ITR: Deploying the LIGO Data Grid; Grid-enabling the Gravitational Wave Analysis Community

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

This ITR-Medium award supports the deployment of a Grid-enabled LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) Data Analysis environment. The Grid paradigm has been adopted by the LIGO collaboration to address its computational needs as it prepares to conduct groundbreaking analyses of its first data in the field of gravitational wave astrophysics. The research program addresses issues relating to the authentication and secure access to LIGO's computational resources using the Globus package. It also provides the tools and the infrastructure for distributing and sharing LIGO's large volume of data across the geographically distributed LIGO data analysis resources and community. Finally, it incorporates Grid services to a primarily control-room type data analysis environment called DMT (Data Monitoring Tool) thus making it available to the wider LIGO community as a Grid-based application. This research takes the Grid concept from a prototype stage to real deployment and every day use for a large scientific experiment. This research experience and the products delivered from it will have broad relevance to the overall Grid and Information Technology initiative as well as to on-going work within the GriPhyN and iVDGL Grid development projects. Many of the delivered components will be sufficiently generic to be of use and interest to other large data analysis projects.