PIC (Port d'Informació Científica)

PIC (Port d'Informació Científica)
Name	Port d'Informació Científica
Native name	Port d'Informació Científica
Founded	2005
Location	Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Fields	High-performance computing, Data management, Scientific computing
Affiliations	Institut de Física d'Altes Energies, Red Española de Supercomputación, European Organization for Nuclear Research, European Grid Infrastructure

PIC (Port d'Informació Científica) is a research support center based in Barcelona focused on high-performance computing, data management, and scientific infrastructure for experimental physics and related disciplines. It provides computing, storage, and operational support to large-scale collaborations and national initiatives, interfacing with European and international projects. The center collaborates with universities, laboratories, and funding bodies to enable data-intensive research across particle physics, astrophysics, and computational science.

Overview and History

Founded in 2005, the center was created to support the computing needs of experiments associated with European Organization for Nuclear Research, linking national resources to international facilities. Early activities involved partnerships with Institut de Física d'Altes Energies, the Spanish National Research Council, and the University of Barcelona to host distributed computing services for major experiments such as ATLAS experiment, CMS experiment, and other collaborations. Over time the center expanded services to integrate with infrastructures like the European Grid Infrastructure and the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid, participating in initiatives alongside institutions including Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, CERN, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Strategic alignment with regional agencies such as the Catalan Government and national consortia like the Red Española de Supercomputación shaped its growth through concerted investments and project calls from entities like the European Commission and national research programs.

Organization and Governance

The organizational model features a technical and administrative structure coordinated with host institutions including Institut de Física d'Altes Energies and academic partners such as the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universitat de Barcelona. Governance includes oversight by boards and advisory committees drawing representatives from funding agencies, experimental collaborations, and infrastructure consortia like the European Grid Infrastructure and the ESFRI roadmap processes. Operational relationships exist with international laboratories such as CERN and regional networks like RedIRIS, while strategic planning aligns with directives from entities including the European Commission and national ministries. The governance framework ensures compliance with policies and standards promoted by organizations like the Open Science Grid and coordinates technical contributions to projects led by ATLAS experiment and CMS experiment.

Research Infrastructure and Facilities

Facilities comprise data centers providing high-throughput computing clusters, large-scale storage arrays, and networking interconnects linked to backbone providers such as RedIRIS and European exchange points. The computing fabric supports batch systems, virtualization, and container orchestration used by experimental workflows from collaborations including ALICE experiment, LHCb experiment, and multi-messenger initiatives involving partners like European Space Agency and observatories connected to Institut de Ciències del Mar. Hardware resources often interface with service frameworks used by European Open Science Cloud pilots and integrate middleware developed in projects associated with EGI Federation and Worldwide LHC Computing Grid. The site also hosts engineering teams collaborating on performance optimization with vendors and centers such as IBM, Dell EMC, and national supercomputing centers like Barcelona Supercomputing Center.

Scientific Programs and Projects

The center supports scientific programs ranging from particle physics data processing for ATLAS experiment and CMS experiment to astrophysics and bioinformatics efforts tied to partners like the European Space Agency and hospital research groups. It participates in EU-funded projects and research infrastructure initiatives alongside organizations such as European Organization for Nuclear Research, EMBL, and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory network, contributing operational expertise to distributed computing pilots and data preservation programs. Collaborative projects include work with detector collaborations, analysis fora including HEP Software Foundation, and cross-disciplinary efforts linking universities such as Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and research institutes like the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

Data Management and Services

Services emphasize reliable large-scale storage, data curation, replication, and access mechanisms compatible with community standards from the International Virtual Observatory Alliance and data policies promoted by the European Commission and funding agencies. The center implements cataloging and provenance tools used by experimental collaborations like ATLAS experiment and supports authentication and authorization infrastructures interoperable with federations such as eduGAIN and the European Grid Infrastructure. Operational roles include tape archival management, distributed dataset placement strategies, and user support for workflow systems used by researchers at institutions like the University of Oxford, Harvard University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Data stewardship activities also coordinate with initiatives such as the European Open Science Cloud to enable FAIR principles compliance and cross-border research reuse.

Outreach, Education, and Collaboration

Outreach programs engage universities and research institutes including Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, and technical schools to provide training in data science, distributed computing, and software engineering. Collaboration is maintained with international centers such as CERN, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and regional networks like RedIRIS, while participation in conferences and workshops involves communities organized by HEP Software Foundation, International Conference on High Performance Computing, and EU research summits. Educational activities include internships, training schools, and joint initiatives with research infrastructures such as European Grid Infrastructure and public engagement with scientific festivals and institutional partners including the Catalan Government and municipal science outreach programs.

Category:Research infrastructure in Spain Category:Scientific computing