Newly developed data infrastructure for accelerating Open Science through industry-university collaboration in Japan

TOKYO, Nov 7, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - Osaka University and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) are moving forward with efforts to realize a data infrastructure supporting Open Science. In 2021, The Joint Research Laboratory for Integrated Infrastructure of High Performance Computing and Data Analysis was established within the Cybermedia Center, Osaka University (Director: Professor Susumu Date*1) by Osaka University and NEC. The Joint Research Laboratory is currently engaged in the research and development of three elemental technologies comprising RED-ONION, a data infrastructure supporting Open Science: (1) Technology to integrate a data aggregation platform and data publication platform, (2) Technology to generate research process information on supercomputers, and (3) A high-speed data transmission function. These research results will be showcased at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC23) scheduled to be held from November 12 to 17, 2023 in Denver, Colorado.

Fig. Overview of a data infrastructure for Open Science at Osaka University

Background

In recent years, universities and other research institutions have been strongly urged to promote Open Science enabling research data to be shared with society. At the G7 Science and Technology Ministers’ Meeting held in Sendai in May 2023, the G7 Science and Technology Ministers’ Communique was issued as a joint statement citing the need to promote Open Science as a shared common understanding among G7 countries and the EU. To this end, it is imperative to create a data infrastructure that enables the sharing of research data produced through day-to-day academic research among collaborating institutions, and makes the data public so that it can be utilized by various institutions.

The Cybermedia Center, Osaka University, has conducted test trials since May 2021 for ONION (Osaka university Next-generation Infrastructure for Open research and innovatioN), a data aggregation platform that enables users to store research data and share it among collaborating researchers inside and outside the university. The Joint Research Laboratory for Integrated Infrastructure of High Performance Computing and Data Analysis has gone on to propose and engage in research and development related to the concept of RED-ONION (Research EnhanceD ONION), a data infrastructure aimed at accelerating Open Science by further advancing and developing ONION. This concept is intended to serve as the future data aggregation platform for supporting research and development within the university. In addition to providing the functionality necessary for storing research data and sharing it among researchers, it is aimed at promoting proper management which makes research data reliable and widely reusable.

We will report the results of research and development efforts undertaken based on this RED-ONION concept at the upcoming demonstration and exhibit at SC23.

Research Results

The three elemental technologies below, which comprise RED-ONION, are the result of research and development activities conducted at the Joint Research Laboratory for Integrated Infrastructure of High Performance Computing and Data Analysis.

(1)Technology to integrate a data aggregation platform and data publication platform
This system technology supports the publication of research data stored in the data aggregation platform ONION. While the importance of sharing research data with society as academic findings and promoting its utilization is growing, it is still placing a heavy burden on researchers to make the data public. The technology is unique in that it enables researchers to begin the process of publishing research data using the same user interface they are accustomed to when sharing data with other researchers in ONION. Through the process, the researchers can publish the data through OUKA*, the institutional repository managed and operated by the Osaka University Library. With the support of "Developing a Research Data Ecosystem for the Promotion of Data-Driven Science," a project of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), a prototype system for this technology was developed jointly with Osaka University Library. A verification test was conducted on the university’s campus in July 2023, confirming its ability to dramatically reduce the burden on researchers. This R&D result will be published at the Journal for Academic Computing and Networking in November 2023.

(2)Technology to generate research process information on supercomputers
Demonstrating the process to generate research data plays an important role to make the data reliable and reusable. It is, however, hard for researchers to take accurate records of the research processes and keep the records linked with the data manually. The supercomputer systems in universities are widely used by many researchers and generate a large amount of research data every day. This technology records provenance information describing computing processes as the research process on the supercomputer systems. Recording can be carried out automatically and accurately without taxing the researchers. This R&D result was presented at the 2023 IEEE International Conference on eScience*4 held in Cyprus in October 2023.

(3) High-speed data transmission function
This high-speed data transmission function allows massive amounts of research data to be rapidly shared among research groups. The prototype system was developed with the intention of creating a high-speed network in the university. The objective is to enable uploading large amounts of research data to a data aggregation platform from research groups and sharing the data among research groups instantaneously. We are also considering the possibility of using this system for data sharing with external research groups.

Exhibit at SC23

At SC23, the (1) technology to integrate a data aggregation platform and data publication platform and (2) technology to generate research process information on supercomputers will be showcased at the research exhibit booth of the Osaka University Cybermedia Center. Meanwhile, the technology for (3) a high-speed data transmission function will be demonstrated at the research exhibit booth of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). In particular, for (3), a data transmission experiment between Japan and the U.S. will be conducted using a developed prototype system for international data sharing using a 100-Gbps network link between the two countries provided by NICT.

(1) Joint Research Laboratory for Integrated Infrastructure of High Performance Computing and Data Analysis( https://www.nri.cmc.osaka-u.ac.jp/)
(2) Osaka University Knowledge Archive (OUKA)https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo/ouka/all/?lang=1
(3) Hideyuki Tanushi, Akihiro Yamashita, Takeo Hosomi, Yuta Namiki, Naoto Kai, Kanna Matsuura, and Susumu Date, "Campus Information Infrastructure Collaboration Supporting Research Data Management," Journal for Academic Computing and Networking. (accepted)
(4) Yuta Namiki, Takeo Hosomi, Hideyuki Tanushi, Akihiro Yamashita and Susumu Date, "A Method for Constructing Research Data Provenance in High-Performance Computing Systems,"2023 IEEE 19th International Conference on e-Science (e-Science), Limassol, Cyprus, 2023, pp. 1-10, doi:10.1109/e-Science58273.2023.10254932.

About Osaka University

Osaka University was founded in 1931 as one of the seven imperial universities of Japan and is now one of Japan's leading comprehensive universities with a broad disciplinary spectrum. This strength is coupled with a singular drive for innovation that extends throughout the scientific process, from fundamental research to the creation of applied technology with positive economic impacts. Its commitment to innovation has been recognized in Japan and around the world, being named Japan's most innovative university in 2015 (Reuters 2015 Top 100) and one of the most innovative institutions in the world in 2017 (Innovative Universities and the Nature Index Innovation 2017). Now, Osaka University is leveraging its role as a Designated National University Corporation selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to contribute to innovation for human welfare, sustainable development of society, and social transformation.Website: https://resou.osaka-u.ac.jp/en

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.