Introduction to SCD's FY97 Annual Scientific Report
The NCAR Scientific Computing Division (SCD) provides computing
resources and expertise to university scientists who are grantees
of the Geoscience Directorate of NSF, NCAR scientists, and to
special projects -- national and international -- that are
relevant to atmospheric and related science. SCD works closely
with its Advisory Panel, the NCAR Director's Committee, and
NSF to establish priorities and plans. Our interactive
schematic of the NCAR computing
facility illustrates the various computing resources that
are currently available. The figure below shows the October 1997
configuration.
Major accomplishments during FY97 include:
- Cray C90 upgrade to the Climate Simulation Laboratory
- Cray J9se upgrade to community computing
- Initiation of the Modeling 2000 project and acquisition of a
highly parallel, distributed shared memory system
- Upgrades to the NCAR Mass Storage System
- Progress on the data reanalysis project
- Completion of the Mesa Lab Network Access project
- Supporting the Colorado Computational Science Fair
- Incorporation of stereo/3D into all phases of the Visualization
Laboratory
- Strategic planning
Development of a strategic plan for SCD was initiated in the spring of
1997 at the request of the NCAR Director. In formulating the plan, our
objectives were to set goals for each component of SCD's mission, e.g.
high performance computing, data archiving and management, networking
and data communications, research data, computing environment and
support services, education, and technology transfer; to assess the
environment -- including budget -- for achieving these goals within
the next five years; and to develop strategies that would position
SCD to achieve these goals in the anticipated environment. Development
of the plan began with a SCD staff retreat, then it was reviewed with
the SCD Advisory Panel, and finally it was critiqued by senior NCAR
staff at the NCAR Director's retreat in June.
SCD's FY98-2002 Strategic Plan
is available from the SCD homepage
(http://www.scd.ucar.edu).
Each year SCD formulates a development plan that overviews major
developments for the next two years. The SCD Development Plan for
FY97-98 is also available from the SCD homepage and progress in
FY97 on these developments is reported in the following sections
of this Annual Scientific Report:
- High performance computing
- NCAR Mass Storage System
- High speed network and data communications
- Computing environment and support services
- Research data
- Education and training
- Technology transfer
- Operational enhancements
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