Abstract

The Grid‐based Virtual Laboratory AMsterdam (VLAM‐G), provides a science portal for distributed analysis in applied scientific research. It offers scientists remote experiment control, data management facilities and access to distributed resources by providing cross‐institutional integration of information and resources in a familiar environment. The main goal is to provide a unique integration of existing standards and software packages. This paper describes the design and prototype implementation of the VLAM‐G platform. In this testbed we applied several recent technologies such as the Globus toolkit, enhanced federated database systems, and visualization and simulation techniques. Several domain specific case studies are described in some detail. Information management will be discussed separately in a forthcoming paper.

Highlights

  • Recent developments in integrating parallel and distributed computing, combined with improvements in overall network bandwidth have made it possible to add a new dimension to distributed computing: the Grid [1]

  • Steering of remote measurement apparatus and value-adding by combining data sets from different sources is demonstrated by MACS, see Section 3.1; the simulation and system engineering case shows the interplay between commodity analysis environments and the VLAM-G middleware; the bio-informatics portal stresses the workflow support provided by the Process Flow Template (PFT); and the surgical planning system demonstrates the usefulness of man-in-the-loop type dynamic data exploration environments

  • Field tests provide an opportunity to measure the benefits of new applications in real-world environments and convey vital information for system design and evaluation, the scale and the range of the conditions for which the system performance can be tested is severely limited in practice

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Summary

Introduction

Recent developments in integrating parallel and distributed computing, combined with improvements in overall network bandwidth have made it possible to add a new dimension to distributed computing: the Grid [1]. The Grid-based Virtual Laboratory AMsterdam (VLAM-G) offers such a distributed analysis platform for applied experimental science [2]. The VLAM-G is a science portal for remote experiment control and collaborative, Grid-based distributed analysis in applied sciences, using crossinstitutional integration of heterogeneous information and resources. Since the Globus toolkit constitutes a low-level middle-tier, an additional layer is needed to open up Grid/Globus technology to applications of scientists This layer should hide them from low-level Grid issues, such as e.g. security, resource management and networking. Domain specific application case studies have been developed for physics, bio-informatics, and medical and systems engineering Bearing these application domains in mind, three different science portals are being designed and implemented simultaneously, sharing a common technology

The VLAM-G toolkit
The concept of a study
The VLAM-G architecture
The VLAM-G RTS
The VLAM-G science portals
A virtual material analysis laboratory
Simulation and systems engineering
Information management for gene expression studies
Interactive simulated vascular reconstruction
Distance learning proof of concept setup
Conclusions
Full Text
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