Enabling interactive and collaborative computation science on the Grid

Abstract

A collaboratory is a virtual environment where geographically scattered scientists and engineers come together virtually to solve complex problems. In this paper we investigate the requirements of a scientific computational collaboratory by identifying the characteristics of the interactions in such a system. We then identify the mechanisms and tools that can enable realistic collaborative work in a scientific computational environment, and describe the incorporation of these tools into the Discover computational collaboratory. Specifically, we present the design and implementation of a workspace management approach, termed as Interaction Streams, for dynamic organization, representation and analysis of personal and shared workspaces in Discover.