Updates on the Polar Cyberinfrastructure Program at the National Science Foundation

Abstract:

The Polar Cyberinfrastructure Program at the Division of Polar Programs at the National Science foundation (NSF) is part of a cross-foundation initiative, the Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21^st Century Science and Engineering (CIF21). This initiative supports the building of a comprehensive, integrated, secure and sustainable cyberinfrastructure necessary to support complex science and engineering research, supporting the development of a broad range of computational and data-enabled scientists and engineers, and assisting and encouraging their careers.

The main goal of the Polar Cyberinfrastructure Program is the advance of discovery, research and education across both the Arctic and Antarctic disciplines through the integration of cyberinfrastructure and polar research and activities. The integration of updated computing, data management, information, networking, sensor and software technologies into polar research is one aspect of the evolution of a polar cyberinfrastructure. Data-enabled discoveries, the storage and distribution of large complex data sets and the continuity to access long-lived publicly accessible data sets are some examples of outcomes. In this talk I will provide an overview of the previous and currently funded research activities with the program. I will also summarize the outcome of an NSF-funded Workshop on Polar Cyberinfrastructure and will discuss potential areas of future programmatic investments.