NextGRID- Workpackages

:: NextGRID Workpackages ::

Architecture: This activity plays a central leadership role which guides research within NextGRID. It takes ideas and strategies from the other technical workpackages (2 to 7) and turns them into a unifying architecture to form the basis for further activities within those workpackages. This workpackage aims to proceed systematically to develop an integrated understanding of all the factors which must be taken into account in the development of the NextGRID architecture.

Standards: This activity focuses on contributing to the next generation of standards so that the results of NextGRID can be realised in practical implementations. It receives input from the integrating and development activities of the project and acts as the clearing house for the contributions NextGRID makes to the setting of standards.

Business and Operational Models: This activity identify Grid usages scenarios to support the development of those components which will make the Grid pervasive, persistent and usable by a wide community. These usage scenarios address the need for sound financial and business bases for the next generation Grid.

Grid Foundations: This activity develops and tests new components or extends and tests existing components corresponding to the concepts, mechanisms and interfaces arising from the architecture activity. The work addresses the basic properties of individual services, the protocols use to communicate with them and the core services fundamental to the next Grid services architecture.

Grid Dynamics: This activity explores mechanisms for dynamically assembling and orchestrating interacting Grid services in support of the overall vision of NextGRID. It focuses initially on the needs of business (security, economic viability and privacy) with the intention of moving later to those of individuals and society (personal privacy, scalability and usability). Grid Dynamics is strongly orientated to the client-side and the management of end-to-end Grid behaviour which depends of service capabilities and attributes.

Grid Interactions: This activity focuses on the interfaces between endusers, applications and services. Three different user needs are addressed: programming models, portals and user environments. These target non-expert Grid users, application developers and Grid operators. The workpackage cooperates closely with the Applications workpackage.

Applications: This activity focuses on driving the architectural work by capturing application requirements and specifying use scenarios; the development of representative application systems using available middleware both from NextGRID and elsewhere; and the evaluation of NextGRID components giving feedback to the other workpackages including Architecture and Business and Operational Issues.

Dissemination and training: This activity aims to encourage and support trialling and early adoption of the Grid by potential users, both academic and industrial. This trialling and early adoption is underpinned by significant promotion and training activities.

Management: This workpackage is concerned with the effective management of the NextGRID project. In particular is addresses clear procedures for taking decisions and resolving conflicts, the establishment of quality control procedures for outputs and deliverables, the monitoring of resources and budgets and the observation by the participants of their obligations under the contract and consortium agreement.

Collaboration: This workpackage stimulates, monitors and reports activities in workpackages 1 to 8 which take place in collaboration with other projects supported by the European Commission. Approximately 5% of effort in these workpackages is reported through the collaboration workpackage. NextGRID is contributing to the 7 collaborative tasks which cover technical concertation; dissemination; standards; software repository; technical inventory and roadmaps; impact assessment and training.

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