GatorCloud is about to drench UF’s campus with data.
At the UF Research Computing Day last week at the McKnight Brain Institute, UF announced the start of production on a more modern cyberinfrastructure that uses BIGDATA, or a collection of large and complex data sets, and GatorCloud, a computing system that will store data and maintain software so that users of any device can store and retrieve information without having to download a new operating system.
Director of UF High Performance Computing Center Erik Deumens spoke about the campus network changes at the event. Deumens said BIGDATA and GatorCloud could make UF one of the top 10 research universities.
“UF’s infrastructure helps the university compete for more grants,” he said, adding that UF can attract the best researchers with BIGDATA.
BIGDATA and GatorCloud will be introduced on a stronger form of Internet, known as Internet2. Internet2 is a nonprofit advanced networking group that includes more than 200 American universities, as well as corporations, government agencies and laboratories, according to its website.
BIGDATA makes it easier to move files that use large amounts of memory space.
GatorCloud is a data-storing cyberinfrastructure that will reduce the need for software, Deumens said.
“You used to have to print out a long research document and FedEx it to the research lab across the country,” he told the crowd. “Now we have the cyberinfrastructure to transport large files over long distances quickly.”
Emma Malloy, 20, a health science junior, said she thinks GatorCloud will be helpful to researchers.
“GatorCloud will help our future,” she said. “It will make research more accessible.”
Vice President and Chief Information Officer of UF Elias Eldayrie told the audience a 10,000-square-foot data center will open in February 2013.
UF was awarded a Major Research Instrumentation Program grant for the creation of
GatorCloud, Eldayrie said.
Andy Li, an associate professor for the UF Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is working on GatorCloud. He spoke about its innovative infrastructure at the event.
“Memory is practically unlimited on the cloud,” Li said.
He said full cloud capabilities will be available in Summer 2013.
