Our Services and Expertise

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Dr Simon Clark (Faculty of Science):
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The Monash e-Research Centre (MeRC) can provide advice, information and assistance to researchers to help them identify, develop and configure IT tools and data management systems and practices to meet their specific needs. The key areas are:

A primary aim of e-Research is to facilitate easier and 'better' research collaboration within Monash, as well as nationally and internationally. MeRC supports a range of generic tools to assist researchers in the communication and data sharing process and has a team of support staff to handle user queries:-

CloudStor - Data sharing.

Confluence - Enterprise wiki.

Enabling Virtual Organisations (EVO) - The next generation desktop-based "access grid" and video conferencing technology.

Jira - Project management/tracking tool.

Mediaflux - Integrated data management web-based system.

Sakai - Simple all-in-one collaboration environment.

Subversion (SVN) - Version control system.

Word Press - Blog.

- other:

MeRC, in conjunction with MeSsAGE Lab, provides technically superior, interactive High Definition Video (HDV) linked seminars and workshops. The seminars facilitate international and interdisciplinary collaboration, and use a dedicated broadband connection from within Australia via AARNet.

Optiportal - Visual collaboration system.

The Multi-modal Australian ScienceS Imaging and Visualisation Environment (MASSIVE) is the NCI Specialised Facility for Imaging and Visualisation, due to commence in March 2011. The facility will help researchers to visualise, process and reconstruct large-scale and multi-dimensional data.

MASSIVE will provide:
Two high performance computing facilities (located at the Australian Synchrotron and Monash University) designed for data processing and visualisation; specialised imaging and visualisation software and databases; and expertise in visualisation, image processing, image analysis and GPU computing.

Access to the MASSIVE facility will be available Australia-wide through the NCI Merit Allocation Scheme (MAS). Monash researchers are encouraged to submit applications:
http://nci.org.au/access/merit-allocation-scheme/ . (For advice on applications please contact the Coordinator of MASSIVE on massive-coordinator@monash.edu.)

The 3D Applied Laboratory for Immersive Visualisation Environments (3D Alive) at Clayton Campus consists of a 3D stereo display plus real-time motion tracking system to provide a virtual reality (VR) work space for researchers. This facility is also available for laboratory-style teaching and presentations. Please contact the Facility Manager: http://geodynamics.monash.edu.au/3d-alive/

(3D Alive is a joint project between Monash Geodynamics, AuScope SAM, CSIRO Advanced Scientific Computing, the Monash e-Research Centre, and the Monash Schools of Mathematical Sciences and Geosciences and involves overseas collaboration with W. M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES) at the University of California, Davis.)

An Optiportal is a large-scale tiled wall system, or tool, for visualisation. There is potential for close to 'real-time' collaboration between local or international laboratories housing similar Optiportal systems.

The Monash Sun Grid (MSG) is Monash University's central production-class HPC facility, used to process advanced algorithms and computational modelling of data.

The Monash SPONGE is harvested capacity from over 1,000 idle desktop computers, used to process high throughput, sequential computing jobs (and is accessible via Condor).

MeRC can assist with access to state, national and international HPC facilities, and advise on the best option for a research project.

*NEWS (28/3/11): Nimrod Parameter Sweep Tools now with 'Single Sign-on' using Monash Authcate, plus 10 day Certificates on the fly (from within Nimrod) to launch jobs.

Tools:

Mediaflux is an integrated data management web-based application for flexible data ingestion and access.

TARDIS/MyTARDIS is a data repository system for high-end instrumentation data capture (e.g. X-ray diffraction images).

CloudStor is a system for simple and controlled sharing of large data sets/files.

myExperiment is an application that allows researchers to share digital items and to share and execute scientific workflows.

- other:

Secure, backed up storage of research data is available for no charge to every Monash researcher / HDR student, for standard use, on the central Large Research Data Store, LaRDS.

The Data Management Coordinator, Sam Searle, can provide assistance in data management, from planning and guidance in best practise, through to advice on final publication of data for researchers, including HDR students.

The Monash e-Research Centre is working towards sophisticated systems of accessibility and reuse of research data stored in data banks, also addressing the permission and ethical requirements associated with individual data sets. The Australian National Data Service has funded a series of key data management projects for research departments within Monash University.

Data Mining involves locating unique patterns contained within one or multiple data sets. This non-trivial extraction of information from data by computer scientists is sometimes referred to as Knowledge Discovery in Databases, and involves a range of methods and expertise in computational science.

myExperiment is an application that allows researchers to share digital items and to share and execute scientific workflows.

Refer enquiries about electronic notebooks to MeRC staff.

MeRC can also assist researchers to develop research grant applications and build collaborations between groups or faculties, nationally and internationally (to discuss, please contact Prof. Paul Bonnington), and also provides an informative seminars program for researchers.