Ok folks. Of all questions, I would like to pose this: “What is cyberinfrastructure?” if we want to have this explained to and understood by common academic people, e.g. explain it at the level of undergraduate students.
Here’s the challenge: Can we, as a community, explain the “cyberinfrastructure” that we do using as few words as possible (and hopefully using as many common words instead of loaded jargons again)?
“Cyberinfrastructure consists of computing systems, data storage systems, advanced instruments and data repositories, visualization environments, and people, all linked together by software and high performance networks to improve research productivity and enable breakthroughs not otherwise possible.”
I tend to think a lay audience would understand “Cyberinfrastructure is a larger and more complex version of persons utilizing computers and a connection to the internet for research purposes.”
In this definition, “computers” and “internet” could encompass the:
data storage systems
data repositories
visualization environments
software
networks
While we explicitly call out the major contributor to cyberinfrastructure, the “people”.
My understanding is that the “cyberinfrastructure” was formalized largely by the NSF, following rumblings in the community. So I tend to look to the NSF for authoritative definitions, even where not stated as such:
Cyberinfrastructure refers to the coordinated aggregate of software, hardware, and networking technologies that support advanced data acquisition, storage, management, integration, mining, visualization, and computational processing capabilities. The concept extends beyond traditional infrastructure (like physical hardware and networking equipment) to include the sophisticated and integrated layer of digital environments and resources that are necessary to support current-day scientific, social, and business research.
Here are several key components and aspects of cyberinfrastructure:
High-Performance Computing (HPC): This includes supercomputers and distributed computing environments (like grids or cloud computing) that provide significant computational power to handle large datasets and perform complex simulations and analyses.
Data Storage and Management: Cyberinfrastructure includes systems for storing, managing, and accessing vast amounts of data. This can involve databases, data lakes, and scalable storage systems, often spread over geographically distributed resources.
Networks and Connectivity: Advanced networking is a fundamental part of cyberinfrastructure, linking various components together and providing the communication backbone. This includes dedicated high-speed internet connections that enable fast data transfer between institutions and resources.
Software and Tools: A range of software tools, platforms, and environments are integral to cyberinfrastructure. This encompasses everything from specialized applications for data analysis and scientific visualization to middleware that supports the integration and management of disparate tools and data sources.
Collaboration Tools: Technologies that facilitate collaboration among dispersed teams of researchers are also considered part of cyberinfrastructure. This includes virtual meeting tools, collaborative platforms, and shared virtual research environments.
Security and Access Control: Cyberinfrastructure must include robust security measures to protect data and resources. This covers encryption, access controls, and compliance with privacy laws and regulations.
The primary aim of cyberinfrastructure is to provide a comprehensive, integrated, scalable, and sustainable environment to facilitate increasingly complex scientific, scholarly, and community endeavors. It enables researchers and professionals to tackle challenges that are too large or complex for any single institution to handle alone, fostering collaboration and innovation across geographical and disciplinary boundaries.