1. WIMEA – ICT: Science Gateway for Weather Information Management in East Africa to interact with ICT Tool WRF
MAKWEBA, Damas – DSM Institute of Technology (DIT) - Tanzania
e-Research Summer Hackfest – Catania (Italy) 1

2. Computing and data model Implementation strategy
Outline
Abstract
Introduction
Scientific problem
Computing and data model
Implementation strategy
Summary and conclusion
References 2

3. Abstract
Accessing and interacting with different applications/tools running on remote High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities is a challenge to most of researchers, scientists and students particularly in East Africa when it come that there is no graphical user interface (GUI). Many users are not familiar with Linux environment commands instead they demand to use GUI over windows machine in which again most scientific applications cant be deployed like in Linux machine. Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) is a selected tool in the project improving Weather Information Management in East Africa through ICT tools. This use case is targeting to implement the Science Gateway (web portal) for easiness interacting remotely with WRF tool on HPC. The development will be on integrated open source tools: Future Gateway (FG) and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). 3

4. Introduction
Improving Weather Information Management in East Africa through Information and Communication Technology (WIMEA – ICT) tools is a project whereby students, researchers and scientists selected Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) tool to produce simulation reflecting either real data (observation, analysis) or idealized atmospheric condition.
Weather information is vital for decision making in various sectors such as agriculture, disaster management, aviation, fishing, energy, mining, construction, defense, water resources and health. 4

5. Introduction
One of the most scientific ICT tool used for weather predictions and weather observation is the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. WRF is a Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) system designed to serve both atmospheric and operational forecasting needs.
NWP refers to the simulation and prediction of the atmosphere with a computer model while WRF is a set of software for this model. 5

6. Insufficient number of meteorologists to use WRF tool
Scientific Problem
With the existence of HPC facilities, currently remote access and interaction to various tools like WRF is over command line
Insufficient number of meteorologists to use WRF tool
HPC facilities is underutilized.
Lack of using command line, in most cases data are processed manually and under poor performance. 6

7. Computing and data model
WIMEA – ICT project specifically proposed WRF tool demands a web portal to simply allow the easiness of data submission to HPC for simulation
HPC is the combination of different computing machines running sets of applications to solve various scientific problems quickly, WRF is among the applications/tools
A web portal known as science gateway is needed to ease the access/interaction of those tools/applications running on HPC
The model is to develop WIMEA-ICT science gateway which will be used by researchers, scientists and students using the WRF tool 7

8. The time plan is in two phases
Implementation strategy
The development of the WIMES – ICT science gateway in the use of WRF tool will base on the following tools:
Future Gateway
INDIGO tools
GitHub
Docker
The time plan is in two phases
Phase 1: 18 – 30 July Deploy SG for WIMEA – ICT specifically to interact with the WRF tool
Phase 2: Deploy SG at DIT, a similar copy of Africa Grid SG. (August – September 2016) 8

9. Summary and conclusions
This use case introduced the improved science gateway for the WIMEA-ICT project to interact with WRF tool
The deployment of a Science Gateway is not an easy task but a successful WIMEA – ICT science gateway deployed will result of HPC utilization
Ideally the science gateway increase the performance of jobs submission to the remotely HPC facilities
The scenario of this use case can be adopted to other similar use cases
Next use case will include the integration of other tools like indigo, gLibrary and Ophidia, also using this use case clone the existing African science gateway to be hosted at DIT, Tanzania with the new features of future gateway 9

10. WIMEA - ICT: http://cis.mak.ac.ug/wimea/index.php/team
References
Improving Weather Information Management in East Africa for effective service provision through the application of suitable ICTs WIMEA-ICT: Joachim R, Julianne S: NORHED meeting 05 Nov 2013, Bergen
WIMEA - ICT:
WRF: 10

11. Thank you!
sci-gaia.eu 11