Panel #2 DiscussionSIMVac Symposium1:30 pm – 2:00 pmApril 25, 2006

VisualGrid:An Infrastructure for Visualization and

Environmental Research Fostering Collaboration and Resource Sharing

Collective effort of UNC-C, UNC-A, and the EPA

Grid Computing

Using geographically distributed and interconnected computers for high performance computing and/or for resource sharing.

The grid virtualizes heterogeneous geographically disperse resources

From "Introduction to Grid Computing with Globus," IBM Redbooks

Virtual Organizations

Grid computing offers the

potential of virtual organizations:– groups of people both geographically and

organizationally distributed working together on a problems sharing computers AND other resources such as databases and experimental equipment.

Crosses multiple administrative domains.

VisualGrid: The Visualization Computational Grid

The VisualGrid is a collaborative project bringing together experts on air quality, grid computing, interactive visualization, and environmental impacts to work on problems of current impact and future growth.

Collaborating Institutions include•UNC Charlotte

-Charlotte Visualization Center- Global Institute for Environmental Energy Systems

•UNC Asheville-National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center

•Environmental Protection Agency

Visualization Command

Center

Visualization Command

Center

VisualGrid: The Visualization Computational Grid•The VisualGrid will run a high resolution air quality model for the corridor between Charlotte and Asheville. Eventually, the model will be expanded to include the areas bounded by Charlotte, Asheville, Raleigh, and Greensboro.

•Major sources of pollutants (e.g., power plants) will be included in the model. The model will look not only at current activity but future development in infrastructure such as power plants and in population.

•An environmental impact model will be run on top of the air quality model so that a plan for economic and population development can be made that minimizes adverse effects on the population and the environment.

•New methods of interactive visualization will permit sharing and analyses of these large amounts of data in a common picture available to all.

VisualGrid: Impacts

•As the grid computing capability grows, the air quality model can be run at unprecedented refinement and scale.

•A unique and forward-looking environmental impact capability will result that can give planners and researchers the tools to manage growth without adversely affecting important qualities of life and abundant natural resources.

•A cadre of students, both undergraduate and graduate, will be educated in the use of the latest technologies, and they will develop faculties of critical thinking that will make them well qualified in today’s competitive work environment. Some of the students will develop new methods of significant environmental and economic impact.

UNC-Charlotte

VisualizationBill Ribrasky, Bank of America Endowed Chair of Information Technology (VisualGrid PI)

Aidong Lu, Asst. Professor of Computer Science

Environmental StudiesHilary Inyang, Duke Energy Distinguished Professor

Sunyoung Bae, Research Associate

(Global Inst. of Energy and Environmental Syst., UNC-C)

Grid InfrastructureBarry Wilkinson, Professor of Computer Science

UNC-Asheville

Environmental Studies/VisualizationJohn Stevens, Director, National Environmental and Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC)

Stewart Dickson, Dept of CS/ NEMAC

James Fox, NEMAC

Daniel O’Leary, Project manager, NEMAC

Susan Parker, Project Manager, NEMAC

Grid InfrastructureDean Brock, Professor of Computer Science

Scientific Visualization

Great Challenges from data acquisition, computation, storage, transfer, analysis…

Visual insights of the data Significant data features, patterns, and

relationships Quantitative calculations and measurements Interactive exploration and automatic

digestion

Environmental Planning

Inyang, Fisher, and Mbamalu, 2003

A Quantitative Methodology for Indexing Environmental Sensitivity and Pollution Potential

Visualization:

Combine more data variables

Significantly improve the research environment

Research Objectives

Efficient, accurate feature models for quantifying data correlation

Advanced visualization techniques for multiple data variables and their relationships

Integrated research environments to explore and analyze data

VisualGrid UNC-C Infrastructure Group:

Barry WilkinsonJeremy Villalobos (MS student)Nikul Suthar (MS Student)Keyur Sheth (MS student)Jasper Land (BS student)

Systems to date enrolled in VisualGrid:4-node departmental server dedicated to grid computing activities52-node University Research ClusterChuck Price, Director of University Research ComputingMike Mosley, Senior Systems Developer

Goals of Infrastructure Group

Provide technical direction to enable UNC-C, UNC-A, and EPA sites to interconnect as grid, working with grid infrastructure members at other sites.

Develop a user interface so that users can submit jobs to any site.

Customize interface to satisfy user requirements

…

Current Operational Configuration at UNC-C

CAcoit-grid01

coit-grid03

VisualGrid portal URL:http://coit-grid01.uncc.edu:8080/gridsphere(Portals on other systems for experimentation.)coit-grid02

coit-grid04

CA -- Certificate authorities

All with Globus 4.0Sun Grid Engine scheduler on grid01-grid02Condor on grid03-grid04 and URC

52-node University Research Cluster

CA

CA

Portal login page(OGCE2/gridsphere portal)

Portlets:

Job SubmissionCan choose any cluster enrolled in grid