First eConcertation Meeting - A Concerted Effort to Make eDreams Come True
The first eInfrastructure Concertation event took place on the first and second days of the EGEE-02 project conference. It was organised by the EGEE project, in conjunction with the European Commission and with the support of other infrastructure projects such as DEISA, SEEGRID and GÉANT2.
Kyriakos Baxevanidis, EC Co-ordinator of Grid-related efforts within DG INFSO, outlined the meeting's three main objectives:
- Develop synergies between projects that are working in the same or in similar areas (such as Grids and networking)
- Improve and advance the service that the eInfrastructure projects can provide to the research community
- Support collective efforts among these initiatives, including dissemination, impact on standards development and so on.
The event saw broad participation from both eInfrastructure providers and eInfrastructure user projects. The first day featured project presentations with subsequent panel discussions, while an open-forum discussion took place on the second day. The forum was intended to consolidate a common approach to vital issues, and business and work models, as well as to applications.
Vasilis Maglaris, Chairman of the GÉANT2 Policy Committee, presented the GÉANT2 network, whose vital importance to the Grid community was highlighted throughout the project presentations. Hans Döbbeling (DANTE) and Jürgen Rauschenbach (DFN) represented GÉANT2 in the technical discussion on the second day. Dr Döbbeling stressed the need for vertical integration (collaboration from networks through Grids to applications) to complement the establishment of horizontal teams among projects to address topics of common interest.
The second day also featured a brainstorming session on topics that lie at the heart of the eInfrastructures community, such as security, Grid interfaces, accounting and performance monitoring. The interest and enthusiasm sparked by these discussions saw conversation and debate continuing informally in the coffee breaks at DANTE's exhibition stand, as delegates explored the issues that had been presented, and debated their implications.
In his summary of the event, Malcolm Atkinson (National eScience Centre, UK) commented that the strength of the GÉANT network had facilitated the integration of national and international efforts for research infrastructures. Today’s projects should build on the past achievements of the Fifth Framework Programme. As a result, work should be targeted towards deployment in areas where existing facilities are deficient, and towards the operation of production-grade infrastructures.
The next eConcertation meeting will be hosted by GÉANT2, with the agenda focusing on networks.
The presentation given by Vasilis Maglaris can be found online in the DANTE newsroom.
