorviel,DirectoryofTelecommunicationsServices SandraShropshire,UniversityLibrarian

AdditionalkeypartnersatUI

PeterGoodwin,EPSCoRProjectDirector RickSchumaker,EPSCoRProjectAdministrator JohnK.McIver,VicePresidentforResearchandEconomicDevelopment VonWalden,ResearchLeadershipTeam LynnBaird,DeanofLibrary BenHunter,HeadofCatalogingandCollections DanielEwart,ChiefInformationOfficer DaveLien,AssistantITDirector PollyKnutson,Director,OfficeofSponsoredPrograms

AdditionalkeypartnersatBSU

MarkRudin,VicePresidentforResearch MarilynMoody,DeanofLibrary BillEnglish,LibraryNetworkServicesManager KarenHenry,Director,OfficeofSponsoredPrograms

PrimaryPartners

DepartmentofEnergy(DOE),IdahoNationalLaboratory(INL) IdahoRegionalOpticalNetwork(IRON) IdahoEducationNetwork(IEN)


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PREFACE

This plan has been prepared to stimulate interest in and define a course of action for building andsustaininganeffectiveCyberinfrastructure(CI)—resultinginavastlyimprovedenvironmentsupportingresearchandeducationatBoiseStateUniversity(BSU),IdahoStateUniversity(ISU),andtheUniversityofIdaho (UI). An effective CI environment offers enormous benefits for each university but, moreimportantly, expands opportunities for all Idaho universities and enhances the results of research andeducationbybetterenablingcollaborativenetworksandimprovingaccesstotheresourcesrequiredfortoday'sandtomorrow'sresearchandeducationprograms.

Imagineafutureinwhich:

researcherscanquicklydiscoverandaccessdataand informationneeded toadvance theirownresearchobjectives

geographically distributed research teams can easily and effectively share information andcollaborate

efficientlymanagedcomputerresources(hardware,software,andnetworks)arereadilyavailabletosupportresearchandeducation

administrative and technical barriers inhibiting collaboration and innovation are eliminated—encouragingmulti‐universityresearchteamsalongwithotherstakeholderorganizations(publicsector,private,academic)

there is an efficient and expeditious path to communicate research results and realize benefitsfrom them—as new intellectual property, practices, services, and products benefiting a widespectrumofstakeholders

Idahouniversitiesgreatlyincreasetheirabilitytoattractfundingandtalentedscholars

Idahobecomesaleaderinstrategicallychosenareasofexcellence

ThisrealandachievablefutureisthegoalforIdaho,andthisplanprovidesapathtoaccomplishit.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

IntroductiontoCyberinfrastructurePlanning 1

CyberinfrastructureVisionandMission 3

CyberinfrastructureGoals 4

StakeholderSurvey 5

Assumption’sandDrivers 6

ElaborationofCyberinfrastructurePlanningGoals 7

ConclusionsandRecommendations 12

AppendixA:ReferencesandWebLinks 13

AppendixB:ResultsofStakeholderSurvey 15

AppendixC:DefinitionofTerms 20

SignaturePage:VicePresidentsforResearch 22

Idaho Universities Cyberinfrastructure Strategic Action Plan, Draft v4.0 April9,2013

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1. INTRODUCTION TO CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING

1.1 Purpose of the Plan

ThisCyberinfrastructureStrategicActionPlan for IdahoUniversities provides a roadmap to: 1) furtherassessanddocumentexistingCyberinfrastructure(CI),2)developanintegratedstrategyfordevelopingand staffing CI, including a prioritized list of investments, 3) determine costs associated withimplementing the prioritized investments, and 4) identify funding opportunities that Boise StateUniversity(BSU), IdahoStateUniversity(ISU),andtheUniversityof Idaho(UI)mayandshouldpursuecollectively and/or in a coordinated manner. Moving ahead with the plan objectives is dependent onestablishinganeffectiveCIAdvisoryCouncil(CIAC),withrepresentativesfromallthreestateuniversities.Inscope,thisplanbeginstobroadlyassessandaddresscomputinginfrastructure,data,toolsandmodels,organizationalstructure,andthepoliciesandstandardsnecessarytoeffectivelyimplementandenhanceCI for the stakeholder organizations. Consideration should be given to the addition of key externalpartnerssuchas the IdahoNationalLaboratory(INL), the IdahoRegionalOpticalNetwork(IRON),andothers. Although this plan is not meant to be a comprehensive statewide CI plan involving all stateeducational institutions, nor at this time is it meant to address sustainability, it begins to build a CIfoundation upon which an increasingly comprehensive statewide plan can be developed andsustainabilityaddressed.ThisPlanwillenabletheUniversitiestoleadbyexample.VariousaspectsofPlandevelopmenthavebeenfundedinpartbytheIdahoNSFEPSCoRResearchInfrastructureImprovement(RII)Awards#EPS‐0814387,EPS‐1006968,andEPS‐0919514.

ThisCIPlanidentifies:

WaystoenhanceCIarchitecture; ApproachestoestablishingsustainableCIresources;and WaystopromoteandsupportCIuse.

Andrecommends:

AstrategicapproachtoCIinvestments; Waystobuildonexistingcollaborationandresourcesharing;and WaystocompeteforCIandresearchfundingmoreeffectivelynationally.

1.2 Relationship between Strategic Action Plan and Implementation Work

Thesuccessof theCIStrategicActionPlan for IdahoUniversities isdependentuponadditionalworktoproduceaneffectivemanagementstructure,projectplanningprocessesfor implementation,andclearlydefinedrolesofkeypersonnel.ItiscriticaltomaintaintherelationshipbetweentheCIgoalsandactionsinthisPlanandthespecificworkplansthatareyettobedevelopedforimplementation.

1.3 CI Defined

AcommonunderstandingofCIasusedinthisdocumentwillbehelpful.

AccordingtotheNationalScienceFoundation(NSF),CIistheinfrastructurerequiredtosupporteffectivedistributedcomputer,information,andcommunicationtechnologies(RevolutionizingScienceandEngineeringThroughCyberinfrastructure).IdahoEPSCoRdescribesCIas“environmentsthatsupportadvanceddataacquisition,storage,management,


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integration,mining,visualizationandothercomputingandinformationprocessingservicesdistributedovertheInternetbeyondthescopeofasingleinstitution.Inscientificusage,cyberinfrastructureisatechnologicalsolutiontotheproblemofefficientlyconnectinglaboratories,data,computers,andpeoplewiththegoalofenablingderivationofnovelscientifictheoriesandknowledge.”

CitationsandWeblinksforcommonreferencesthroughoutthisPlanare foundinAppendixA.Detailedresults fromastakeholder’ssurveyaredescribedinAppendicesB,andaglossaryof termsused inthisdocumentisprovidedinAppendixC.


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2. CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE VISION AND MISSION

Thevision,mission,andhigh‐levelgoalsbelowestablishafoundationforlong‐termCIdevelopmentanduse. The vision statement paints a picture of the future,while themission statement articulateswhatneedstobedonetoachievethatvision.ThisStrategicActionPlanprovidesanoverallpathforachievingthestatedCyberinfrastructureVision.

2.1 Vision Statement for Idaho’s Cyberinfrastructure

Idahouniversitiesandotherstakeholdershavereadyaccesstoastatewidenetworkofsystemsandresourcesthatenablenewresearch,effectivestatewidecollaboration,andenhancedcompetitivenessforfundingthatcreatesnew intellectualand economicopportunities for Idaho’s citizensand serves the state, region,andbeyond.

2.2 Mission Statement

Create an extensible framework of coordination and cooperation between Idaho’s research institutions;establish a dynamic inventory of CI resources to help identify CI gaps, prioritize investments, efficientlyallocate resources, and pursue funding opportunities; and adopt an agenda for implementing Idaho’sCyberinfrastructure.


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3. CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE GOALS

Thehigh‐level goals, identifiedhereand furtherexplained inSection6, identifykeyareas foraction toaccomplishthemissionof thisplan.Thesegoalsaddress importantdevelopmentaloroperationalareascritical to a successful CI and should be viewed as an iterative and on‐going process. High‐level goalsrequiredforasuccessfulCIare:

Goal1:EstablishaCIAdvisoryCouncilforhighereducationinIdaho

Goal2:AssessandcharacterizeexistingandplannedCIactivitiesandcollaborativeresearchinitiatives

Goal3:Defineandestablisha strategy todevelop theCI architectureand staffing includingprioritizedinvestments

Goal4:IdentifyandprojectcostsforprioritizedinvestmentsofCIdevelopment

Goal5:IdentifyCIfundingopportunitiestobepursuedbyIdahouniversitiesandsubmithigh‐priorityfundingrequests


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4. STAKEHOLDER SURVEY The CI Working Group at BSU, ISU, and UI identified stakeholder groups including representativeresearchers, librarians, and IT personnel to be surveyed. The survey was made available online andconsisted of questions about responder identity, CI awareness, CI needs, and CI vision. A preliminaryreview of responses was summarized for a stakeholder’s meeting on December 1, 2011. The surveyremainedopenuntilDecember18,2011afterwhichitwasclosedandafinalanalysisofresponseswasperformed.Detailedsurveyresponsesarepresented inAppendixB.Generalobservationsderived fromthesurveyresultsaredescribedhere.Therewereatotalof48respondentstotheweb‐basedsurvey.ThetoptenCIelementsorservicesmostapplicabletothestakeholderswere:

Collaborationservices Communicationservices Dataarchivingandbackup Datacoordination Primarydatastorage Databasemanagement Datasharingservices Toolandapplicationdevelopment Websitearchitecture,development,andmanagement Computersupport

A high proportion of respondents indicated they needed CI for research; followed by teaching, grantapplications,datamining,anddecision‐making.TheCI capabilitiesmost inuse‐‐modeling,datamining,simulation,andvisualization‐weredistributedfairlyevenly.Twentyrespondents(nearly50%)requiredhighperformancecomputing(HPC)capacity.TheuseofHPCfordataintensivetasksandcomputationallyintensivetaskswasequallysplit.Theobstaclegarneringthelargestnumberofresponseswasinsufficientpersonnelexpertise,followedbylack of organizational capacity or policies, and insufficient digital storage capacity. Over half of therespondents indicatedCIwascriticalorvery importanttotheirwork.Thetopthreeapplications forCIwere:1)Research;2)Datamining;and3)Grantapplications.Therespondentsalsoexpressedconcerns that if Idahodidnotmakesignificantprogress inCIover thenextfiveyears,thefollowinganticipatedconsequenceswouldoccur(giveninorder):

Lossofcompetitivenessforexternalgrantfunding Difficultyinrecruitingandretainingresearchfacultyandstaff Lesslikelihoodofbeingpartofinterstatecollaboration Lessabletoattracttopstudents Institutionsthemselveswillbelessviable


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5. ASSUMPTIONS AND DRIVERS The assumptions and drivers explained in this section provide additional context, establish certainboundaries and limits, and help to characterize the underlying purpose of this plan and overall CIdevelopment.

5.1 Assumptions

Atthebeginningofthisplandevelopmentprocess,generalassumptionswereidentifiedbytheEPSCoRCIWorkingGroupandconsultantteam.Theassumptionsunderpinningthisplanare:

1.Fundingwaslimited;thereforecomprehensivestatewideplanningwithallhighereducationinstitutions was not possible. This plan focuses on the three major public universities inIdaho.

2. This CI Plan is not a detailed implementation plan. It is strategic in nature, providing athorough and long‐term view for CI development and use and serves as a foundation formoredetailedimplementationplanningandaction.

5.2 CI Drivers

ThestakeholdersidentifiedspecificcapabilitiesessentialtoIdaho’sCIastheabilityto:

Moveandmanipulatelargedatasetsquicklyandeasily.

Supportrepositoriesofheterogeneousdatatypes.

Processunstructureddatatoenabledatamining.

Support researchers with timely and skill‐level‐appropriate IT expertise and supportregardlessofaffiliationandlocation.

Accessrobustsearchanddiscoverytools.

Evaluatedatathroughreadilyavailableandcompletemetadata.

Makedatafromdistinctyetinterrelatedstudiesavailablethroughdatarepositories.

Inaddition,stakeholdercommentsstressedtherealizationthat:

Datamustbetreatedasanassetandappropriateconsiderationandfundsmustbedevotedtosecurity,redundancyandavailability.

Asolidpolicyframework,withappropriatestandards,isnecessary.

Anorganizationalstructureandpolicyenvironmentthatencouragescollaborationisbeneficial

Public‐privatepartnershipsshouldbefostered

Administrative‐levelsupportforCIiscriticaltothefuturesuccessoftheuniversities.


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6. ELABORATION OF CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING GOALS

This Cyberinfrastructure StrategicAction Plan is structured to respond to the five goals introduced inSection 3. This section provides elaboration on these goals and presents performance deliverables forgauging progress. These goals are intended to provide a structure forwork and an incentive for eachuniversitytocooperateinbuildingandsustaininganeffectivestatewideCyberinfrastructure.ThesegoalspresumethatarobustCIisnecessaryandwilldeliverrealbenefitsforallstakeholdersforthefollowingreasons:

1)Fundedresearchisincreasinglydataintensiveandcollaborative

2)CIisfastbecomingaprerequisiteforinstitutionstocompeteforoutsidefunding,and

3) By collaborating and sharing resources, BSU, ISU, and UI will become more competitive forfundingandbetterpositionedforfutureresearchopportunities.

Goal 1: Establish a CI Advisory Council for higher education in Idaho

For CI coordination and collaboration to succeed at BSU, ISU, and UI will require support from therespective Vice Presidents for Research (VPR) at each institution. The establishment of a CI AdvisoryCouncil (CIAC) is recommended and should be consistent with existing institutional policies andprocedures.ThisCouncilwillbethemainbodyresponsibleforaccomplishingtheobjectivesofmuchofthisStrategicActionPlan.CouncilmembersshouldbeassignedbytheVPRsandreportbacktothem.Thecouncilwillberesponsible forestablishing theirbylawsandcreatingsubcommitteesasnecessary(e.g.,policy and protocol, assessment, CI interoperability, and also addressing goals set forth below asnecessary). We recommend that there be a minimum of two representatives from each institutionassigned,representingbothresearchandinformationtechnologywhocanbeassignedtheresponsibilitytocoordinateacrossandwithintheinstitutions.Inaddition,theCIACwillhavetheresponsibilitytoformsubcommitteestoaddress issuesrelatedtostrategicactions,performancemetrics,andothertopicstheCIACdeterminesnecessary.Stafforfacultycommitteemembersshouldbenotifiedoftheirappointmentto theCIACor aCIAC subcommittee directly through their institutional researchoffice. The respectiveVPR’s should provide appropriate resources to the CIAC members to support their participation (e.g.travel funds,access tocyber‐communication tools, administrativesupport).Councilmembersand theirsupervisors should be notified of this special honor, and the notification letter should indicate: 1) theapproximate duration of the special assignment; 2) the estimated hours required to fulfill the specialassignment; 3) employee compensation if necessary (e.g., summer salary); and4) the treatment of theemployee’scurrentpositiondescriptionwithrespecttothespecialassignment(i.e.,regardingtenureandpromotion).

StrategicActions FormCIAdvisoryCouncil,assignmembersanddefineroles

Prepareandadoptbylaws

Establishpolicies,procedures,andtoolsforongoingactivities

EstablishaCIprojectteam(s)toprepareandadoptworkplansandtimelinestoaccomplishworkonCIActionPlanobjectives


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InitiateandsustaineffectivemonitoringofCIdevelopmentandreportingonthestatusofworkonCIgoalsandactions.(e.g.,CIACtoVPR,CIACtoresearchcommunity,etc.)

SuggestedPerformanceDeliverables CI Advisory Council is formally established with a clear statement of purpose and assigned

members

CompletedandapprovedBylawsthatdescribeandgoverntheCouncil’soperations

AclearandpracticalworkplandefiningactivitiesandtasksforaccomplishingallStrategicActionPlanobjectives

Establishment of Council committees and a project team charged with carrying out workassociatedwithStrategicActionPlanGoals2,3,4and5.

Regular,effectivemeetingswithdocumentedminutesandactionitemsformakingprogressonCIdevelopment

RegularstatusreportsandanannualreportofCIACsummarizingactivitiesandactions

Document,trackandencouragesubmissionofcollaborativeCIproposals

Goal 2: Assess and characterize existing and planned CI activities and collaborative research initiatives

NocomprehensivedescriptionofCIcomponentsorCI‐dependentactivitiesexistsforBSU,ISU,orUI.Aninitialinventorywillserveasabaselineforassessingexistingarchitecture,staffing,andinvestments.TheimportanceofestablishingacomprehensivedetailedCIinventorythatdocumentsexistingCIcapacityateach institution and capacity held collectively (e.g., networking) cannot be overstated. A considerablecommitmentandeffortwillberequiredtocoordinatewithineach institutionandacross institutions toproduce an inventory. Once a baseline is established, a database describing the current state of CIcapabilitieswill be created. Thereafter, the databasewill bemaintained near and be accessible acrossinstitutions.

We suggest breaking the inventory into several categories, including those mentioned below under“StrategicActions”.Partsoftheinventorywillbeaddressedateachindividualinstitution,butotheritemssuchasnetworkcapacitymayrequireoutside(e.g.,IRON)helpand/orcoordinationbetweeninstitutions.ThedeterminationofhowandwhocollectsthisinformationistheresponsibilityoftheCIAC.Theymaychoosetogatherthisinformationthemselvesorformaspecialcommittee(s)forthepurposeofcollectingthisinformation.

StrategicActions Identify existing or planned CI initiatives (e.g., funding opportunities, existing CI plans at each

institution) including those directly enhancing CI capabilities and those dependent on CI foroptimal success at each state university along with a brief summary and pertinent contactinformation

ExamineandsummarizeexistingorplannedadministrativepoliciesandproceduresaffectingCIinitiatives


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Evaluate and document computer processing and data storage capacity, available for researchactivitiesateachuniversity.

Evaluateanddocumentnetworkconnectivityandbandwidthatandacrossinstitutionsandwithkeypartnersincludingconnectionlocation(PoP’sandGigaPops),andnetworkadministration.

Evaluateanddocumentdatasecurityanddataintegritypracticesandpoliciesateachuniversity

Inventory existing computing capacity (e.g., clusters and high performance computingcapabilities)tosupportresearchactivities

Assessdatadiscoverability(e.g.,metadataandsemanticwebcapabilities)tosupportdatamining,acquisition,andretrieval

Assessworkforcedevelopmentateach institutionandevaluate thecapabilitiesandretentionoftechnicalstaffsupportingresearchactivitiesateachinstitution.

AssessanddocumentcurrentCIexpenditures

Identify current deficiencies and obstacles hindering CI development and describerecommendationsforanimprovedCIenvironment

SuggestedPerformanceDeliverables

A report describing inventory results (e.g., include a map of internal and between institutionnetworkconnectivity)

Anactionablelistofrecommendationsthataddressesmissingcapabilitiesandcapacities.

EstablishmentofawebaccessibledatabasetoprovidecurrentCIcapabilitiesandcomponentsatanytime

Goal 3: Define and establish a strategy to develop the CI architecture and staffing including prioritized investments

BasedupontheassessmentandrecommendationsfromGoal2,developacollectivestrategythatrespectsuniversity autonomy and advances both individual and shared research programmatic objectives. ThisstrategywillfocusonCIarchitectureandstaffingandwillproducealistofprioritizedinvestmentstobemade in thoseareas.Prioritized investmentswill strive to leverage existing capabilities and capacities,addressmissingCI,minimizeduplicationofeffort,andincreaseutilityfortheresearchcommunity.

StrategicActions Prepareahigh‐leveldesignanddescriptionofthestatewideCIArchitecture(includingtechnical

andorganizationalcomponents)

DefinemoredetailedCIarchitectureforeachuniversity(andotherkeystakeholderinstitutionsasappropriate)toincludeaninitiativeraiseawarenessofCI

Coordinatewith respectiveVPR’s to determine a suite of CI investmentswith priorities clearlyidentified


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SuggestedPerformanceDeliverables Report with recommendations for CI architecture, staffing, and prioritized investments (e.g.,

resultsofCIoptimization)

DevelopandcarryouttrainingonhowtoincorporateCIinresearch

Goal 4: Identify and project costs for prioritized CI investments

Onceasetofprioritizedinvestmentshasbeencreated,costestimatesneedtobegeneratedtoaccompanythereportresultingfromGoal3.Understandinginvestmentrequirementsandcommitmentsiscriticaltothedevelopmentof theCIandwillsometimestriggerare‐evaluationof investmentpriorities. Ineffect,Goals3and4canbeviewedashighlyinterrelatedanditerative.Inaddition,investigationofprioritizedinvestments and their implementation needs to incorporate leveraging statewide higher educationpurchasesand/orsitelicenseswheneverpossible.

Substantial investments need to be carefully considered, and once a decision has beenmade tomoveforwardwith a CI investment, there are additionalmechanisms that can both improve the investmentprocessandalsostreamlineit.Onemechanismistheuseofrequestsforinformation(RFI).Thisprocess,executed by each university’s purchasing office, allows vendors/providers to respond to a set ofspecifications and requirements. TheRFI responses can then be used to better compare products andservicesbasedmoreupontheircapabilitiesandqualitiesthantheircost.TheresultofasuccessfulRFIisthe identification of the best vendor/provider and an award to the successful respondent to moveforwardwiththepurchase.

Strategicactions

Identify potential providers/vendors of products and services required for CI development (asdefinedthroughworkassociatedwithGoal3)

IdentifyappropriateprocurementvehiclesforselectingprovidersandobtainingCIproductsandservices

IdentifyCIstaffingneedsateachuniversity

Conduct research (includingRFI) togeneratecostestimates forCIdevelopmentandoperations(includingCIstaffing,products,andcontractedservices).

CoordinatewithrespectiveVPR’store‐evaluateandrefinetheprioritizedCIinvestments


Develop a revised report with prioritized investments for CI architecture, staffing, andinvestments

Goal 5: Identify CI funding opportunities and submit high-priority funding requests

ThisgoalrepresentstheculminationofeffortsdescribedinGoals1through4andseeksfundingtorealizeeach prioritized investment.While some fundingmay be available through the state’s budget process,otherfundingopportunitiesexistwhichshouldnotbeoverlooked.Indeed,diversegrantopportunitiesforCI dollars spanning multiple funding organizations exist, but currently little or no coordination has


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occurredwithinorbetweenacademic institutions.RecentlytheVPR’sofall threeuniversitiesdraftedaStrategicResearchPlan that identifies five research areas to focus collective efforts. These are energy,natural resource utilization and conservation, biosciences, novelmaterials, and software development.This five‐year strategywill help channel research andCI investments.The IdahoEPSCoRprogramhasbeen a leader in applying a strategic approachbut does not have responsibility for all CI investments.Further,availablefundingislimitedandcompetitive;hence,theneedexistsnotonlyforcoordinationbutalsoforstrategicprioritizationofinvestment.

Strategicactions

Work with the Office of Sponsored Programs within each institution to pair each prioritizedinitiativewithatleastonetargetedfundingvehicle

CommunicateinitiativeswiththebroaderCIcommunityandprovideincentivestopursuefunding

Identifychampionstopursuefunding

Builduponunsuccessfulproposalsbyimprovingsubsequentproposalsubmissions


Documentprioritizedinitiativespairedwithtargetedfundingopportunitiesandanticipatedtime‐lineforcompletionofprioritizedCIinvestments.

DocumentandtracknumberofCIproposals,awardamounts,andratesofsuccess

Documentsuccessfulinitiativesandcelebratethem

Developathree‐yearbudgetplanforacquisition/implementationoftoppriorityCIinvestments.


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7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

ThisCIStrategicActionPlansetsthestagefortheIdahoresearchandCIcommunitiestoworktogethertofurtherdevelopCI capacity in the comingyears. It builds on aMemorandumofUnderstandingby andamongBSU,ISU,andtheUIforcoordinationofCIandresearchdatamanagement.Idaho’sadvancementsin CI will drive discovery and help the science community collectively address CI challenges of state,regional, and national significance andwill add value across science and engineering disciplines.WithleadershipfromIdaho’spublicresearchuniversities,thisPlanwillenhanceCIuseforacademicresearchand research‐based education consistent with institutional and state S&T plans. Participation in theplanning and implementationof CI priorities is envisioned to expandacrossmultiplehigher educationand partner institutions. Implementing this CI Plan will also enable Idaho to expand individual andinstitutionalparticipationinSTEMresearchandeducation.


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APPENDIX A: REFERENCES AND WEB LINKS

Idaho

CenterforAdvancedEnergyStudies,https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt/community/caes_home/281

CenterforAdvancedModelingandSimulation(CAMS)atINL,www.inl.gov/cams/

FiveYearStrategicResearchPlanforIdahoHigherEducation(2012‐2016),AuthoredbytheRichardJacobsen,JohnK.McIver,andMarkJ.Rudin,2011

HigherEducationResearchCouncil(HERC),StateBoardofEducation,StateofIdaho,Webpages:http://www.boardofed.idaho.gov/public_col_univ/herc.asp

IdahoEducationNetworkWebpagesandpersonalknowledge,http://www.ien.idaho.gov/

IdahoEPSCoRWebpages:http://www.idahoepscor.org

IdahoComputingConsortium,WordPress.comarticle,June2011,publishedby123idaho,http://123idaho.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/idaho‐research‐institutions‐inl‐support‐shared‐computing‐center/.

IdahoScienceandTechnologyAdvisoryCommittee,DeptofCommerce,StateofIdaho,WebpagesandStrategicPlan:http://commerce.idaho.gov/about‐us/innovation/innovation‐council/science‐and‐technology‐strategic‐plan/

IdahoStateUniversityCyberInfrastructure:http://www.isu.edu/research/CI.htm

IdahoInnovationCouncil,DeptofCommerce,StateofIdaho,Webpages:http://commerce.idaho.gov/investments/idaho‐innovation‐council/

IdahoRegionalOpticalNetwork(IRON)Webpages,http://www.ironforidaho.net/

InnovationinIdaho,AStrategicPlanforimplementingWaterResourcesinaChangingClimate,1008‐2013,IdahoESPCoR,UniversityofIdaho,August2011v1.5.

INSIDEIdaho,http://cloud.insideidaho.org

LinkIdahoWebpagesandpersonalknowledge,http://linkidaho.org

NSFEPSCoRProposaltoNSFforIdahoResearchInfrastructureImprovement:WaterResourcesinaChangingClimate,ProposalNo.0814387,January2008,UniversityofIdaho.

NSFEPSCoRTrack2FastlaneProposal,CyberinfrastructureDevelopmentfortheWesternConsortiumofIdaho,Nevada,andNewMexico,January2009(extract).

NSFEPSCoRProposalforResearchInfrastructureImprovementProgram:Inter‐CampusandIntra‐CampusCyberConnectivityinIdaho(RIIC2),n.d.(extract).

NorthwestKnowledgeNetwork,Concept,http://www.idahoepscor.org/uploads/NKN_concept.pdfandFactSheet,http://www.idahoepscor.org/uploads/NKNFactSheetPrint1‐1.pdf

TechnologyIncentiveGrantProgram,StateBoardofEducation,SateofIdaho,Webpages:http://www.boardofed.idaho.gov/public_col_univ/tig.asp


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Regional

OrbisCascadeAllianceWebpages,www.orbiscascade.org

RegionalApproachtoClimateChangeinPacificNorthwestAgriculture(REACCHPNA)Webpages,http://reacchpna.uidaho.edu/reacchpna

National

DataObservationNetworkforEarth(DataONE),https://dataone.org/

VisionandStrategicPlanforAdvancedComputingInfrastructure,NationalScienceFoundation,February2012

Visionfor21stCenturyDiscovery,NationalScienceFoundation,2007,http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf0728/nsf0728.pdf

OfficeofCyberinfrastructureWebpages,NSF,http://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=OCI

EPSCoRWebpages,http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=EPSC

EPSCoR/IDeAFoundationWebpages,http://www.epscordieafoundation.org

IdahoNationalLaboratory,DeptofEnergy,https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt/community/home/255

NationalLambdaRail(NLR)Webpages,http://www.nlr.net

Science.gov,http://www.science.gov

XSEDEWebpages:http://www.xsede.org

GeneralReferences

ConsiderationsforCampusCyberinfrastructureDataManagementPolicyandProcedureDevelopment,Net@eduCampusCyberinfrastructureWorkingGroupWhitePaper,October2008,http://net.educause.edu/it/library/pdf/EPO0916.pdf.

CIglossary,ClemsonUniversity,http://www.clemson.edu/ccit/cidays/Glossary.html

Jackson,StevenJ.,etal.,UnderstandingInfrastructure:History,Heuristics,andCyberinfrastructurePolicy,2007,http://outreach.lib.uic.edu/www/issues/issue12_6/jackson/

Webopedia,http://www.webopedia.com

Wikipedia,http://en.wikipedia.org


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APPENDIX B: RESULTS OF STAKEHOLDER SURVEY

Therewereatotalof48respondentstothesurveywith44%comingfromISU(figureB1).

FigureB1.Organizationalaffiliationofsurveyrespondents(n=48)

Themajorityofrespondentsdescribedtheirareaofresponsibilityasteachingandresearch(figureB2).

FigureB2.ResponsibilitiesoftherespondentsasitrelatestoCI(n=46)


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The specific elements of CI or CI services that applied to the work duties of the respondents aresummarized in table B1. Collaboration and communication services were the most frequent selectionwith81%ofrespondentschoosingthisselection.

TableB1.Generalworkdutiesofrespondents(n=43).

n Selection description n Selection description

35 Collaboration services (e.g., blogging, calendaring, document sharing, versioning, project management)

35 Communication services (e.g., video conferencing, WebEx, Skype, etc)

21 Computer support 21 Customized computer programming services and tool development

22 Data analytical tool development 29 Data archiving and backup 25 Data coordination 20 Data curation 17 Data discovery 17 Data integration 18 Data management plan services 21 Data manipulation tools 25 Primary data storage 22 Data sharing services (e.g., providing

limited/controlled access during a project) 19 Data visualization

24 Database management 11 Digitization services 11 Field data coordination 19 High performance computing 13 Increase/improve fiber optic network 18 Metadata management 14 Other information management services (e.g.,

document, tools or project management 7 Sensor deployment or management

7 Unique identifier (UID) 22 Website architecture, development and/or management

RegardingactiveCIinvolvement,25respondentsindicatedtheyhavebeeninvolvedinCIactivitiesinthepast; 17 have not been previously involved. In addition, 28Respondents indicated they are currentlyinvolvedinCIactivities;13arenot.Furthermore,29RespondentswereactivelyplanningCIactivitiesinthefuturewhile12indicatednoplansforfutureCIactivities(FigureB3).

FigureB3.CIactivityofthesurveyrespondents(n=42)


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Research was considered the primary purposes (78%) for which respondents use or plan to use CI(FigureB4).

FigureB4.ThepurposeforwhichCIisusedatIdahouniversitiesshowsthatresearchistheprimaryusage(n=42)

Thirtyfourrespondentsfurtherclarifiedthespecificway(s)theyusedCIcapabilities.TheresultsofthissurveyquestionindicatedataminingisaprimaryusageofCI(59%)(FigureB5).

FigureB5.ThespecificwayinwhichCIisusedbytherespondents(n=34)


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Thirty‐seven respondents addressed questions regarding the use or need for high performancecomputing(HPC)with20respondentsindicatingHPCwasrequiredfortheirwork.Ofthe20respondentswho requiredHPC resources, 16 indicated theirHPCneedsweredata intensive and17 indicated theirHPCneedswerealsocomputationallyintensive.Twenty‐eightrespondentsdonotuseHPC,donotrequireHPC,orsimplyskippedsomequestions.Whenspecifically asked to identify obstacles to using CI and HPC, 60% identified insufficient personnelexpertiseastheprimaryobstacle(FigureB6).

FigureB6.Nearly60%ofrespondents indicated insufficientpersonnelexpertiseexistsat Idaho’suniversitiesandthiswasviewedastheprimaryobstacletousingCIandHPC(n=37)

Rankedonascaleof0‐5(noimportancethroughcriticallyimportant,respectively),respondentsratedCIasvery important/critically important (mean=4.9) (n=39).The top threepriorities identifiedby therespondentswas research (81%), teaching (42%), and grant applications (17%) (n = 36). A failure toeffectivelyuseCI resourceswasa concernof the respondents,with95% indicatingaperceived lossofcompetitivenessforgrantfundingasaprimaryconsequenceifIdahodoesn'tmakesignificantprogressinCIwiththenextfiveyears(n=38).Interestingly, 75% of respondents indicated they felt theywere not sufficiently aware of emerging CIopportunitiesandlessthan30%wereawareofexistingXSEDEresources(FigureB7).


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FigureB7.AwarenessofexistingCIandHPCresourcesacrossIdaho’suniversitiesindicatetheneedforadditionaltrainingandcommunication(n=34)


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APPENDIX C: DEFININTION OF TERMS

CloudComputing:TheNationalInstituteofStandardsandTechnology(NIST)definescloudcomputingas "a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on‐demand network access to a shared pool ofconfigurablecomputingresources(e.g.,networks,servers,storage,applications,andservices)thatcanberapidlyprovisionedandreleasedwithminimalmanagementeffortorserviceproviderinteraction."ThisconceptandactualimplementationofcloudcomputingenvironmentssupportandcomplementthebasicCI components. Cloud computing services involving geographically dispersed computer, storage, andsoftware connected and accessible through high‐speed communications offer an efficient model forprovidingnecessarycomputerresourcestosupportresearchactivities.Cloudservicesarebeingdeployedand offered by an increasing number of private and public sector sources. Associatedwith the "cloudcomputing"conceptarevariousserviceenvironmentsthatmakeuseofacloudconfiguration:

InfrastructureasaService(IAAS):aservicethatinvolvesoutsourcingofcomputerhardware,storage,andnetworkcomponentstoathirdpartyserviceprovider

SoftwareasaService(SaaS):anoutsourcedservicewhichprovideshostedsoftwareandapplications,accessedremotelyviatheInternet

Computational science: The field of study concerned with constructing mathematical models andquantitative analysis techniques and the use of computers to analyze and solve these models andanalyses.

Cyberinfrastructure(CI):AccordingtotheNationalScienceFoundation(NSF),cyberinfrastructureistheinfrastructurebasedondistributedcomputer,information,andcommunicationtechnology(RevolutionizingScienceandEngineeringThroughCyberinfrastructure).Governance,policiesandstandards,virtualorganizations,andhighlyskilledprofessionalsarerequiredtosustain,enhanceandleverageit.TheIdahoEPSCoRWebpage(http://www.idahoepscor.org/DrawCyberinfrastructure.aspx?PageID=154)describesCIas“researchenvironmentsthatsupportadvanceddataacquisition,datastorage,datamanagement,dataintegration,dataminim,datavisualizationandothercomputingandinformationprocessingservicesdistributedovertheInternetbeyondthescopeofasingleinstitution.Inscientificusage,cyberinfrastructureisatechnologicalsolutiontotheproblemofefficientlyconnectinglaboratories,data,computers,andpeoplewiththegoalofenablingderivationofnovelscientifictheoriesandknowledge.”

Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR): EPSCoR is a NSF‐statepartnership to enhance the science and engineering research, education and technology capabilities ofstates that traditionally have received smaller amounts of research and development funds. In Idaho,EPSCoR is led by a committee composed ofmemberswith diverse professional backgrounds from thepublic andprivate sectors and fromall geographic areas. The committee reports to the StateBoardofEducation and receives matching funds through the Higher Education Research Council (HERC). TheEPSCoRofficeandProjectDirectorarelocatedattheUniversityofIdaho,andBSUandISUarepartners.The NSF EPSCoR's mission, objectives and investment strategies are described athttp://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/epscor/. Twenty‐seven states, Puerto Rico and the US VirginIslandsareeligibleforEPSCoRfunding.

High Performance Computing (HPC): A branch of computer science that focuses on developingsupercomputers and software to run on them. The major thrust is developing parallel processingalgorithmsandsoftwareprogramsthatcanbedividedintolittlepiecessothateachpiececanbeexecutedsimultaneouslybyseparateprocessors.(Webopedia,http://www.webopedia.com,Dec.2011).


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OfficeofCyberinfrastructure(OCI):OrganizationwithinNSFdedicatedtofurtheringtheCIVision.http://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=OCI.

SemanticWeb:AcollaborativemovementledbytheWorldWideWebConsortium(W3C)thatpromotescommonformatsfordataontheWeb.TheSemanticWebaimstoconvertthecurrentwebofunstructureddocumentsintoawebofdatabyinsertingmachine‐readablemetadataaboutpagesandhowtheyrelatetoeachother.Itprovidesacommonframeworkthatallowsdatatobesharedandreusedacrossapplication,enterpriseandcommunityboundaries.(Wikipedia,http://en.wikipedia.org,Dec.2011).

ResearchInfrastructureImprovement(RII)referstotheseriesofEPSCoR‐fundedactivitiesdesignedtoenhancetheresearchexperienceandoutcomes.


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The Universities agree that this Strategic Plan is intended to set forth the generalunderstandingoftheUniversitieswithrespecttothesubjectmatterherein,anddoesnot,andisnotintendedto,contractuallybindtheUniversities.

_____________________________________________________ ________________MarkRudin,VicePresidentforResearch,BoiseStateUniversity Date

BoiseStateUniversity_____________________________________________________ ________________HowardGrimes,VicePresidentforResearchandEconomicDevelopment Date

IdahoStateUniversity

______________________________________________________ ________________JohnMcIver,VicePresidentforResearchandEconomicDevelopment Date

UniversityofIdaho