Application-Domain Research Groups at GGF: An Earth Observation RG?

1. Application-Domain Research Groups at GGF:An Earth Observation RG? Craig Lee, The Aerospace Corporation, lee@aero.org Presented by Yonsook Enloe, SGT Inc.,yonsook@harp.gsfc.nasa.gov 18th WGISS Meeting, Beijing, Sept. 6-10, 2004

2. What is GGF? • Global Grid Forum, www.ggf.org • A standards body modeled after the IETF • Goals • Promote Grid Computing best practices and community • Produce Grid Computing Standards for industry • ~750-1000 participants per meeting • Roughly even attendance among industry, labs, academia • Representation from North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific • First meeting as “Grid Forum” • June, 1999, NASA Ames; about 70 people • First meeting as “Global Grid Forum” • March, 2001, Amsterdam Science and Technology Center • Merged North American, European, and Asia-Pacific efforts • Over 500 people • GGF-12, Brussels, Belgium, September 19-22, 2004 18th WGISS Meeting, Beijing, Sept. 6-10, 2004

3. GGF Structure • GGF Chair • Outgoing Chair: Charlie Catlett, ANL, Director of NSF TeraGrid • Incoming Chair: Mark Linesch, HP VP, Adaptive Enterprise Program • GGF Secretariat • “Front Office” managing the business of GGF • GFSG -- Grid Forum Steering Group • Manages the technical work of GGF • Composed of GGF Chair, Area Co-Directors and At-Large Members • GGF currently composed of seven areas • Architecture • Security • Data • Peer-to-Peer • Each area has two Area Co-Directors • Areas composed of Working Groups and Research Groups • Apps, Prgming Models and Environments (APME) • Information Services and Performance • Scheduling and Resource Management 18th WGISS Meeting, Beijing, Sept. 6-10, 2004

4. GGF Structure • Working Groups • Narrowly focused on one specific technical topic • Typical goal is to produce a standards document • Hard schedule and finite lifespan • When work is done (document produced), group is closed • Research Groups • More broadly focused on a technical area or application domain • Identify key technical issues • Identify real-world requirements for grid computing and standards • Possibly spin-off a WG when issues/reqmts are clearly defined • Promote grid computing within the application domain • Identify best practices for grid computing community • Promote technical interchange among WGs and other RGs • Can recharter every two years and continue 18th WGISS Meeting, Beijing, Sept. 6-10, 2004

5. The Value Proposition for App-Domain RGs:(What's in it for an org like WGISS?) • Application-Domain RGs as "Watercooler Groups” • Different application groups can share “war stories”; successes, failures, experiences of all kinds • Technical peering point • Can facilitate expansion of grid resources and user community • Ability to effectively lobby software providers • Collectively with peers can lobby sfw developers, e.g., Globus Toolkit • Can expose issues, dissatisfactions, explore alternatives within open community • Ability to influence standards • Can comment on standards to assure sfw being built meets my needs • (Public can comment on standards but RGs are much closer to the process – can talk to the key people as it’s happening) • Thanks to Dane Skow (Fermi Lab), Security Area Co-Director, for these bullets! 18th WGISS Meeting, Beijing, Sept. 6-10, 2004

6. Examples of Other App-Domain Groups • PNPA-RG (Particle and Nuclear Physics Applications) • Open Science Grid (OSG) across many institutions • Jointly operated by iVDGL, GriPhyN, PPDG, and other physics projects • Astro-RG (Astronomy) • International Virtual Observatory Project (IVO) • Very large, well-organized international project deploying a data grid for astronomical data collected around the world • LSG-RG (Life Sciences Grid) • Clearing house for the application of grids to genomics, bio-informatics, mammography, bio-diversity catalog, etc. • HASS-RG (Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences) proposed • Exploratory group to find new applications of grids in linguistics, film/video/audio production, semantics, etc. • Apps-RG (Applications) • Umbrella applications group that’s been in existence since GF-1 18th WGISS Meeting, Beijing, Sept. 6-10, 2004

7. RG Formation Process • Request Group Formation BoF (Birds of a Feather Meeting) • Establish level of interest in the community • Identify who's really motivated to contribute to the RG • Determine specific goals for the RG • Milestones, Schedule (typically 2 years) • Start connecting with other app research groups and working groups relevant to specific needs, e.g., for Earth Observation • Strictly speaking, a BoF is not required but the vast majority of groups start with a BoF to accomplish the above • Draft Group Formation Charter • Identify Officers (Co-Chairs, Secretary) • Goals/Milestones, e.g., for an RG: • Sponsor 1-3 workshops/year, perhaps in collaboration w/ other RGs/WGs • Produce Informational, Community Practice, or Experimental documents that become part of GGF Document Series, e.g., requirements survey documents, workshop report documents, etc. • Possibly spin-off WGs 18th WGISS Meeting, Beijing, Sept. 6-10, 2004

8. RG Formation Process (cont.) • Draft Group Formation Charter (cont.) • Answer the "Seven Questions“ • Is the scope focused? • Are the topics clear? • Will the group’s work not be done elsewhere? • Does the group overlap too much with other groups? • Is there sufficient interest & expertise in the group? • Does a base of consumers/customers exist for the group’s work? • Does the GGF have a role to play in determining this technology? • Submit Charter to GFSG via the intended Area Co-Director • Officially created groups have: • GridForge Project on forge.gridforum.org • Repository for documents, in-progress and completed • Track action items for group projects • Forums for online discussions • Provide links to other relevant sites • Archived mailing list 18th WGISS Meeting, Beijing, Sept. 6-10, 2004

9. GGF Meeting Logistics • Three meetings per year • Groups do not have to meet every time • A GGF Meeting consists of: • Plenaries, Invited Keynotes • Town Hall Meeting – open mic discussion with GFSG • RG and WG sessions (lots of ‘em!) • Groups can schedule multiple sessions depending on work to be done • Workshops • Real “working” workshops for work-in-progress with no printed proceedings • More formal workshops with peer-reviewed submissions and proceedings • Sponsored by individual group for a specific purpose (e.g., physics) or by several groups for cross-cutting issues (e.g., production grid deployment) • GROC (Grid Research Oversight Committee) reviews workshop proposals • Tutorials • Ad-hoc meetings • Left-over room slots available for any legit, grid-related purpose 18th WGISS Meeting, Beijing, Sept. 6-10, 2004

10. Further Contact: • Craig LeeThe Aerospace Corporation, lee@aero.org • Satoshi MatsuokaTokyo Institute of Technology, matsu@is.titech.ac.jp (APME Co-Chairs) 18th WGISS Meeting, Beijing, Sept. 6-10, 2004