deliverable 2.2 einfracentral in the context of the ... · abstract: the european open science...

Horizon2020ProgrammeDigitalExcellence&ScienceinfrastructureeInfrastructureScienceCloud

ThisprojecthasreceivedfundingfromtheEuropeanUnion’sHorizon2020researchandinnovationprogrammeundergrantagreementNo731049

GrantAgreementNumber:731049ProjectAcronym:eInfraCentral

ProjectFullTitle:EuropeanE-InfrastructureServicesGatewayTypeofAction:CoordinationandSupportAction(CSA)

Call:H2020-INFRASUPP-2016-2017

Deliverable2.2eInfraCentralinthecontextoftheEuropeanOpenScience

Cloud

Type(DistributionLevel): Public

DeliverableLeader: EFIS

Authors: AlasdairReid,JelenaAngelis,OrsolyaGulyas(EFIS),JorgeSanchez,The-odoreNtezes(JNP),GeorgePapastefanatos(UoA)

DueDate: 30.04.2018

ActualSubmissionDate: 19.06.2018

Version: 1.0

Abstract:TheEuropeanOpenScienceCloud(EOSC)isanevolvingagendathatisimportantnotonlyfromtheEuropeanperspective,butalsofromthepointofviewofthedevelopments inthegloballandscape.ThisdocumentpositionstheeInfraCentralcatalogueofservicesandthedefinedmonitor-ingrequirementswithintheEOSCvision.Thisisapolicyorienteddocumentthathighlightsandelab-oratesonthestrategicfitbetweentheworkdoneineInfraCentralandtheemergingEOSC.

D2.2 eInfraCentral services and the Open Science cloud vision document - eInfraCentral - Grant Agreement number: 731049

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DocumentRevisionHistory

Date Version Author/Editor/Contributor Summaryofmainchanges/Status

21.02.2018 - J.AngelisVirtualbrainstormsessionheldwiththeconsortiumtodiscussthestructureandpurposeofthisdeliverable.MinutesanddraftTableofContentcirculated.

14.03.2018 0.1 J.AngelisRevisedTableofContent(basedonvariousfeedbackreceivedinwritingaswellasduringthemonthlyCon-sortiumcall)circulated.

28.03.2018 0.2 O.Gulyas,J.Angelis Draftedintroductoryandpolicylandscapesectionsofthedocument.

29.03.2018 0.3 G.Papastefanatos ProvidedinputaroundtheeInfraCentralPortal.

02.04.2018 0.4 J.Sanchez,T.Netzes ProvidedinputaroundtheeInfraCentralservicecata-logueandKPIsframework.

24.04.2018 0.5 J.Angelis Reviewedandeditedthedocumentandcirculatedtothewholeconsortiumfortheirfeedback.

25.05.2018 0.6 J.Angelis Updatedthedocumentbasedonthefeedbackreceivedsincelastcirculation.

01.06.2018 0.6 A.Reid Reviewedtheamalgamatedversion

04.06.2018 0.7 J.AngelisMadesomechangesbasedonthelastreviewandre-questedafinalapprovalofthedocumentasitscontenthaschangesignificantly.

18.06.2018 0.8 J.AngelisFinalisedthedocumentbasedonthefinalcommentsfromtheConsortiumpartners;ExecutiveSummaryincluded.

19.06.2018 1.0 A.Reid FinalversionsubmittedtotheEC

Copyright©eInfraCentralconsortium,2017-2018Thisdocumentcontainsmaterial,whichisthecopyrightofcertaineInfraCentralconsortiummembersandtheEC,andmaynotbereproducedorcopiedwithoutpermission,exceptasmandatedbytheEuropeanCommis-sionGrantAgreementno731049forreviewinganddisseminationpurposes.Theinformationcontainedinthisdocumentisprovidedbythecopyrightholders"asis"andanyexpressorimpliedwarranties,including,butnotlimitedto,theimpliedwarrantiesofmerchantabilityandfitnessforaparticularpurposearedisclaimed.InnoeventshallthemembersoftheeInfraCentralcollaboration, includingthecopyrightholders,ortheEuropeanCommissionbeliableforanydirect,indirect,incidental,special,exemplary,orconsequentialdamages(includ-ing,butnot limitedto,procurementofsubstitutegoodsorservices; lossofuse,data,orprofits;orbusinessinterruption)howevercausedandonanytheoryofliability,whetherincontract,strictliability,ortort(includ-ingnegligenceorotherwise)arisinginanywayoutoftheuseoftheinformationcontainedinthisdocument,evenifadvisedofthepossibilityofsuchdamage.


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ExecutiveSummary

ThemissioneInfraCentralisto“ensurethatby2020abroaderandmorevariedsetofusersdiscov-ers and accesses the existing and emerging e-Infrastructure capacity and e-Infrastructure Ser-vices”.To fulfil thismission,eInfraCentral isbuildingacommoncatalogueofEuropeandata,com-puteandnetworkedservices.SinceitslaunchinJanuary2017,thetargetecosystemforeInfraCen-tralhaschangedwithvariousexitsandnewentrants.ThiscomplexecosystemisthestartingpointforthejourneytowardstheEuropeanOpenScienceCloud(EOSC).Launchedin2016witha€6.7billionlong-termfundingplan,theEOSCinitiativepromotestheEU’sagendainthetransitiontoOpenScienceandhelpsadvancetheDigitalSingleMarket.Morespecifi-cally, theEOSCaimstotacklethecurrentwidespreadfragmentationofEuropeancloud infrastruc-tures.Throughsolvingsuchfragmentation,theEOSCshouldalsobecomeatrustedenvironmenttoshare,host,andprocessresearchdatawhereresearcherscanstore,manage,andaccessresourcesinasecureandseamlessmanner.eInfraCentral–withitsservicecatalogue–isamainbuildingblockof the Implementation Roadmap for the EOSC in terms of improving access for users to pan-Europeanservices.eInfraCentral’sroleintheEOSCismulti-faceted:

• Role1:InlightoftheEOSCImplementationRoadmapadoption,eInfraCentralisnowstrong-lypositionedastheservicecatalogueforthefutureEOSCportal.

• Role2:eInfraCentral’sServiceDescriptionTemplateshouldbeadoptedasastandardforde-scribinge-servicesinthefutureEOSCportal.

• Role3:eInfraCentralautomatestheaggregationofservice informationfrompartners’ser-vicecatalogues.

• Role4:TheeInfraCentralPortal–actingasanaggregatorandasingle-entrypointtoaccessdata,applications, software,pipelines,data-as-a-service,knowledge-as-a-serviceandotherresourcesthane-Infrastructureservices–isanunderpinningelementoftheEOSCPortal.

• Role5: eInfraCentral Portalwill takea lead inensuring collectionand comparabilityof anagreedsetofperformanceindicatorsofe-services.

TodeliverontheOpenScience,OpenInnovationandOpentotheWorldvisionforEurope,eInfra-CentralwillplayacrucialroleintheimplementationoftheEOSC.

TheeInfraCentral’sfuturevisionistobecomethecentralEOSCgateway,anaggre-gatorofservices,anaccessportaltopan-EuropeanOpenScienceresources,sup-

portingmultiplemarketplacestopromotetheirservicestoendusers.eInfraCentraliswellpositionedtoachievethisbecauseoftencoreprincipleswhichguidethedesign,set-up,developmentoftheeInfraCentralservicecatalogueandportalaswellastheattraction,re-tention and constant increase of the eInfraCentral Gateway’s customers. eInfraCentral is neutral,objective,transparent,inclusive,scalable,reliable,accessible,intuitive,efficientandtrustworthy.eInfraCentralhasalreadycontributedtothedevelopmentoftheEOSCwithitscommonapproachtoservicedescriptionandstandardmethodsforexchangingservice-relatedinformationamongserviceproviders and aggregators in the ecosystem. Further developments of the EOSC should take ad-vantageoftheneutralityandexpertisewhicheInfraCentralbringstoafragmentedandunderdevel-opedservicelandscapeofe-infrastructures.


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TableofContentsDocumentRevisionHistory....................................................................................................................2ExecutiveSummary................................................................................................................................3ListofFigures.........................................................................................................................................5ListofTables...........................................................................................................................................5Glossary..................................................................................................................................................6ShortNamesofPartnerOrganisations...................................................................................................61. Introduction...................................................................................................................................7

1.1 Policylandscape....................................................................................................................71.2 TheEuropeanOpenScienceCloud.......................................................................................8

2. eInfraCentral’sroleinEOSC...........................................................................................................92.1 AServiceCatalogueforEOSC................................................................................................92.2 CommonServiceDescriptions............................................................................................102.3 AnEOSCAggregatorofServiceInformation.......................................................................102.4 ACommonEOSCPortal......................................................................................................112.5 TowardsServiceComparison..............................................................................................12

3. FutureVision................................................................................................................................13


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ListofFigures

Figure1:PrimaryandsecondaryeInfraCentralecosystem....................................................................9Figure2:ModelforthedevelopmentoftheCataloguefortheResearch/ScientificResources..........11Figure3:eInfraCentralinthecontextoftheEOSC..............................................................................13Figure4:UniqueSellingPointsofeInfraCentral..................................................................................14

ListofTables

Table1:Glossary....................................................................................................................................6Table2:Partnerorganisationandtheirshortnames............................................................................6


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GlossaryTable1:Glossary

Abbreviation Meaning

API ApplicationProgrammingInterface

CSA CoordinationandSupportAction

CoS CatalogueofServices

EC EuropeanCommission

e-IRG e-InfrastructureReflectionGroup

EOSC EuropeanOpenScienceCloud

ERA EuropeanResearchArea

ESFRI EuropeanStrategicFrameworkforResearchInfrastructure

IT InformationTechnology

KPI KeyPerformanceIndicator

SDT ServiceDescriptionTemplate

SLA ServiceLevelAgreement

TRL TechnologyReadinessLevel

ShortNamesofPartnerOrganisationsTable2:Partnerorganisationandtheirshortnames

Shortname NameofOrganisation

EFIS EuropeanFutureInnovationSystemCentre

JNP JNPCO

UoA NationalandKapodistrianUniversityofAthens

LUH GottfriedWilhelmLeibnizUniversitätHannover

GEANT GÉANTLimited

PRACE PartnershipforAdvancedComputinginEuropeAISBL

EGI StichtingEGI

UEDIN TheUniversityofEdinburgh

CNR ConsiglioNazionaledelleRicerche


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1. IntroductionThemissioneInfraCentralisto“ensurethatby2020abroaderandmorevariedsetofusersdiscov-ers and accesses the existing and emerging e-Infrastructure capacity and e-Infrastructure Ser-vices”.To fulfil thismission,eInfraCentral isbuildingacommoncatalogueofEuropeandata,com-puteandnetworkedservices.SinceitslaunchinJanuary2017,thetargetecosystemforeInfraCen-tralhaschangedwithvariousexitsandnewentrants.Initiallybuiltaroundthefivemostprominente-Infrastructures(EGI,EUDAT,GEANT,OpenAIREandPRACE),whicharepartners intheproject,eInfraCentral’secosystemisnowricherand itshorizonsbroader.TheservicesofferedbyEGI,EUDATandIndigoDataCloudhavebeenaggregatedundertheEOSC-hub umbrella,OpenAIRE has evolved intoOpenAIRE-Advance and EOSC-hub andOpenAIRE-Advance have embarked upon a joint workplan. New projects and research infrastructures havestartedwhile others have ceased operating. This complex ecosystem is the starting point for thejourneytowardstheEuropeanOpenScienceCloud(EOSC)forwhichtheeInfraCentralservicecata-logueisamainbuildingblockintermsofimprovingaccessforuserstopan-Europeanservices.

1.1 PolicylandscapeThe EuropeanCommission invests in thedevelopment of e-infrastructures and e-services throughseveralfundingstreams.ThemainvehicleisHorizon2020,theEU’sResearchandInnovationframe-work programmewith an overall budget of nearly €80 billion in the period 2014-2020. From thisamount, €890 million are dedicated to e-infrastructure activities over the 7-year funding period,underthe'EuropeanResearchInfrastructures,includinge-infrastructures'programme.1Withtheproliferationofdigitalresearchdataandthedevelopmentofelectronicresearchinfrastruc-turesithasbeenrecognisedthatsuche-servicesforresearchshouldbefederatedinordertobetterserveusers,tostrengthendata-drivenscience,andtoincreasecosteffectiveness.Assuch,the2016-2017Horizon2020workprogramme(WP)containedsomeinitialprovisionswithregardtotheim-plementation of the EOSC. Developing the EOSC, as a secure, permanent, on-demand, service-driven, privacy-compliant and sustainable environment integrating or federating e-infrastructureplatforms,distributeddatabases,computingresourcesandsoftwarewasafocusunderEINFRA-12-2017.EINFRA-21-2017focusedonprototypinginnovativee-infrastructureplatformsandservicesforuniversal discoverability of data objects and provenance, and computing with extreme large da-tasets.InWP2018-2020theINFRAEOSCcallwaslaunchedwithabudgetofca.€60millionaimedatprovid-ingsupporttotheimplementationandgovernanceoftheEOSC.Thisdedicatedcallwillsupport“theintegrationof servicesand the federationmechanism; the setting/operationalisationof theprinci-ples of FAIR data (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable); the development of a FAIR-compliant certification scheme for data infrastructure and the connectivity of the pan-EuropeanResearch Infrastructures such as the ESFRI projects and landmarks.”2 Furthermore, the EuroHPCJointUndertakingwas launched inorder toenhance Europe’sHigh-PerformanceComputing infra-structure.InordertofinalisethelastEOSC-relatedtopicofWP2018-2020–INFRAEOSC-03-2020–apublic consultationwas launched to identify additional activitieswhichHorizon 2020 should fundduringtheperiod2020-2023toconsolidateandfurtherdeveloptheresultsachievedthroughprevi-oustopics.TheimportanceandbenefitsoftheEOSCarealsobeingactivelydiscussedatthenationallevel.Dur-

1https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/h2020-section/e-infrastructures2http://ec.europa.eu/research/openscience/pdf/swd_2018_83_f1_staff_working_paper_en.pdfpp4-6


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ing theOpenScienceCloudworkshop in June2016, representativesofMemberStates3expressedsupportfortheEOSCinitiative,stressingtheneedtothinkbeyondsingleprojectlifecyclesinHorizon2020andtheupcomingFP9,andtointegrateandfederateexistingandfutureinitiativesforthesakeofsustainability.Onthisnote,MemberStatesalsoemphasisedthepossibilityofutilisingEuropeanStructuralandInvestmentFunds(ESIF)toinvestinbuildingandsustainingtheEOSCinfrastructure.Currently €875 million is earmarked for ICT infrastructures (large-scale computer resources orequipment)and€1.5billiontoveryhigh-speedbroadbandconnectivityintheESIFprogrammes4.Itisoftensaid that thebulkof fundingandresources is investedat the levelofnationalelectronic re-search infrastructures. However, it is difficult to estimate the amount of funds spent on research(data)infrastructuresonthenational levelsasalmostnoinformationhasbeenpublishedbyMem-berStatesonthis5.

1.2 TheEuropeanOpenScienceCloudTheavailabilityofgrowingamountsofdata,thedevelopmentofpowerfuldigitaltechnologies,andtheriseofnewsocietalchallengescallforrecognisingtheneedforOpenScience,whichwilltrans-formthewayresearchisdoneandscienceisorganised.Potentially,scientistswillbe less location-dependent for their resourcesand, togetherwith increasedratesofglobal scientificcollaboration,can becomemore efficient in finding solutions for pressing societal challenges, and delivermorereliable and accurate research results. TheOpen Science principle helps spread these benefits bymaking research data widely available and encouraging its reuse, promoting open access toknowledge, strengthening research integrity, supporting citizen science, and thus bringing scienceclosertosociety.Launchedin2016witha€6.7billionlong-termfundingplan,theEOSCinitiativepromotestheEU’sagenda in the transition toOpen Science andhelps advance theDigital SingleMarket (DSM). Theinitiativeisforeseentostartin2020andaimstoanswerthescientificcommunity’sneedto“boostdata access and re-use and to reduce the cost of data storage and high-performance analysis bypoolingexistingcapacityandbyaggregatingdemand(initiallybyresearchersinthepublicsector).”6Morespecifically,theEOSCinitiativeaimstotacklethecurrentwidespreadfragmentationofEuro-pean cloud infrastructures and to ensure that through accessing and re-using data via the EOSC,Europeanresearchersperformscienceinanopenway.Afragmentedlandscapeposesseveralrisks:the building of siloswhere service availability and research needs becomemisaligned; cost ineffi-ciencies in service implementationandoperation; issueswith sustainability. TheEOSC shouldalsobecome a trusted environment to share, host, and process research data where researchers canstore,manage, andaccess resources in a secure and seamlessmanner. In thisway, theEOSCwillcontributetolimitingdatawastageandspeedingupresearchprocesses.Therearea rangeofdifferent typesofe-services for science thatareplanned for inclusion in theEOSC.Thesecanbe“technicalservicessuchasanalyticsandcomputationalservices,cloudservices,thematicservicestunedtoparticularresearchdisciplines,e-infrastructureandmiddlewareservicessuchasaccessidentitymanagement;butalsoknowledgeresourcessuchasdatasets,storage,digitallibraryandarchives;access services suchasa servicecatalogueandportals; scientific instrumentsandfacilities;andfacilitationactivitiessuchastraining,softwaredevelopmentsupportandconsul-

3 Representatives from SK, DE, NL, FR, AT, DK, SE, IT, ES, EE, BE, RO, UK, TR, NO and CH attended;http://ec.europa.eu/research/openscience/index.cfm?pg=open-science-cloud-workshop4http://ec.europa.eu/research/openscience/pdf/swd_2018_83_f1_staff_working_paper_en.pdfp55Ibid.p206https://ec.europa.eu/research/openscience/index.cfm?pg=open-science-cloud


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tancy.”7On15March2018,theEuropeanCommissionpublishedaStaffWorkingDocumentImplementationRoadmap for theEuropeanOpenScienceCloud8. Thedocument identifies eInfraCentral asoneofthemaincontributorstothefutureEOSCPortal.

2. eInfraCentral’sroleinEOSC

2.1 AServiceCatalogueforEOSCAttheendof2016,therewasnounifiedonlineservicecataloguethatpotentialuserscouldexplore.Some e-Infrastructure organisations had existing, incompatible IT Service Management systems.Additionally,manye-infrastructureswereatanearlyorevolvingstagewithservicecataloguework;forexample,somehadnolinktoservicesontheirlandingpageanddifferingdescriptionsofserviceswithvaryinglevelofdetailandcomplexity.ThegoalofeInfraCentralwastoaddressthis,workinginpartnershipwithfivekeye-infrastructurestopromoteandextendbestpracticeandtobegintheprocessofharmonisingservicedescriptionsinasingle,commoncatalogue.Alongtheway,anumberofkeyresults–standardisedservicedescrip-tions,dynamicaggregationofservicedataandcommonpresentationinarich,user-facingportal–havelaidthefoundationsforabroaderrole.The targetecosystem foreInfraCentral is shown inError!Referencesourcenot found. illustratingthemaine-infrastructuresalongsidetherichdiversityofotherresearchinfrastructuresandprojects.eInfraCentralhasalreadyengagedwiththesevariousEU-fundede-infrastructures;thenextstepistogofurtherandengagewithawidercommunity,includingclustersandthematicservicesofferedbyresearch infrastructures. In parallel, integration/convergence of different types of services (e-services,data-relatedservices,etc.)willstart.

Figure1:PrimaryandsecondaryeInfraCentralecosystem

7https://eoscpilot.eu/sites/default/files/eoscpilot-d2.2.pdf8http://ec.europa.eu/research/openscience/pdf/swd_2018_83_f1_staff_working_paper_en.pdf

GEANTPRACEOpenAIREAdvance EOSCHub

…

PhenoMeNal

READ

…

NGI1

NGI2 …

DR1

DR2

HPC1

HPC2

…

NREN1

NREN2

…

VI-SEEM

BlueBridge

AGRINFRA+

AARC2

VRE4EIC

West-Life MuG

OpenMinTeD

MSO4SC

EarthServer-2 EVER-EST

ComBioMed

OpenDreamKitNOAD1

INDIGODataCloud

EUDATEGINOAD2 ESiWACE

BioExcel

E-CAMCOEGSS MaX

POP NoMaD EoCoE

OpenRiskNet HIRMEOS

OPERAS-D XDC

UBORA

AENEAS

ANTAREX

AENEAS

DARE

DEEP

EDISON

ESiWACEEUXDATFREYAPROCESS

eInfraCentral


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To deliver on the eInfraCentral’smission, efforts have beenmade instructuringanopenandguided discussion between e-Infrastructures to consensually define a common catalogue fortheirservices.eInfraCentral stressed to itskeystakeholdersaneed fora sharedunderstandingofthe conditions of service delivery, the need to harmonise the services provided by European e-Infrastructures, to increase the user base bymaking services discoverable and easier to relate touserneeds,toexpandthepoolofusers,tofacilitateserviceproviderswithashared languageandpathtousers,tobecomeuser-orientedandprofessionalin-serviceprovisioning.Theseareallconcretesteps inbuildingabiggercatalogueofservices,offerawiderchoiceand in-cludeveryspecialisedservicesoutsidetheoriginalaudience.

2.2 CommonServiceDescriptionsEInfraCentral has driven the agenda on harmonising service descriptions across the e-Infrastructures.ThefactthatthediscussionwasguidedbytheeInfraCentralcoreprojectteam,andnotbyoneoftheexistinge-Infrastructures,helpsunderpintheobjectivityandneutralityoftheser-vicecatalogue.Thee-Infrastructure communitynow recognises thatacommonapproach tobothdescribingandexchanging service-related information is the way forward to enhance discoverability and thuspotentialuptake.OneofeInfraCentral’sfirstcontributionshasbeentocoordinatethiscommonap-proach to service description across the core partners, anddisseminate the results into the EOSCecosystem.Becauseofthis,theServiceDescriptionTemplatenowenjoyswiderecognitioninthee-infrastructurecommunity.RequestshavealsostartedcomingfromindividualcountriesonusingeInfraCentral’sStandardSer-vice Description Template for describing services available on the national level. This presents auniqueopportunityforastructureddialoguewithnationalorganisationsinhelpingthemstandard-ise thewaytheydescribeservicesandmaybechangetheir thinkingabouthowtheymanagetheirownservices.Themainoutcomeofsuchdialogueswouldbeamoreharmonisedserviceclassifica-tionmethodologyandagreaterunderstandingatanationallevelofwhatisavailableonaEuropeanscale(andalsopotentiallyatalocallevel).ThisinturncouldhelpnationalorganisationswithfundingdecisionsthussupportingharmonisationofservicesprovisiononanEuropeanlevel.

2.3 AnEOSCAggregatorofServiceInformationAnyEOSCservicecatalogue–whichasdescribed inRole1 is theeInfraCentralservicecatalogue–mustbeuptodate.Astheecosystemexpandsbeyondthecoree-Infrastructures,serviceswillcomeandgoandmanualupdatesformultiplecatalogueswillquicklybecomeunsustainable.Buildingonthe standardised service definitions, eInfraCentral has defined a common API and automatedmechanismtokeepindividualservicecataloguesinsyncwiththecentralone.Figure2illustratesthisfortheresearch/scientificresourcesmarket.Forthisopenmarketmodelto

Role1:InlightoftheEOSCImplementationRoadmapadoption,eInfraCentralisnowstronglypositionedastheservicecatalogueforthefutureEOSCportal.

Role2:eInfraCentral’sServiceDescriptionTemplateshouldbeadoptedasastandardforde-scribinge-servicesinthefutureEOSCportal.


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work,bothstandardiseddescriptionsof research resourcesandstandardAPIs for theexchangeofservice/resources-related information among service providers and aggregators of this ecosystemareessential.

Figure2:ModelforthedevelopmentoftheCataloguefortheResearch/ScientificResources

eInfraCentralhasshareditsoutputswithallkeystakeholdersinthewiderecosystemtohelpaccel-erateconvergencetowardsa framework thatallows theautomaticexchangeofservice-related in-formationamongstakeholders.eInfraCentralisinvestigatingtwowaysoftheautomaticupdateofaservice:viaaPUSHmethod(wheretheservicemanagerisresponsibleforpublishinginformationintheeInfraCentralGateway)oraPULLmethod (wheretheeInfraCentralGatewayharvestsnewup-datesfromaremoteendpointofferedbytheservicemanager).Ineitherway,themainobjectiveistohelpdriveinteroperabilityandenableserviceprovidersto leverageadditionaldistributionchan-nelsandend-userstoselecttheirpreferredaggregationpoint.

2.4 ACommonEOSCPortalThe eInfraCentral portal has been developed to serve as a single entry-point to Europe’s e-Infrastructure services. This aligns with the future development of the EOSC Portal, which is ex-pectedtobecometheuniversalentrypoint toaccessEOSCservices,asdescribed in theEuropeanCommission’sImplementationRoadmapfortheEuropeanOpenScienceCloud.

Basedonabottom-upconsultationprocess, eInfraCentraldesigned,developedanddeployedaservice gateway for end-users to the harmonised catalogue of services of European e-Infrastructures and solve the “last mile” problem. The eInfraCentral portal offers end-users agateway toanaggregated service catalogue, andprovidesanadditionaldistribution channel toe-infrastructure service providers. The portal provides different views of the catalogue for different

Research/ScientificResourcesAggregator

eInfra-ServiceAggregator3

Data&AppAggregator

App/SWAggregator

e-InfraServiceAggregator2

DataAggregator

App/SWAggregator

OtherAggregator

SP7 SP8SP5 SP6SP3 SP4SP1 SP2

ResearcherlookingforaResearch/ScientificResource

e-InfraServiceAggregator1

SP1 SP2

Role3:eInfraCentralautomatestheaggregationofserviceinformationfrompartners’servicecatalogues.

Role4:TheeInfraCentralPortal–actingasanaggregatorandanentrypointtoaccesse-Infrastructureservices,data,applications,software,pipelines,data-as-a-service,knowledge-

as-a-serviceandotherresources–isanunderpinningelementoftheEOSCPortal..


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user perspectives and acts as a “matchmaker” between e-Infrastructure services and service re-questsbyend-users.TheeInfraCentralportalcollectsandaggregatescontentfromregisteredservices, includingserviceKPIs. Through standardised guidelines, its Service Description Template and an Application Pro-gramming Interface (APIs), it createsauniformservicecatalogueofcontinuouslyup-to-date infor-mation.Inthisrespect,itaccommodatesawiderangeofstakeholders,includingusersofe-services,fromresearchandindustry,aswellase-infrastructureprovidersandotherstakeholdergroups likepolicymakersandfundingbodies.Asaneutralportal(i.e.notrunbyanyofthee-serviceproviders)eInfraCentralwillplayacentralroletoensurethatserviceproviderssupplyreliable,relevantanduptodateinformation.

2.5 TowardsServiceComparisonAsthenumberofe-Infrastructureshasgrownsignificantlythereisaclearneedforallstakeholderstounderstandhowtoassess theuse,operation, innovationand impactofe-Infrastructures inEu-rope.Asaresult,thetopicofmetricsandindicatorshasmoveduptheagendaofpolicy-makersandfundersofalltypesofresearchinfrastructures(notonlye-),andtheirassociatedservicesasawaytolookattheoperational,technicalandeconomicimpactsofinvestmentsalreadymade.Thissupportstheaccountabilityofe-Infrastructurestowardsboththeirusersandfunders.The e-Infrastructures Reflection Group (e-IRG), recognising the need of various stakeholders ‘‘tounderstandhow to assess theuse, operation and innovationofe-Infrastructures in Europe’’9, hasdefinedaninitialframeworkfora)evaluatingandassessinge-Infrastructuresattheregional,nation-alandEuropeanlevel,andb)categorisingkeyperformanceindicators.Adoptionofanappropriateandmeasurablesetofperformanceindicatorscanonlytakeplacewiththeactiveparticipationofthevariousstakeholders,includingthee-Infrastructuresthemselves.eIn-fraCentralistakingaleadinfosteringthisdiscussionwiththee-infrastructurecommunity,focusingonmetricsforservicelevelperformance.

Addressingthisquestiontakesintoaccounttheneedsandexpectationsofvariousinvolvedandin-terestedstakeholders:

• e-Infrastructureproviders’interestsabouttheuptakeoftheirofferedservices;• users’expectationsaroundtheavailabilityofallpossibleresourcesneededfortheirresearch

andscientificexpectationsvis-à-visanoptimaluseoffinancialandotherresourcestowardsaccomplishingtheirneeds;

• policy-makers and funders of infrastructures’ expectations around financial accountabilityandoperationalcapabilitytowardsthetaxpayers;

• fundersofinfrastructures’expectationsaroundcertain“researchimpact”indicatorssuchas,forexample,researcharticlesdatasetsorsoftwareproducedthankstotheservices;

• expectationsofthegeneralpublicaroundtheoveralloutcomeofthisfinancialspending,andhowthisfitsintothebroaderagendaofsocietalchallenges.

9e-IRG,2017.Evaluationofe-InfrastructuresandthedevelopmentofrelatedKeyPerformanceIndicators,e-InfrastructureReflectionGroup,http://e-irg.eu/catalogue/eirg-1005,seep.5.

Role5:eInfraCentralPortalwilltakealeadinensuringcollectionandcomparabilityofanagreedsetofperformanceindicatorsofe-services.


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3. FutureVisionDuring the last two decades, Europe has invested significantly in the development of e-Infrastructures that support scientific research and the commercialisation of resulting services. E-Infrastructures empower scientific communities with ubiquitous, trusted and seamless access tofacilities,resourcesandcollaborationtools,bringingtothemthepoweroftechnologyforcommuni-cation, computation, storage and instrumentation. Todate, these services primarily address smallgroups–andmainlyresearchers.Thisneedstochange inthe ‘OpenScience,OpenInnovationandOpen to theWord’ era to allowa broader groupof actors to enter thepicture: industry, govern-ments,educators,citizens.Concernshavebeenraisedabouttheuptakeofe-Infrastructurebenefitsbyawidersetofstakeholdersduetoissuesofserviceaccessibility,interoperabilityandfragmenta-tion,comprehensibilityandclarity.Todeliveronthisopeninnovation,openscience,opentotheworldvisionforEurope,eInfraCentralwillplayacrucialroleintheimplementationoftheEOSC.TakingthekeyrolesandinputofeInfra-Centraldiscussedearlierinthispaper:

TakingupthesixactionlinesfromtheEOSCImplementationRoadmap–architecture,data,services,access& interface,rulesandgovernance–eInfraCentralhasaclearand importantcontributiontothetwoactionlines(Figure3).

Figure3:eInfraCentralinthecontextoftheEOSC

eInfraCentraliswellpositionedtoachievethisbecauseoftencoreprincipleswhichguidethedesign,set-upanddevelopmentoftheeInfraCentralservicecatalogueandportal(

ServicecatalogueforEOSC

ServiceDescriptionTemplateisastandardfordescribingservicesonEOSCportal

Automatestheaggregationofservicedata

eInfraCentralportalismorethantheEOSCportal

Bringscomparabilityandmetricstotheservice landscape

TheeInfraCentral’sfuturevision:TobecomethecentralEOSCgateway,anaggregatorofservices,anaccessportaltopan-EuropeanOpenScienceresources,supportingmultiplemarketplacesto

promotetheirservicestoendusers.


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Figure4).

Figure4:UniqueSellingPointsofeInfraCentral

These principles not only guide development but alsowork towards the attraction, retention andconstantincreaseoftheeInfraCentralGateway’scustomers:

1. eInfraCentral,beingledbyagroupofkeypartnerswhicharenotprovidersofe-services,isneutralinproducingandmanagingahomogenisedservicecataloguedescriptionforallma-jore-ScienceinfrastructuresinEurope.

2. eInfraCentralisobjective:asthechoiceofservicesontheportalwillbebasedexclusivelyonpre-definedfieldsandattributesofahomogenisedservicecatalogue.

3. eInfraCentral is transparent,ensuring transparencyofall incomeandspendingofusersasanintegralpartoftheeInfraCentralGateway.

4. eInfraCentralisinclusive,seekingtoincludeasmanyEuropean(andinthefuturealsoglob-al)e-Scienceserviceprovidersaspossible.

5. eInfraCentralisscalable,allowingforanexpansiontonewserviceofferings,theincreaseofitsuserbaseandtheincorporationofadditionalserviceproviders.

6. eInfraCentral is reliable, operating 24x7x365 with full redundancy, disaster recovery and

Neutral

Objective

Transparent

Inclusive

Scalable

Reliable

Accessible

Intuitive

Efficient

Trustworthy

Neutral

Objective

Transparent

Inclusive

Scalable

Reliable

Accessible

Intuitive

Efficient

Trustworthy


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backupplans, inorder for its service tobeuninterruptibleand seamlesslyprovided to itscustomersandtotheEuropeanpublicatlarge.

7. eInfraCentral isaccessible,providingeasyaccessviaanydigital interface, includingmobiledevices,smartphonesandtabletsaswellasvariouscomputerbrowsers.

8. eInfraCentral is intuitive,beingdesignedbasedonthelatesttrendsandUItechnologiesaswellasbestdesignpracticesdeployedininternationally-acclaimedaggregators.

9. eInfraCentral isefficient intheoperationofthePortalandparticularly inthemaintenance(viadedicatedAPIandtools)andupdating(viaautomatedharvestingtechniques)oftherep-resentedserviceofferings,includingtheirdescriptions,tagsandfields

10. eInfraCentralistrustworthy,bringingthetrackrecordofprioreffortandresultsofthemaineInfraCentralpartners.

eInfraCentralhasalreadycontributedtothedevelopmentoftheEOSCwithitscommonapproachtoservicedescriptionandstandardmethodsforexchangingservice-relatedinformationamongserviceproviders and aggregators in the ecosystem. Further developments of the EOSC should take ad-vantageoftheneutralityandexpertisewhicheInfraCentralbringstoafragmentedandunderdevel-opedservicelandscapeofe-infrastructures.

deliverable 2.2 einfracentral in the context of the ... · abstract: the european open science...

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