Abstract:
The conferences hosted by the International Workshop on Science Gateways (IWSG) have a long-standing tradition. The workshop series aims to advance in the field of science gateways and to improve and make services more accessible to researchers in various fields. The IWSG 2023 included six full-paper presentations and was complemented by nine lightning talks. These contributions spanned multiple fields, from biology to astronomy and beyond, showcasing a variety of tools and methodologies.
In this talk, the evolution from MoSGrid to NFDI4Chem is presented. Starting in the early 2000s, when chemistry grid computing through the Molecular Simulation Grid (MSG) advanced the field. These advancements laid the foundation for today's research data management (RDM) initiatives. Germany’s NFDI4Chem builds on this legacy by creating a national RDM infrastructure that includes training programs, tools for data standards, and electronic lab notebooks. This notable talk reviews 15 years of progress in chemoinformatics and future developments.
The Virtual Environment for Research Data and Analysis (VERDA) presented a talk on the Science Gateway under development for a Collaborative Research Center in Biology. VERDA integrates FAIR data principles and cloud computing to support nearly 20 subprojects with advanced *omics and imaging analysis capabilities.
Another contribution explored the potential of Function-as-a-Service (FaaS), particularly for data distribution and processing in distributed environments such as the SKA Regional Center Network (SRCNet). By deploying key radio interferometry workflows on FaaS platforms, this model showed promise for handling massive-scale scientific data processing.
The talk by German Human Genome-Phenome Archive (GHGA), aims to facilitate the sharing of sensitive human *omics data using FAIR principles. GHGA contributes to the broader Federated European Genome-Phenome Archive (FEGA), enhancing data accessibility for international research while prioritizing data privacy.
Further innovations were presented in incentivizing data sharing from Internet of Things (IoT) devices for scientific research through a smart contract-based framework. This system rewards users for contributing wearable device data to science gateways using distributed ledger technology.
The Sustainability Program initiated by the United States Science Gateways Community Institute (SGCI) and the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) provides training and support for ensuring long-term project viability in academic settings. By incorporating business-like strategies, project teams were equipped with the best practices for gateway user interfaces and sustainability planning.
Lastly, the DataPLANT consortium provides a Science Gateway to enhance data management in fundamental plant research. Its DataHUB supports research throughout the data life cycle, offering workflows for tasks like data annotation, structuring, and publication. This enables more efficient and accessible research data handling, inspired by software engineering principles.
In conclusion, IWSG 2023 showcased cutting-edge technologies and methodologies that transform how scientists access, manage, and share data. These tools advance research capabilities and emphasize the need for sustainability, interoperability, and collaboration across various scientific disciplines.
Workflow Integration