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Between the climate crisis and a global pandemic, having a place where scientific data can be easily shared, accessed and used is crucial. That place is in the cloud or, more specifically, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).
“The EOSC supports EU science by creating a dedicated environment for hosting and processing research data,” says Per Öster, director of the EU-funded EOSC-hub project. “The goal is to have a European-level contact point for researchers and innovators to discover, access, use and reuse a broad spectrum of resources for data-driven research.”
Although this may sound simple enough, the execution of such a massive infrastructure project is extremely complex. This is where the EOSC-hub project comes in. Combining the capacity, capabilities and technical solutions of the EGI Federation, EUDAT and INDIGO DataCloud, along with 20 pan-European research infrastructures, the project is delivering the building blocks from which the EOSC is being built.
Easy navigation and access
The end goal of the EOSC-hub project is to facilitate cross-disciplinary access to data sets and to ensure the interoperability of data and related services. “If you think about the fact there are 1.7 million researchers in the EU carrying out research worth millions – maybe even billions – of euro, any research data that cannot be easily reused is a lost opportunity,” explains Tiziana Ferrari, EOSC-hub project coordinator. “Our goal is to break down the barriers that could prevent researchers from having ready access to the scientific data they need.”
To do this, the project developed a ‘hub’ comprised of services for streamlining access to distributed computing, storage, data and scientific applications. The hub, which users can access via the intuitively designed portal and marketplace, also provides customised thematic services that address the needs of various scientific communities. “Researchers can now easily navigate the EOSC and access the resources they need,” adds Ferrari.
Other key deliverables include a service management system that helps plan, deliver, operate and control the EOSC’s services using a stable IT system. There are also rules of participation, which provide high-level guidelines on who oversees what within the EOSC ecosystem, and training courses on using the EOSC. The project even piloted a programme that could eventually give private sector researchers access to the EOSC’s digital technologies and services.
“Building a virtual environment where scientific data can be easily shared, accessed and used requires multiple independent organisations to agree on standards, common policies and coordinated provisioning channels,” adds Öster. “The results delivered by the EOSC-hub project clearly demonstrate a way forward.”
An immediate impact
As one of the first initiatives to deliver solutions for building the EOSC platform, the EOSC-hub project will have a lasting impact. “Our outputs and results aren’t just theory, they’re concrete solutions that are already being put into use,” remarks Öster. “For example, our proposals on the architecture, interoperability guidelines, rules of participation and internal services have been adopted and will continue to influence the EOSC’s development in the coming years.”
That being said, the project is also having an immediate impact. By facilitating better access to data, more and more researchers are already taking advantage of the EOSC. For example, in the social sciences and humanities, portal visits have increased 138 %. In the environmental sciences, the EOSC-hub has made over 81 petabytes of relevant data available, resulting in a threefold increase in use. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, over 23 000 researchers worldwide have accessed resources connected to the EOSC-hub.
“At the end of the day, the EOSC is all about giving researchers easy access to the advanced tools, data and services they need to effectively address the societal challenges that Europe faces,” concludes Ferrari. “Judging by these numbers, which continue to increase every day, we can say with confidence that the EOSC-hub project has been a resounding success.”