Call for Papers
Melbourne, Australia
December 5, 2005
In conjunction with
e-Science 2005
Grid research has focused on the marshaling of computation and data, and their interactions at hubs of analysis and synthesis. This focus has spawned the notion of computational and data Grids, respectively. As the technology for these has matured, however, increasing attention is being directed towards the actual sources of data: the instruments and sensors.
Scientific instruments and sensors provide the raw observations used to develop, falsify, and verify scientific theories; and thus drive scientific progress. The scientific process begins not with the data, however, but rather with the preceding data collection. This collection is not a rote procedure, and often interacts profoundly with interpretation and analysis, whether by human or machine. Ignoring this interaction can lead to inefficient use of computational and human resources.
Another important trend is the increasing use of in silico experiments, and the integration of model-based simulation with physical sensors. These projects further couple the collection of data with analysis and simulation. In these scenarios, a unified paradigm for Grid-enabling both physical instruments and virtual instruments will result in flexible, extensible systems for exploiting the tremendous potential of information technology.
The above considerations suggest that we seek to push the Grid to the edges of the practice of science: to the point where data is collected, and to the point where the scientist uses the data; and thus create an end-to-end Grid environment for scientific activity. Many instruments and sensors are already digitally-accessible, but they are poorly integrated into the Grid.
Instruments and sensors are qualitatively distinct from computation and data, however, and thus impose some unique challenges and issues to current Grid technologies. For example, operational models may range from remotely-accessing a one-stop, full-service instrument site to dynamically composing distributed instrument, data, and analysis services into a virtual instrument organization.
This workshop will seek to address these issues and challenges, as they encompass both real and virtual instruments and sensors. We are soliciting papers on topics including, but not limited to, the following:
Nael Abu-Ghazaleh, State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton
Robert Allan, Daresbury Laboratory
Ilkay Altintas, San Diego Supercomputer Center, UC-San Diego
Roberto Barbera, INFN, University of Catania
Colin Bird, IBM
Rachel Cardell-Oliver, University of Western Australia
Ewa Deelman, ISI, University of Southern California
Jack Dongarra, University of Tennesse-Knoxville
Dennis Gannon, Indiana University
Roger Impey, NRC Institute for Information Technology
(Andrew) Stephen McGough, London e-Science Centre
Russ Miller, State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo
Thomas O'Reilly, Montery Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Steve Peltier, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research
David de Roure, University of Southampton
Chen-Khong Tham, National University of Singapore
Sameer Tilak, State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton
Claudio Vuerli, INAF-O.A.Trieste
Rich Wolski, UC-Santa Barbara
Albert Zomaya, University of Sydney