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Analysis and Outcomes of the Grid-Enabled Engineering Body Scanner

Analysis and Outcomes of the Grid-Enabled Engineering Body Scanner. Daniela K Tsaneva, Michael W Daley, Prof. Nick J Avis School of Computer Science Cardiff University & Welsh eScience Centre. Kevin T W Tan, Prof. Philip J Withers Materials Science Centre

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Analysis and Outcomes of the Grid-Enabled Engineering Body Scanner

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  1. Analysis and Outcomes of the Grid-Enabled Engineering Body Scanner Daniela K Tsaneva, Michael W Daley, Prof. Nick J AvisSchool of Computer ScienceCardiff University & Welsh eScience Centre Kevin T W Tan, Prof. Philip J Withers Materials Science Centre School of MaterialsUniversity of Manchester

  2. Contents • Background And Issues Of Concern • ISME Project (JISC) • Existing ISME system • Experimental Steering Function • Data Management Function • Analysis and outcome of Experiment Steering Trials • Analysis and outcome of Data Management • Technical Challenges and Conclusions • Future Work

  3. Logical workflow of experiments A complete experimental process on a single sample

  4. Large Facility - Overview There are only a handful of International User Facilities available in Europe used by Materials Scientists for stress measurement: • SRS, Daresbury Lab – (X-ray) • ISIS, Oxford – (Neutron) • ESRF, Grenoble, France – (Synchrotron) • Materials Science Centre, Manchester ESRF, Grenoble Synchrotron, France

  5. Issues Of Concern • Phone/email have limitations in visualising problem situations • Experimental schedule is scripted during beam time (planning) • Increasing data size leading to slower data processing • Remote from standard academic structure and analysis tools • Human memory – what did we do? How did we do it? • Poorly annotated data and lack of detailed analysis • Lack of powerful, user-friendly visualisation routines • Lack of training & experience

  6. The Project:ISME - Integration & Steering of Multi-site Experiments to Assemble Engineering Body Scans • Main aim: • To develop and refine the experimental steering process for distributed teams • Specific objectives: • To achieve multi-site experiment steering, to discuss progress (Strategic Experimental Steering Function) • Set up a medium for collaboratively managing, viewing and analysing data (Data Management Function) • Improve the HCI issues within the shared-workspace between the dispersed sites • Create guidelines for the use of remote steering and collaborative environments.

  7. Work in progress of the ISME project • Evaluation of AG tools to assist communication between remotely located experimenters and teams at university/home • Analysis of various web services required in a web portal to aid and assist experiment/data management Providing a Collaborative Virtual Research Environment is required

  8. Existing ISME system • Experimental Steering Function • the need for a mechanism/medium to discuss progress, modify strategies, and to train and instruct students • these aspects are provided by Access Grid (AG) functionality at the remote sites and universities/home • Data Management Function • the need for a mechanism/medium for collaboratively analysing data and archiving data, collected elsewhere or during previous experiments. • this need leads to embedding a set of well defined web services within a portal service framework using uPortal.

  9. Experimental Steering Function • Group-based face to face contact, or at least voice to voice (via AG) • A shared view of the experimental configuration (using AG) • A common shared ‘tablet’ or ‘workspace’ to visualise results from the Data Management Function.

  10. Data Management Function The following functions will be grid enabled: • Virtual running of experiment prior to travel • Automated set-up and component mounting • Access to data processing suite • Data recording and archiving • Visualisation (either using local or remote resources and collaborative, 1D, 2D, 3D and 4D) • Data co-registration and co-visualisation • Presentation and interrogation of assimilated 3D data at remote sites (includes industry sites)

  11. Analysis and outcome of Experimental Steering Trials • We have trialled AG focusing on how to configure it to optimise HCI and usability • Virtual venue was established • AG was used mostly on computers with good quality webcams • Initial trial between Manchester School of Materials, Daresbury Laboraty, ISIS, Oxford and Cardiff University

  12. AccessGrid Common AG meeting tools include: • inSORS • AccessGrid Toolkit 2.4 (AGTk) • Videoconferencing Tools and Robus Audio Tools (vic and rat) • Virtual Rooms Videoconferencing System (VRVS) The choice between inSORS and AGTk was based on comparison of the following attributes: • Audio & Video communication network • Ease of Use and Available Features • Reliability • Support of Hardware Tools • Firewall Network • Cost & Set-Up & Support

  13. Table 1: Comparisons between inSORS and AGTk Results of using inSORS • We have purchased a few copies of inSORS for communication between experimental and broadband sites • The results of using inSORS’s are satisfactory for materials scientists, particularly the features of “Shared Whiteboard” and “File Sharing” • The ease of use of IGMeeting where a user can set-up a meeting with other inSORS users without the need for a pre-arranged meeting had been proven a great advantage over AGTk

  14. Analysis and outcome of Data Management • Choice of web portal (JSR-168 and WSRP) - two web portals have been examined, GridSphere and uPortal, both developed in close conformance to the JSR 168 standards. • GridSphere - GridSphere, based on our own and previous experience of our colleagues was unstable, the support and reliability of the software under Windows are not satisfactory. • uPortal - uPortal proved stable for development of web services under Windows and Linux, has a well documented web site and supports JSR 168 and WSRP. • Web Service for Remote Portlets (WSRP) – WSRP allows portlets to be exposed as Web services. The resulting web service will be user-facing and interactive among different web portals.

  15. Web Portlets for Materials Scientists • We have conducted a series of structured interviews with material scientists following the completion of a questionnaire in order to ascertain which web services are required by the material scientists. • The interviews have been carried out with members of differing roles and levels of experience, namely, a Professor, a project manager, a lecturer, an instrument scientist and three PhD students.

  16. Required Web Services • A proper communication with visualisation is required, which will help to show the problem or the data. • There is a need for shared desktop/workspace for better collaboration, especially when necessary to communicate problems and share data. • A data archive is required, so that the users would be able to retrieve the documents and the data, to have an easy access to previous work, with the experiments recorded, the data and reports. • A log book of the experiment is useful, very simple and easy to use, including only pictures and text. • A catalogue tool to organise the data you transfer.

  17. Required Web Services • To maintain a framework to store all the data at the same format, like metadata, XML, and have access to it. • To be able to analyse the data at the facilities. • The problem to send big data (GBytes) back home should be overcome – e.g. by using a very fast data connection. • AG is required to be installed at the venue. It should be already set up, easy to use, portable, as a package. • A project scheduling tool is useful to plan the experiment and to keep a diary during it • To simulate the experiment in advance virtually, so the new students can get used to the procedure and the facilities.

  18. Web Portlets for Materials Scientists Based on the required web services, we have developed a prototype ISME web portal currently providing 14 services, some of which work and others are just mock up version. These services are grouped into 6 categories, as follows: • Data related services • GridFTP • Remote Processing • Communication • AccessGrid • Miscellaneous

  19. Web services of the ISME portal The working web services of the ISME portal are in the following categories: Data related services: • Data archive • File Manager • Virtual Log Book Communication: • Image • Video • Shared Desktop • Message Board Under construction - Access Grid, GridFTP and Remote Processing. Miscellaneous - Calendar, Project Scheduling and Virtual Experiment, presented only as prototypes.

  20. Example of ISME Web Portal Services • Virtual Log-Book web service deployed on uPortal - provides the material scientists with the possibility to add text and paste a graphical image stored in the clipboard

  21. Example of ISME Web Portal Services • Shared Desktop web service deployed on uPortal - can be used to visualise results from the experiments via the multimedia resource

  22. User evaluation of the ISME portal The ISME portal provided wide range of 19 web services initially, which have been demonstrated in front of the material scientists from the School of Materials, University of Manchester. Web services evaluation

  23. User evaluation of the ISME portal As a result from this analysis the following web services are recommended to be provided on the ISME web portal: • Shared Desktop • Data Archive • Access Grid • GridFTP • Virtual Log Book • Message Board • Image • Remote Processing

  24. User evaluation of the ISME portal Some of the web services need to be improved, for example: • Virtual Log Book would require time stamps on the experiments as an automatic feature to provide a historical record of actions. • Data Archive need to be merged with the Catalogue tool to reduce replication within the web portal. • The Calendar service must be linked to the experiments, allocated by the experiment at facility and should be made public to allow other colleagues to view timetables. • Overlap between some of the services has been identified • There are some irrelevant services for the experimenters, such as Chat, Email and Video.

  25. Technical Challenges and Conclusions • Difficulties with installation and using open source applications, lack of stability (GridSphere) • Problems with integrating legacy applications into the open source web portal (AccessGrid, GridFTP) • Problems with deploying new web services on the portal (e.g. applet security, remote applications etc.) • There is a need to improve the GUI of the portal • Some web services require additional functionalities and need to be redeveloped and redeployed on the portal

  26. Future Work • Our aim is to exploit and customise existing tools so that the scientists can use them seamlessly and effectively in undertaking experiments. • So far we have undertaken a small pilot study based around two experimental facilities and one extended research team. • This project will be expanded to a wider range of users with assessment criteria to evaluate the prototype portal and services. • We are planing a full test-drive of our AG tools and Web portal on the Daresbury 16.3 beamline using public access users. • We will also examine the possibility of transferring the approach to the new Diamond Light Source near Oxford. • We are collaborating with Manchester Computing to develop an AG Meeting Notifications tools (based on vic&rat). • We are looking for social scientists to assist with the next phase of development - VRE2

  27. Acknowledgement

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