1. Connecting the Dots Kate Petersen ESnet Science Engagement
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Internet2 Global Summit
25 April, 2017
Washington, DC

2. Section Overview Requirements gathering, connecting the dots
Rapid changes and growth in scientific disciplines
Changing landscape
Augmentation, not duplication
Strategic, community focus

3. Requirements gathering is a necessity
Has been happening in various forms for some time
Formal process
Informal process
Post mortem
Process is becoming more common in light of infrastructure investments and upgrades (or at least highlighting the NEED for such a process)
User requirements guide architecture, services, personnel decisions
Tight budgets = evaluate opportunity costs, risks to the organization
Commonalities and inherent differences – share the knowledge
Across disciplines
Across regions
Across countries
12/6/2018

4. Rapid advances and changes in scientific disciplines

5. Rapid advances and changes require regular dialog
Technology advances + collaboration = Necessary revisions to research focus based on new scientific discoveries in relatively short periods of time
A Given: Reliance on fast, dependable, secure networks and computing continues to grow, globally
Changed landscape: Requires more than just “fixing the network” or “adding more nodes”
Data management, access, transport, and storage are intertwined in the equation
Bridging the gap and creating regular dialog between infrastructure experts and scientists is a process
Add this to an already long list of work duties? Not sustainable…
Build a constant undercurrent in thought process, provide materials and resources to back it up
12/6/2018

6. Augmentation, Not Duplication
Not starting from scratch – lots of work has already been done
Gather and create a body of work:
Informs on how to build the next iterations of infrastructure, tailor built for science and research problems
Identifies similarities and differences between disciplines and countries
Lessons learned
How to leverage
How to navigate
Expertise, capabilities, and willingness are there
Massive wealth of information and experience in this community
Bit by bit to create a larger resource: combined efforts, expertise, resources
12/6/2018

7. Strategic, Community focus
In addition to Communication - Key components:
Flexibility
Organization
Access
Not to overlook complexities
Large undertaking, early stages in many cases
Obvious need, tight budgets
Cultural, social, regulatory differences are not trivial
Requires participation from multiple NRENs and other members of the community
12/6/2018

8. …and now to David… Kate Petersen ESnet Science Engagement
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory