Development of cloud computing capacity and education in developing world research IG

This Interest Group proposes that cloud computing infrastructures will provide Developing World Research (DWR) with the leverage necessary to compete with Developed World  Research and apply knowledge in providing solutions to the critical problems they encounter. Cloud computing platforms have the potential to:

• circumvent the infrastructural problems that DWR encounters,
• coordinate the collation of data from geographically disparate locations and enable their analysis,
• provide access to, and the computational resources necessary to analyse, the copious amount of publicly available data available in an expanding number of areas of research.

It is further proposed that technically there are no barriers to this happening. This Interest Group will discuss how the remaining barriers can be removed. In particular, we will discuss 

• specific use cases either taken from the developing world where cloud computing could be of use, or indeed has already been applied or examples of cloud computing that would be of assistance in this sphere. The cases will consider a spectrum of situations relevant for DWR. 
• the collation of training materials in cloud computing and data science. This will liase with the Education and Training in Data Intensive Science Interest Group and other organisations such as Microsoft Research that already provide such materials. Materials should include a variety of materials ranging from basic introductions to what cloud computing is to a practical introduction to how cloud computing can be used in a research context. The presence (or absence) of non-English  language resources will also be surveyed. 
• how to create Working Groups that will address specific issues outlined above. 

This Interest Group will actively seek to liase and collaborate with other relevant organisations such as CODATA with similar interests. 

Co-chairs: 

Dr. Hugh Shanahan, Royal Holloway, University of London, hugh.shanahan@rhul.ac.uk

Dr. Andrew Harrison, University of Essex, harry@essex.ac.uk

Preliminary members :

Prof. George Alter, University of Michigan

Prof. Ming Chen, Zhejiang University

Prof. Liu Chuang, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Dr. Yuri Demechenko, University of Amsterdam

Caroline Dynes, Royal Society

Dr. Fabrizio Gagliardi, Barcelona Supercomputer Centre

Prof. Sara Graves, University of Alabama in Hunstville

Dr. Diana Hendrickx, Maastricht University

Albert Heyrovsky, University of Edinburgh

Meredith Jacob, American University

Prof. Nicky Mulder, Cape Town University

Dr. Tommi Nyronen, CSC Finland (Elixir) 

Kay Raseroka, University of Botswana

Dr. Kenji Takeda, Microsoft Research

Dr. Jonathan Tedds, University of Leicester

Esther Dzale Yeumo, INRA