Computational and Information Systems Laboratory

Computational and Information Systems Laboratory
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Name	Computational and Information Systems Laboratory
Established	2007
Parent organization	University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Location	Boulder, Colorado
Field	High-performance computing, Data science, Cyberinfrastructure
Director	Irwin L. (Irv) B. (as of 2023)
Website	www2.cisl.ucar.edu

Computational and Information Systems Laboratory. It is a premier research and development center within the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, dedicated to advancing computational science and data-intensive research for the Earth system science community. Located in Boulder, Colorado, the laboratory designs, deploys, and operates some of the world's most powerful supercomputers and data systems in support of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the broader National Science Foundation-funded scientific community. Its work is fundamental to modeling complex phenomena like climate change, severe weather, and space weather.

Overview

The laboratory serves as the primary high-performance computing and data service provider for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, enabling groundbreaking research in atmospheric science and related disciplines. Its mission centers on creating and maintaining a robust cyberinfrastructure that integrates cutting-edge computational science, large-scale data management, and advanced networking. Staff include experts in computational science, software engineering, system administration, and data visualization who collaborate closely with scientists from institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology. This operational model ensures the research community has access to the computational tools necessary to tackle grand challenges in understanding the Earth's atmosphere and oceans.

Research and Development

Core research activities focus on the co-design of advanced computing architectures, optimization of complex scientific codes for next-generation systems, and the development of scalable data analytics and machine learning workflows. Teams work on porting and tuning major community models such as the Community Earth System Model and the Weather Research and Forecasting model to leverage emerging technologies like GPU computing and heterogeneous computing. Significant R&D efforts are also directed towards big data challenges, including the creation of efficient data assimilation techniques, management of petabyte-scale observational datasets from sources like NOAA and NASA, and pioneering work in scientific visualization to interpret vast simulation outputs.

Major Facilities and Resources

The laboratory operates and manages the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, which houses flagship systems like the Cheyenne supercomputer and the Casper data analysis and visualization cluster. These resources are allocated through the NSF's Advanced Scientific Computing program, notably the Computational and Information Systems Laboratory Resource Allocation Panel. It also oversees the Globus-based Research Data Archive, a critical repository for atmospheric and geoscience data used by thousands of researchers worldwide. The infrastructure includes high-speed research networks connecting to Internet2 and the Energy Sciences Network, facilitating rapid data transfer and collaborative science.

Organizational Structure

The laboratory is organized into several technical divisions and groups, each specializing in key areas of cyberinfrastructure. These typically include divisions for High-Performance Computing Services, Data Science and Technology, and Research Applications. It is led by a Director who reports to the leadership of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. The staff comprises a blend of UCAR employees and contractors from organizations like Battelle Memorial Institute, working in specialized teams focused on areas such as system security, user support, and storage systems. This structure is designed to provide comprehensive support for the entire research lifecycle, from experimental design to data publication.

History and Evolution

The laboratory was formally established in 2007 through the consolidation of several pre-existing computing and data divisions within the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which itself was founded in 1960. Its lineage traces back to early computing efforts in the 1960s using Control Data Corporation systems, evolving through major systems like the Cray Research supercomputers in the 1980s and 1990s. A pivotal moment was the 2012 opening of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center, a public-private partnership with the state of Wyoming, University of Wyoming, and Cheyenne LEADS. This evolution reflects the continuous adaptation to the exponentially growing computational demands of the Earth system science community.

Collaborations and Partnerships

It maintains extensive collaborations with a wide array of national and international entities. Key partners include the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy (through facilities like Oak Ridge National Laboratory), NASA, and NOAA. The laboratory actively participates in consortia such as the Earth System Grid Federation and the World Climate Research Programme. It also collaborates with industry leaders like Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, and NVIDIA on hardware co-design and software optimization. These partnerships are essential for developing the interoperable tools and standards needed for global scientific challenges, such as those coordinated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Category:Research laboratories in the United States Category:High-performance computing Category:University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Category:Scientific organizations based in Colorado