REANNZ partners with Fujitsu and Brocade

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +1200

Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd (REANNZ) selects Fujitsu as supplier of Brocade Ethernet switch technology for the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN).

Following substantial interest from a large range of industry participants and a robust procurement process, Fujitsu New Zealand has been selected to provide the Brocade MLX Ethernet Switching platforms for KAREN.

As KAREN evolves to its new network, the MLX platform will serve KAREN’s switching needs with an economical and flexible growth path in the future while sustaining the present architecture and member needs.

The selection of Brocade technology through its partner Fujitsu continues REANNZ established pattern of encouraging and enabling diverse industry participation in contributing to and supporting KAREN on behalf of its members.

Updated 30 July 2010

Announcing the BlueFern® HPC Grand Challenge

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:36:00 +1200

Announcing the BlueFern® HPC Grand Challenge

New Zealand researchers are invited to apply for the BlueFern High Performance Computing (HPC) Grand Challenge. BlueFern is making available one million CPU hours on up to 4096 CPU cores, to challenge New Zealand Researchers to scale up their HPC applications to tackle some of the largest scientific problems in areas such as biochemistry, climate simulation, machine intelligence, molecular dynamics, etc.

Turbocharging New Zealand Science

The BlueFern Grand Challenge aims to drive New Zealand science forward using HPC. We have set aside a million CPU hours specifically for large-scale HPC codes that address significant research problems. Not only will BlueFern be helping NZ researchers solve the most challenging problems, but we will also act as a pathway to overseas programs such as the American INCITE program that awards tens of millions of CPU hours on petaflop systems.

The BlueFern® HPC Grand Challenge is best for:

   •   High impact science and engineering
   •   Huge runs that you cannot do anywhere else
   •   Jobs that can use at least 1/4 of the system for hours to days
   •   Research campaigns requiring millions of CPU hours
   •   Computations that are efficient on the BlueFern BlueGene system

How To Apply

Fill in the form (pdf) and tell us about:

   •   Your research problem that can be addressed with large-scale HPC
   •   The HPC code you will be using, and how it can scale to thousands of CPU cores
   •   A plan listing your requirements to run the HPC code using up to one million CPU hours

The deadline for applications is October 1st, but we encourage you to contact BlueFern ASAP to discuss your grand challenge research. Applications can only be accepted from teams based within New Zealand Institutions.

Updated 30 July 2010

July KAREN Member open forum

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:32:00 +1200

The July KAREN Member Open Forum will be held 12:00 - 1:00pm, Friday 30 July 2010. These monthly forums provide an opportunity for KAREN Members to learn about and quiz us directly on the latest developments at REANNZ.

IMPORTANT: The July forum, and all future forums, will be held on the KAREN Video Conference Service.

Happenings in July

At 12 noon on the last business Friday of every month, Donald Clark and some of the REANNZ team will host a virtual session via video conferencing to which any and all Members are invited. We'll give a brief update on the month's major developments and then open the floor to questions, comment and discussion.

July forum themes

At the July forum we will cover:

Resource allocation
Expanding the reach
Services Working Group
New Network migration
KAREN Video Conference Service

How you can join the KAREN Video Conference Service

This conference uses the KAREN Video Conference Service. Full connection details are available now at the KAREN Member Open Forum event listing on AVCC's Event Calendar.

Help and testing

If you are new to video conferencing or have not used the KAREN Video Conference Service before, we encourage you to test your connection. For more information on connecting to the service, please visit http://avcc.karen.net.nz/tutorials/karen-video-bridge-connection-details. Otherwise, please contact the AVCC helpdesk.

Updated 16 July 2010

GNS Science eResearch event

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:38:00 +1200

GNS Science eResearch Event in Lower Hutt

25 August 9am - 1pm

GNS Science is hosting an eResearch Event featuring Dr. Robert Woodcock from AuScope who will introduce one of Australia's most exciting GeoScience projects. Auscope aims to establish a world class research infrastructure to characterise the structure and evolution of the Australian continent in a global context from surface to core in space and time. Visit AuScope here

Also, Nathan Gardiner from the Advanced Video Collaboration Centre will introduce the new KAREN video conferencing service. The KAREN Video Conferencing Service (KVCS) supplied by REANNZ provides members with access to state of the art equipment used to deliver high definition video conferencing around New Zealand and beyond.

More information

For more information contact Bill Choquette bill.choquette@reannz.co.nz

REANNZ takes TelstraClear services for international connectivity

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:12:00 +1200

KAREN's international capacity is set to leap forward to an impressive 1Gb/s. This is one of the features of KAREN's new international connectivity to be provided by TelstraClear from November 2010.

Media release: REANNZ takes TelstraClear services for international connectivity

Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd (REANNZ) selects TelstraClear to provide the international network for the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN) from November 2010.

The new arrangements will increase KAREN’s international capacity to Australia and the USA to 1Gb/s, from which points our members can reach over 50 countries around the world via the international Research and Education Network community. The connectivity arrangements are for an initial term of more than three years.

In addition to this base capacity, TelstraClear will provide innovative options to increase the scale and reach of the service. “These options will be of great value to KAREN members, allowing the community to flexibly respond to emerging global research and education collaborations,” Donald Clark, REANNZ Chief Executive.

TelstraClear’s Head of Business & Government, Michael Boggs, said the company was delighted to be working with REANNZ and to build on its association with KAREN since the network was developed in 2005-2006.

“New Zealand has world-class organisations in research, education and innovation, and we will support their growing needs for fast and reliable international data access and sharing,” said Mr Boggs. “We recognise the vital importance to KAREN of being an integral part of the worldwide mesh of national research and education networks.

“TelstraClear’s solution draws on the global capabilities of parent company Telstra to provide KAREN with international connectivity at higher levels of performance than previously available to it,’ said Mr Boggs.

More information

Our media and communications page features this and previous media releases.

Polytechnics join KAREN

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:25:00 +1200

We're excited to announce that seven Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) will join the KAREN community in the next few months. This follows the conclusion of our procurement process for hardware and connectivity services for the ITPs.

Media release: Polytechnics join KAREN

Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd (REANNZ) selects hardware and connectivity providers to connect seven additional Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics to the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN).

Seven Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) will join the KAREN community in the next few months. The seven new ITPs to join KAREN are:

Bay of Plenty Polytechnic
Eastern Institute of Technology
Southern Institute of Technology
Tairāwhiti Polytechnic
Universal College of Learning
Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki
Whitireia Community Polytechnic

Connectivity services for six of the ITPs have been won by Gen-i that is providing cost-effective 1 Gb/s connections from the ITP back to the KAREN core. The connectivity contracts are for 55-months.

KAREN connectivity for Bay of Plenty Polytechnic will be via investment in a 20-year term dark fibre link between Rotorua and Tauranga, provided by FX Networks. This will be the first REANNZ-lit dark fibre spur on KAREN.

“The strategic investment by these ITPs to join the KAREN community has enabled us to extend KAREN's footprint across the country, so that we can reach more of New Zealand. KAREN connectivity will also help the ITPs drive cost-efficiencies through course co-delivery and shared services,” says Donald Clark, REANNZ CEO.

In addition, REANNZ has placed an initial order for 14 Juniper MX-80s to be supplied by NEC. This new router will provide the ability for smaller organisations to connect more easily and more cheaply to KAREN. This router was chosen for its scalability and functionality.

“It is an important underscoring of REANNZ’s role as a neutral procurement specialist that through this tender we have broadened our supplier base for KAREN,” said Donald.

Don Campbell, Chief Executive of Whitireia Community Polytechnic says “our applied degree and post graduate students will benefit from the research network supported by KAREN. It will increase the speed and ease of access to new developments in applied industry practices.”

Reminder: June KAREN Member Open Forum

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:58:00 +1200

The June KAREN Member Open Forum will be held 12:00 - 1:00pm, this Friday, 25 June 2010 via the AARNet VC bridge. These monthly forums provide an opportunity for KAREN Members to learn about and quiz us directly on the latest developments at REANNZ.

Happenings in June

At 12 noon on the last business Friday of every month, Donald Clark (CEO) and some of the REANNZ team will host a virtual forum to which any and all KAREN Members are invited. We'll give a brief update on the month's major developments and then open the floor to questions, comment and discussion.

June forum themes

At the June forum we will cover:

Commodity Internet
EU Joint Science & Tech Cooperation Committee meeting
Wellington eResearch symposium
Signing with FX Networks
Financial model update
New KAREN members

Join the forum on the AARNet bridge

This event is being held using the AARNet VC bridge. You can connect directly to the bridge or can watch the live stream. NB: you can't use the Scopia desktop client to connect to the AARNet bridge.

For full connection details for the event see the KAREN Member Open Forum event listing on AVCC's Event Calendar.

Help and testing

If you are new to video conferencing or have not used the AARNet bridge before, we encourage you to test your connection. For more information on connecting to the AARNet Bridge, please visit http://avcc.karen.net.nz/tutorials/aarnet-bridge-connection-details. Otherwise, please contact the AVCC helpdesk.

KAREN advocates recognised

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:30:00 +1200

Recently eight members of the KAREN community were welcomed into the KAREN Awards hall of fame.

KAREN Awards recognise members of the KAREN community who have made an outstanding contribution to the community or who have embraced eResearch.

Recently, eight leading-lights from our community were recognised for their contributions – three receiving a KAREN Champion award, and five a KAREN Enabler award. The KAREN Champion awards were presented by Victoria University of Wellington Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Charles Daugherty, at the Wellington eResearch Symposium on 8 June.

The awardees

KAREN Champion awards

Michael Uddstrom, NIWA
Jonathan Flutey, Victoria University of Wellington
Slava Kitaev, Auckland University of Technology

KAREN Enabler awards

Markus Buchhorn, Intersect Australia Ltd
Salome Meyer, Victoria University of Wellington
Kevin Buckley, Victoria University of Wellington
Brian Opie, Victoria University of Wellington
Sydney Shep, Victoria University of Wellington

The KAREN Awards Hall of Fame features all past winners.

NEN trial extension updates

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:58:00 +1200

We're keeping schools up to date with progress on the National Education Network trial extension via the ICT in schools magazine, Interface. If you're interested in this project, you too can now see these regular updates on our website.

Keeping up to date on the NEN

To keep schools informed on our progress, REANNZ is publishing a regular project update in Interface Magazine. If you don't subscribe to Interface, or missed an earlier article you can find them here:

These will be available from our NEN: information for schools page following their formal publication in the hard copy of Interface Magazine (http://www.interfacemagazine.co.nz/).

Watch it live - Wellington eResearch Symposium

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:56:00 +1200

Can't make the Wellington eResearch Symposium today in person? For your reviewing pleasure, you can watch the live stream of the event from the comfort of your own office....

Links to the live streams

Presentation: 1. The eResearch landscape in Australia

Description: Markus Buchhorn, Intersect New South Wales
Date: Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Time: 9:45 AM
Duration: 00:45:00
Link: http://mdsweb.vuw.ac.nz/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=82640275c8c8480ea9739361809fb489

Presentation: 2. What is eResearch? Defining eResearch for the masses!

Description: Julie Watson (MoRST), Nick Jones, (BestGrid) and John Hine (Victoria University of Wellington)
Date: Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Time: 10:30 AM
Duration: 00:45:00
Link: http://mdsweb.vuw.ac.nz/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=51528b8af6c0466cb932a9f7173c764b

Presentation: 3. E-Research for the humanities

Description: Sydney Shep, Victoria University of Wellington
Date: Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Time: 11:30 AM
Duration: 00:30:00
Link: http://mdsweb.vuw.ac.nz/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=b096122cbab34dc689f77f9a7ce187a8

Presentation: 4. NIWA's High Performance Computing Facility: A new national capability for research on grand-challenge scientific problems

Description: Dr Michael Uddstrom, Manager - HPCF
Date: Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Time: 12:00 PM
Duration: 00:30:00
Link: http://mdsweb.vuw.ac.nz/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=98041dd608fe4989b35465025abe1943

Presentation: 5. BeSTGRID overview and advances

Description: Nick Jones (BeSTGRID) Kevin Buckley and John Hine (Victoria University of Wellington)
Date: Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Time: 12:30 PM
Duration: 00:30:00
Link: http://mdsweb.vuw.ac.nz/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=3d78a14fda3541ac9c7de4f9bd523073

Presentation: 6. eResearch and online volunteerism

Description: Stephen Atkins, Otago Polytechnic
Date: Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Time: 1:45 PM
Duration: 00:30:00
Link: http://mdsweb.vuw.ac.nz/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=cd808d8a317145098a27e23b9b83787c

Presentation: 7. Opening our past to view: a settler poet migrates to the web

Description: Brian Opie, Victoria University of Wellington
Date: Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Time: 2:15 PM
Duration: 00:30:00
Link: http://mdsweb.vuw.ac.nz/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=ee2acdf6ecf349c2b18d60027acb7248

Presentation: 8. Search for the unknown: universe at high time resolution

Description: Slava Kitaev, Auckland University of Technology
Date: Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Time: 3:00 PM
Duration: 00:30:00
Link: http://mdsweb.vuw.ac.nz/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=429a9430ecb642cb992382f1bf61bf75

Presentation: 9. The curing of unwell online students: affective experiences of students in an online learning environment

Description: Salome Meyer, Victoria University of Wellington
Date: Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Time: 3:30 PM
Duration: 00:30:00
Link: http://mdsweb.vuw.ac.nz/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=67b1b7561b564ce4b7ebaee7594fec38

Join the REANNZ team: 2 vacancies

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:53:00 +1200

REANNZ is seeking applications for two new positions: 'Senior Engagement Specialist' and 'Corporate and Finance Manager'.

REANNZ is a Crown owned business that has the responsibility of delivering superfast, unrestricted broadband to New Zealand's education and research communities via KAREN. The network is designed to enable next-generation research and education, and is seen as a catalyst for driving innovation in networking. Already well established with a solid membership base in the tertiary education and research sectors, a drive to engage with researchers and educationalists is now required.

The recruitment for both positions is being managed by Round Peg on behalf of REANNZ.

Corporate and Finance Manager

As Corporate and Finance Manager you will be responsible for ensuring that REANNZ operates at the highest levels of efficiency, control and transparency in its financial management and maintains effective corporate processes and operations. The role reports to the Chief Executive and constitutes part of the REANNZ Management team.

Responsibilities include:

Financial management of REANNZ
Asset management
Corporate reporting and planning management
Office facilities and administration management
Corporate systems, policies and processes management
Staff management and HR oversight
Standard contracts management

For this role, we need the skills, experience and qualifications to deliver the full range of financial and corporate services (as above) to the organisation. In addition, as the REANNZ team is highly passionate about the benefits we deliver, the fit to the organisation’s culture and values is essential.

As such, we will also be looking for:

The ability to work proactively and collaboratively, constantly contributing to the collective team knowledge
A strong focus on planning and a real attention to detail and a well organised approach to your work
The ability and temperament to cope with a dynamic, forward focused, driven and complex environment
The interpersonal and communication skills to relate well to a wide range of people
The ability to lead and manage

In return, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring NZ’s education and research sectors benefit from a world leading technology initiative. We offer strong leadership, a clear vision and set of values to aspire to, and the opportunity to fully utilise the combination of skills you have been gathering to date.

Request a Position Description by emailing recruitment@reannz.co.nz. If you have questions, please call Linda Ashton at Round Peg on 04 472 3386 or 021 276 8637. To apply please send your CV and cover letter (confidentiality assured) to recruitment@reannz.co.nz. Applications close Friday 18th June 2010.

Senior Engagement Specialist

As the Senior Member Engagement Specialist your primary role is threefold. The role will see you responsible for the management and delivery of a membership engagement programme to assigned KAREN Members, developing and maintaining the facilitation of engagement and communication channels at a senior level, and identifying further opportunity for future development and revenue whilst broadening the awareness of KAREN in the research and education sectors. Essentially, you are a conduit for the engagement programme and ensuring REANNZ delivers the services members expect of an organisation designed to be a leader of innovation.

We envisage this role will appeal to those that have a strong desire to be part of something that will make a significant difference to the advancement of the educational and research technology landscape in NZ. The REANNZ team is highly passionate about the benefits KAREN can deliver, and if you are one that is motivated by a vision, then this will be an ideal home for you. This is not an IT/ network sales, project management or operations role.

An ideal candidate would bring the following:

An excellent understanding of the wider research and/or education environment in NZ
Advanced facilitation, communication and influencing skills and the ability to engage at a senior level
An eye to identify further opportunity for both additional value and revenue
A strong outcome and delivery focus
Experience in a project driven environment and project management skills
The ability to work proactively and collaboratively, constantly contributing to the collective team knowledge
A strong focus on planning and a real attention to detail and a well organised approach to your work. The ability and temperament to cope with a dynamic, forward focused, driven and complex environment
A tertiary qualification and a passion for education and/ or research

In return, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring NZ’s education and research sectors benefit from a world leading technology initiative.

Request a Position Description by emailing recruitment@reannz.co.nz. If you have questions, please call Linda Ashton at Round Peg on 04 472 3386 or 021 276 8637. To apply please send your CV and cover letter (confidentiality assured) to recruitment@REANNZ.co.nz. Applications close Wednesday 9th June 2010.

Wellington eResearch Symposium - full programme now available

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:30:00 +1200

The full programme and abstracts for the 8 June Wellington eResearch Symposium is now available.

Wellington eResearch Symposium

Hosted by Victoria University of Wellington on Tuesday 8 June, this event is an opportunity for researchers and scientists from the Wellington region to see eResearch technologies in action, how people are benefiting from it, and learn of ways you may be able to use eResearch technologies to enhance your own research.

Find out how to register and view abstracts of the papers at Wellington eResearch Symposium

Programme

The eResearch landscape in Australia

Markus Buchhorn, Intersect New South Wales

What is eResearch? Defining eResearch for the masses!

Julie Watson (MoRST), Nick Jones, (BestGrid) and John Hine (Victoria University of Wellington)

E-Research for the humanities

Sydney Shep, Victoria University of Wellington

BeSTGRID overview and advances

Nick Jones (BeSTGRID) Kevin Buckley and John Hine (Victoria University of Wellington)

eResearch and online volunteerism

Stephen Atkins, Otago Polytechnic

Opening our past to view: a settler poet migrates to the web

Brian Opie, Victoria University of Wellington

Search for the unknown: universe at high time resolution

Slava Kitaev, Auckland University of Technology

The curing of unwell online students: affective experiences of students in an online learning environment

Salome Meyer, Victoria University of Wellington

REANNZ signs with FX Networks

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:00:00 +1200

REANNZ has selected FX Networks to provide the national network for KAREN from December 2010.

Media release: REANNZ signs with FX Networks

Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd (REANNZ) has entered into a long-term partnership with FX Networks to provide the national connectivity for the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN).

Following a thorough and comprehensive evaluation process, REANNZ has selected FX Networks to provide the national network for KAREN from December 2010. The arrangement secures the continuation of KAREN’s existing 10Gb/s backbone connectivity and footprint around the country for an initial term of 3-years through to December 2013, with two 2-year renewal options.

The contract also includes options to move KAREN to a dark fibre-based network. Moving KAREN to dark fibre-based infrastructure will be essential to ensure KAREN can continue to offer leading-edge network services within a constrained cost base.

“This is the most exciting development for KAREN since the network was launched in 2006. We are confident that we have selected a progressive, long-term partner in FX Networks and have secured the best national connectivity options for our community and provided certainty to our members on cost and presence,” said Donald Clark, REANNZ CEO.

“Over the last 4 years, the demands of our members has driven innovation in network supply and services across the telecommunications industry. In earlier times our investments have helped other network suppliers extend their networks, now we’re helping FX Networks,” said Donald.

On moving to the new network, REANNZ will put into effect a new Network Access Policy. This new policy will provide greater flexibility to REANNZ and KAREN members around access, and use of the network.

Work has already begun on comprehensive transition plan to ensure a smooth cross-over from current national connectivity arrangements to the new arrangements in December.

REANNZ is in late stage contract discussions with the preferred supplier for KAREN’s international network. An announcement on the selected provider will be made later this month.

Contacts

Donald Clark
Chief Executive
REANNZ
04 913 1090

Jamie Baddeley
General Manager – Sales
FX Networks
021 448 309

Reminder: May KAREN Member Open Forum

Thu, 27 May 2010 16:33:00 +1200

The May KAREN Member Open Forum will be held 12:00 - 1:00pm, Friday 28 May 2010 via the AARNet VC bridge. These monthly forums provide an opportunity for KAREN Members to learn about and quiz us directly on the latest developments at REANNZ.

Happenings in May

Themes for May 2010

The May KAREN open member forum will cover:

Procurement status
Financial model progress
Video conferencing service update
ITP Connect project update
International NREN engagement debrief
Connection of the AUT radio telescope to KAREN
and any other issues you'd like to discuss...

Join the forum on the AARNet bridge

This event is being held using the AARNet VC bridge. You can connect directly to the bridge or can watch the live stream. NB: you can't use the Scopia desktop client to connect to the AARNet bridge.

For full connection details for the event see the KAREN Member Open Forum event listing on AVCC's Event Calendar.

Help and testing

[Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net]

KAREN networking workshop

Tue, 25 May 2010 09:06:00 +1200

Aimed at KAREN members, this flexible 5-day workshop on routing and Internet technologies will help you get the best Internet and KAREN experience.

The Internet and Advanced Networks workshop

This workshop is designed and run by Packet Clearing House from San Francisco and is lead by some of the world’s leading Internet and infrastructure specialists, it has been delivered scores of times, from Nepal to San Francisco and everywhere in between. This event will be held 21-25 June in Wellington at a cost of $150.

At the end of the workshop it is expected attendees will have a much greater understanding of Inter-networking and the technologies that build the Internet and how to deploy them.

The workshop will cover the following:

Internet infrastructure and how the net is put together, how transit providers connect, who pays who and the economics of connectivity
Peering, transit and network economics
Provisioning - How you build an network service and Inter-network, how the routers and their functions build the Internet and how you can do it
IPv4 and IPv6 and their relevance to the changing world

You'll be introduced to IPv4 and IPv6, OSPF, iBGP, eBGP, BGP Scaling, BGP Policies, Route Reflectors and more...

More information

The Internet and Advanced Networks workshop event listing provides more details on the technologies being covered, biographies of the tutors, contacts for registration, and a special offer for networking folk from new ITP Members and schools networking advocates.

Download the workshop flyer (pdf, 254KB)

eResearch and the role of the research manager - Waikato

Fri, 21 May 2010 11:21:00 +1200

Following a successful event in Wellington in April, the 'eResearch and the role of the research manager' seminar is coming to Hamilton.

The NZ and Pacific Chapter of the Australasian Research Management Society is hosting a seminar at the University of Waikato on 9 June on eResearch and the role of the research manager.

eResearch and the role of the research manager

Led by Julie Watson, eResearch Adviser for MoRST, this seminar will discuss how a modern research manager can assist in New Zealand’s research and innovation agenda by helping researchers develop and apply next generation digital technology.

Previously intractable research challenges are now opening up to scientific scrutiny thanks to the use of advanced software tools and hardware infrastructure as part of the research process. This is leading to innovation in a range of fields from drug discovery to aircraft engine maintenance to the study of ancient manuscripts. The size and scope of these teams is changing – looking to more interdisciplinary research and wider national and international collaborations.

ARMS members and non-members welcome.

More information

See the eResearch and the role of the research manager events listing to register your attendance and for further information.

Registrations open - Wellington eResearch Symposium

Wed, 19 May 2010 15:21:00 +1200

Registrations are now open for the Wellington eResearch Symposium, Tuesday 8 June. Come along to see eResearch technologies in action, how people are benefitting from it, and learn of ways you may be able to use eResearch technologies to enhance your own research.

Registration

Registrations are now open for the Wellington eResearch Symposium to be held in Victoria University's Rutherford House Lecture Theatre 1 from 9.30-4.00 (with drinks to follow) on Tuesday 8 June. You can register to attend by emailing eresearch2010@vuw.ac.nz, by 1 June 2010.

Programme highlights

The theme for the Symposium is 'What's eResearch, and how are people in different disciplines using eResearch methods?'. Programme highlights include:

Keynote presentation: Markus Buchhorn, Intersect

Markus is from Intersect (www.intersect.org.au), an Australian organisation which helps Universities, government agencies and others to engage with eResearch through training and coordination of eResearch activity. Markus' visit is proudly supported by REANNZ.

Sydney Shep: Wai-te-ata Press

Sydney's presentation will contextualise eResearch for the humanities by looking at a number of international and VUW-based projects in the historical sciences and asking what tools, concepts, and frameworks can historians bring to the eResearch table. In particular, it introduces a new Print History eResearch Hub being developed at VUW to support three projects including the Marsden-funded “The Printers’ Web: Typographical Journals and Global Communication Networks".

Dr Slava Kitaev, Auckland University of Technology

Transient Emission Array Detector (TREAD) is a collaborative project to detect very short duration bursts of energy from space, which is a subject of high interest for the Square Kilometre Array research community. TREAD is expected to generate a large amount of data which needs to be transported and processed. A KAREN Capability Build Project Fund grant is supporting the development of TREAD prototype. The project uses eResearch methodologies to manage large amounts of data, collaborate across locations, and for remote use of instruments.

Full programme details will be circulated next week.

More information

Wellington eResearch Symposium event listing

NZ radio astronomy goes global over KAREN

Mon, 17 May 2010 11:24:00 +1200

The AUT radio telescope at Warkworth is now connected to KAREN. This will allow New Zealand to demonstrate its capability in radio astronomy, and could enable New Zealand to take part in the global radio astronomy project, the Square Kilometre Array.

Media statement: NZ radio astronomy goes global over KAREN

New Zealand’s participation in leading-edge science on the origins of the Universe leaps light-years ahead with KAREN.

Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd (REANNZ) and AUT University last week celebrated the successful connection of AUT’s radio telescope at Warkworth to the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN).

Connecting the telescope allows New Zealand to demonstrate its capability in radio astronomy, and could enable New Zealand to take part in the global radio astronomy project, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) that aims to answer questions about the origin and evolution of the universe.

“The connection of this important piece of science infrastructure to KAREN is a significant milestone for the New Zealand radio astronomy community, and has the potential to enable New Zealand to participate in an international radio astronomy research programme of epic proportions,” says Donald Clark, Chief Executive of REANNZ.

Professor Sergei Gulyaev, Director of the Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research at AUT says, “This very fast fibre connection means we can send data directly from our radio telescope in Warkworth to Australia, US and around the world. We are transferring huge amounts of astronomical data directly across the Tasman to the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) correlator in Perth and the first scientific results look very interesting. This KAREN connection is a great milestone for NZ radio astronomy and for SKA development. ”

Connection was made possible by the establishment of a new 1Gb/ps KAREN Point of Presence (PoP) at Warkworth. The PoP at Warkworth is linked to the nearby Telecom New Zealand Ltd satellite ground station, opening the door to KAREN access for users that transit the station, such as the Chatham Islands, Scott Base, and some Pacific Islands.

“The Warkworth connection is the first of a number of regional PoPs we will be establishing over the coming year that will significantly extend KAREN's footprint across the country. The closer we can get to local communities, the greater the opportunity for participation from organisations across the education and research sector,” says Donald.

This connection was made possible through the Remote Site Connectivity Fund provided by the Ministry of Research Science and Technology (MoRST) on behalf of the New Zealand government. This fund provides one-off investments to connect remote important science infrastructure to KAREN. The second remote site – the University of Canterbury’s Mt John Observatory – will be connected later this year.

Contacts

Donald Clark
Chief Executive, REANNZ
04 913 1090

Professor Sergei Gulyaev
AUT University
09 921 9541
021 924 319

See our media and communications page for the 'NZ radio astronomy goes global over KAREN' and earlier REANNZ media releases.

Point of Presence (PoP)

A PoP is an on-ramp point to connect to KAREN. It is the equivalent of a train station or motorway junction.

Have your say on collaboration and infrastructure services

Thu, 06 May 2010 15:14:00 +1200

The KAREN Services Working Group is opening their May meeting up to all KAREN members to get your input on collaboration and shared infrastructure services over KAREN.

About collaboration and infrastructure services - Services Working Group May meeting

The KAREN Services Working Group would like to invite any and all KAREN members with a particular interest in the investigation and development of new Collaboration Services and Shared Infrastructure Services to participate in their May meeting.

Nick Jones from the University of Auckland will lead the discussions around Collaboration Services and is well qualified to do so with his previous experience of developing, implementing, and working with collaboration technologies.

This meeting will be held by video conference on Tuesday 11 May at 2pm.

The KAREN Services Working Group brings together interested parties from KAREN member organisations to discuss requirements for value-added services over KAREN. For more information about the objectives of the Services Working Group visit the KAREN Wiki.

How to participate

Please contact Emma Bottomore for connection details to participate in this meeting:

Emma Bottomore, Services Specialist
emma.bottomore@reannz.co.nz
+64 4 913 6363

More information

KAREN Services Working Group materials on the KAREN wiki (http://wiki.karen.net.nz/)

Are You On KAREN tester released

Wed, 05 May 2010 13:52:00 +1200

Want to find out whether you can use KAREN from your desktop computer? Use our new KAREN tester to find out.

Are You On KAREN tester

We've developed a new tool that will help you use KAREN. The Are You On KAREN tester uses a simple web page to tell you whether you can access KAREN from your desktop computer. Desktop access makes everyday collaboration with colleagues and access to digital resources simple and fast.

This tool works by making use of different firewall rules which only allow access from KAREN and not from the commodity Internet. Thank you to those members who provided feedback on this tool, and a special thanks to Tony Bigby from Kristin School for his suggestions.

Reaching resources over KAREN

The Are You On KAREN tester is the first step. Next is finding out who and what you can reach over KAREN, both in New Zealand and across the world. The University of Otago's KAREN tester can help you find out.

More information

KAREN access tools

eResearch Australasia call for participation

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:21:00 +1200

The road to eResearch Australasia has begun with the issuing of a call for papers. If you're keen to participate in this year's event, the KAREN Capability Build Fund could help you get there.

About eResearch Australasia

The Call for Participation is now open for eResearch Australasia 2010: 21st Century Research – Where Computing Meets Data. The Program Committee invites researchers and practitioners from diverse disciplines to participate in the conference, to be held 8 - 12 November at the RACV Royal Pines on Queensland’s Gold Coast, Australia.

eResearch Australasia features speakers and demonstrations from the Australian, New Zealand and international eResearch community and provides:

A catalyst for innovation and collaboration, by bringing together researchers, practitioners, and educators from diverse disciplines
A forum to support the development, enhancement, and harmonisation of national, regional, and discipline-specific eResearch infrastructures and services
A showcase for innovative science and research enabled through these technologies and services

eResearch Australasia website

Theme: 21st Century Research -- Where Computing Meets Data

The voyage of 21st Century discovery is enabled by new technologies, new research methods, and above all new collaborations. At the nexus where computing meets data, researchers are using advanced visualisation, simulation and modelling to create and explore new knowledge terrains.

Making this happen requires a large number of people working together -- on making it possible to re-use data, on supporting collaboration, on developing standards, policies and practices, on networks, on access and security, on pushing the boundaries of computing power, and on tools to make sense of all the information.

Call for participation information

Need help getting there?

eResearch Australasia is the biggest and best eResearch conference in the region. New Zealand participation in the event has increased over recent years, and we encourage as many New Zealand eResearch practitioners to attend as possible.

To this end, we welcome applications from KAREN Core Members to the KAREN Capability Build Fund to help fund your participation in this event:

KAREN CBF Criteria

Employment Opportunity: Director, eResearch SA

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:50:00 +1200

eResearch SA, the South Australian provider of high performance computing, data management and storage, research collaboration, and visualisation services for researchers in SA, are looking for a Director for their eResearch Group.

About the role

eResearch SA seeks to appoint a dynamic Director who has the vision to transform research practices in South Australia.

This fixed-term position is available from 1st July 2010 for a period of three years in the first instance. Based at the University of Adelaide,
eResearch SA is a collaborative joint venture between the University of Adelaide, Flinders University and the University of South Australia. It
was established in 2007 to provide eResearch support, training, and infrastructure for South Australia's vibrant research community.

More information

Employment Opportunity: Are you eResearch SA’s next Director?

Invitation: Wellington eResearch Symposium

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:51:00 +1200

KAREN members from around Wellington are invited to attend the 2010 Wellington eResearch Symposium on 8 June.

About the Symposium

REANNZ and Victoria University of Wellington invites you to the 2010 Wellington eResearch Symposium.

This year’s event will feature presentations showcasing eResearch initiatives and projects from researchers and scientists from Wellington and across the New Zealand KAREN community. It will also highlight technical advances or services that directly benefit eResearch delivery and outcomes.

Further information on the event, including details of our international keynote speaker and the event programme, will come soon.

We invite any expressions of interest for presenting at the event. The 2010 eResearch Symposium will be a fantastic opportunity to provide the New Zealand research community with an overview on your current individual or institutional eResearch projects.

When and where

The 2010 eResearch Symposium will be held at Rutherford House, the home of Victoria University's Faculty of Commerce and Administration, on Tuesday the 8th of June. The Symposium will be followed by a social event on the Mezzanine of Rutherford House. This will be a perfect chance for you to network with members of New Zealand’s key research institutes.

The 2010 eResearch Symposium and social event will be free to attend, so keep the date free!

Contact

If you have any queries in regards to the event please email the organising team at eResearch2010@vuw.ac.nz

NEN Edge Router RFP Issued

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:42:00 +1200

REANNZ released a RFP for edge routers for the National Education Network trial extension last night.

NEN RFP released

A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued last night by REANNZ for the supply of Layer 3 ethernet routers for schools participating in the National Education Network (NEN) Trial Extension. REANNZ has been contracted by the Ministry of Education to procure network components, including routers, for up to 200 schools that are being invited to participate in the NEN trial extension which runs until June 2011.

The NEN provides dedicated network connectivity for schools using KAREN and provides high speed, unrestricted broadband (100 Mb/s or greater) to schools. The purpose of the NEN router is to allow trial schools to gain access to KAREN and commodity internet services using local fibre networks.

Copies of the RFP can be obtained from the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS) at www.gets.govt.nz. The RFP, titled Supply of Routers for the National Education Network is document number 29480 on GETS. Tenders must be submitted by 4pm on 14 May 2010.

All communications relating to this RFP, or requests for clarification or further information, should be directed in writing to nen-rfp@reannz.co.nz

More information

About the NEN trial extension

Innovative businesses can now connect to KAREN

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:33:00 +1200

KAREN Members can now sponsor businesses they are collaborating with to connect to KAREN.

KAREN Sponsored Partners programme opened

REANNZ has today launched the KAREN Sponsored Partners Programme. This new programme allows KAREN Members to sponsor businesses they are collaborating with on research or education activities to connect to KAREN.

This development presents exciting opportunities for KAREN Members to more readily collaborate with the private sector, widening their revenue opportunities, and accelerating innovation.

More information

Following feedback from the community, we have created a simple application and evaluation process. You can find full details of this process on the KAREN website at http://www.karen.net.nz/sponsored-partners.

April KAREN member open forum

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:50:00 +1200

The April KAREN Member Open Forum will be held 12:00 - 1:00pm, Friday 30 April 2010 via the AARNet VC bridge. These monthly forums provide an opportunity for KAREN Members to learn about and quiz us directly on the latest developments at REANNZ. Led by Mark Cordy, this forum will focus on REANNZ's Procurement activities.

Open Forum: focus on Procurement

Themes for April 2010

This forum will be led by Mark Cordy, REANNZ Deputy Chief Executive and Operations Manager. The April KAREN open member forum will focus on our current KAREN Connectivity and Services Procurement activities and will cover:

General procurement update
Approach to procurement and evaluation
Procurement timetable and important dates
Service transition arrangements

For background information see the Procurement Project page at http://karen.net.nz/karen-rfps-09/

Join the forum on the AARNet bridge

This event is being held using the AARNet VC bridge. You can connect directly to the bridge or can watch the live stream. NB: you can't use the Scopia desktop client to connect to the AARNet bridge.

For full connection details for the event see the KAREN Member Open Forum event listing on AVCC's Event Calendar.

Help and testing

If you are new to video conferencing or have not used the AARNet bridge before, we encourage you to test your connection. Please contact the AVCC helpdesk.

[Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net]

Research management society seminar on eResearch

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:18:00 +1200

The NZ Chapter of the Australasian Research Management Society is hosting a networking event on 15 April on 'eResearch and the role of the Research Manager'.

e-Research and the role of the Research Manager

Australasian Research Management Society Wellington ‘After 5’ Networking Event
Thursday 15th April 2010
5pm-7.30pm (light refreshments served from 5pm)
Room 7, Ground floor of the Old Government Buildings, Lambton Quay

The NZ Chapter of The Australasian Research Management Society is hosting an evening to discuss how a modern research manager can assist in New Zealand's research and innovation agenda by helping researchers develop and apply next generation digital technology.

Previously intractable research challenges are now opening up to scientific scrutiny thanks to the use of advanced software tools and hardware infrastructure as part of the research process. This is leading to innovation in a range of fields from drug discovery to aircraft engine maintenance to the study of ancient manuscripts. The size and scope of these teams is changing - looking to more interdisciplinary research and wider national and international collaborations.

Seminar outline

Julie Watson – e-Research Advisor for MoRST – will lead a lively discussion addressing such questions as:

What is the role of research managers in shaping next generation research techniques?
What is the role of research managers in recognising international moves toward the management of research data - making it discoverable, viewable, executable and co-executable?
What are new collaborations across service providers that research managers can foster and grow?

ARMS members and non-members all welcome

RSVP

RSVP essential by 5pm, Tuesday 13 April to:
Garth Wieser (garth.wieser@vuw.ac.nz; Tel. 04 463-5620)

CFP: International Telecommunications Society conference

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:38:00 +1300

The New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation at Victoria University of Wellington welcomes papers, especially from KAREN users, for the 2010 International Telecommunications Society Asia-Pacific regional conference on 26-28 August.

Telecommunications: Ubiquity and equity in a broadband environment

The New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation at Victoria University of Wellington is hosting the 2010 International Telecommunications Society Asia-Pacific regional conference on 26-28 August.

This theme of this event is 'Telecommunications: Ubiquity and equity in a broadband environment'. The deployment of increasingly faster and more capable broadband technologies around the world poses significant questions for telecommunications firms, regulators and policy-makers.

Where will these new technologies and the applications they support be made available, what forms will they take, who will provide them and how will they be regulated?
How will the technologies and the applications they support be made accessible, useful and affordable to individuals and firms (as both users and content providers) across geographical, financial, social, cultural and other divides?

Call for papers

Papers addressing these themes are welcomed from members of the academic, industry and policy communities. Papers from KAREN users are especially welcome.

More information

http://www.karen.net.nz/telecomms-iscr

Networked research + collaboration symposium

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:53:00 +1300

Tomorrow's Network Symposium brings together active researchers to showcase their use of KAREN and other networking technologies for research and collaboration. This event will be held via Access Grid and is led by BRCSS.

Networks for research + collaboration

The Building Research Capability in the Social Sciences network (BRCSS) are hosting a virtual event via the Access Grid network from 2:00 - 4:00pm tomorrow (Friday 19 March) showcasing research and collaboration using KAREN. Invited researchers will share their work with remote and distributed research collaboration, and the session will use the theme-question "What is the perfect network?" to discuss the relationship between the human networks and technical networks that are activated by and through remote technologies.

Confirmed speakers

Craig Rodgers, Otago University: World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) and Antarctic-Arctic Radiation-belt (Dynamic) Deposition - VLF Atmospheric Research Konsortium (AARDDVARK)
David Thorns, University of Canterbury: Access Grid development for the social sciences
Krys Pawlikowski, University of Canterbury: PlanetLab experimental networking facility
Julian Priest, The Green Bench Whanganui: Aotearoa Digital Arts, co-founder early wireless free network community Consume.net in London
James Charlton, AUT: CoLab, CoMob
Su Ballard, Dunedin School of Art: Aoteroa Digital Arts (facilitator)
Zita Joyce, University of Canterbury: BRCSS, Aotearoa Digital Arts (facilitator)

How to join in

Access grid rooms are located at Universities across the country. If you are from the University community, contact your local Access Grid operator about booking a room to participate in this session.

You can find a list of rooms on AVCC's Access grid venues directory

Please contact Melanie Milicich (BRCSS) if you have any questions, or to let her know if you would like to attend so she can keep an eye on numbers and nodes: m.milicich@auckland.ac.nz

March KAREN Member open forum

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:34:00 +1300

The March KAREN Member Open Forum will be held 12:00 - 1:00pm, Friday 26 March 2010 via the AARNet VC bridge. These monthly forums provide an opportunity for KAREN Members to learn about and quiz us directly on the latest developments at REANNZ.

Open Forum: engaging with Members

Themes for March 2010

At this month's forum we will cover:

Member Executive briefings
KAREN Video Conference Service
CBF Travel and Event Fund
Sponsored Partners Programme

Join the forum on the AARNet bridge

This event is being held using the AARNet VC bridge. You can connect directly to the bridge or can watch the live stream. NB: you can't use the Scopia desktop client to connect to the AARNet bridge.

For full connection details for the event see the KAREN Member Open Forum event listing on AVCC's Event Calendar.

Help and testing

If you are new to video conferencing or have not used the AARNet bridge before, we encourage you to test your connection. Please contact the AVCC helpdesk.

[Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net]

New network map for KAREN

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:22:00 +1300

We're stoked to reveal the new network map graphic for KAREN. This graphic includes links currently under development that will extend the reach of KAREN.

Extending the reach of KAREN

Progress is well underway to expand KAREN's footprint across the country through the creation of new PoPs (Points of Presence) and regional spurs, which will allow more organisations to join this high-speed, unconstrained network.

Most of the dotted lines should turn solid around the middle of the year as the investments in connecting more ITPs are worked through. Development work will grow the number of PoPs from 16 to 23 by June this year, and will extend our reach to Whangarei and Invercargill. (The 1Gbps connectivity to Warkworth and Tekapo is imminent).

New KAREN network map

You can see live traffic flows over the network at the KAREN weather map.

Back to basics - KAREN 101 & 102

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:04:00 +1300

If you're new to KAREN or in need of a refresher, check out KARENmedia's Channel on YouTube for two new presentations about KAREN and the role of REANNZ.

Getting back to basics - KAREN 101 & 102

We've recently posted two new presentations to our KARENmedia Channel on YouTube - KAREN 101 and KAREN 102. Both presentations are narrated by our own Bill Choquette.

KAREN 101 provides an introduction to KAREN - why KAREN exists and how our members are using the network to accelerate their research and education activities. This presentation is targeted at our core Members - universities and CRIs.

KAREN 102 is about REANNZ - us, the organisation that operates KAREN. This presentation details what REANNZ is, how we work and what we do.

The last presentation in this series, KAREN 103, will introduce you to the architecture and operation of the network itself, and will be published in a couple of months.

More information

KARENmedia Channel on YouTube

KAREN travel and event fund opens

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:24:00 +1300

Funding up for grabs... The KAREN CBF Travel and Event Fund is open for applications.

2010 Capability Build Travel and Event Fund opens

The 2010 Capability Build Travel and Event Fund is open for applications from core KAREN Members (universities and Crown research institutes). The purpose of this fund is to support travel and events that demonstrate the value of collaboration on KAREN and networking technologies, and the applications and services for which they are used.

Travel applications can be made to help fund attendance at national and international eResearch events that support eResearch and KAREN capability building. Event applications can be made that help fund the visiting of international experts and costs for Member-led events that promote eResearch and KAREN usage within and across KAREN members.

The KAREN Capability Build Fund is provided by the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology.

More information

2010 CBF Travel and Events Fund criteria

REANNZ procurement update

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:18:00 +1300

KAREN Member update on REANNZ's RFPs for national and international connectivity, and associated equipment and services.

Where we're at...

REANNZ is currently running a number of RFPs for connectivity and equipment - for the core KAREN network, internationally and nationally, and for the extension of the network as part of the ITP Connect project. This update covers developments with the RFPs for national and international connectivity, and associated equipment and services.

The re-procurement of the national and international network components of KAREN continues. We received a healthy number of responses to the RFPs. Responses from suppliers have been evaluated by a panel of REANNZ staff and representatives from the KAREN Member community.

At it’s February meeting, the REANNZ Board approved a shortlist of vendors for the national and international connectivity. REANNZ is now engaging with these parties so as to be in a position to recommend a single preferred vendor in each case. We are expecting to have a new international contract in place by early April 2010, with the new national connectivity contract in place before the end of April 2010.

Evaluation of the service management and core switch RFPs is also continuing. We expect to have identified a shortlist of suppliers for these components during March.

For more information contact:

Richard Stephen
Deputy Operations Manager, REANNZ
rfp@reannz.co.nz

February KAREN Member open forum

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:41:00 +1300

The second KAREN Member Open Forum will be held 12:00 - 1:00pm, Friday 26 February 2010. These monthly forums provide an opportunity for KAREN Members to learn about and quiz us directly on the latest developments at REANNZ.

Open Forum: engaging with Members

At 12 noon on the last business Friday of every month, Donald Clark (CEO) and some of the REANNZ team will host a virtual forum to which any and all KAREN Members are invited.

We'll give a brief update on the month's major developments and then open the floor to questions, comment and discussion.

How you can join the forum

For full connection details for the event see the KAREN Member Open Forum event listing on AVCC's Event Calendar.

Please contact the AVCC helpdesk if you need assistance with joining the forum.

(Update) Vidconf: Gordon Cook on eScience and advanced networks

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:57:00 +1300

Connection details are now available for tomorrow's virtual seminar with Gordon Cook.

Gordon Cook on eScience and advanced networks

Gordon has recently completed an in-depth study of the eScience system and advanced network (SurfNet) in the Netherlands. As many of you will know, SurfNet is at the leading edge of advanced network thinking and usage. Gordon will share with us his key findings and enter into discussions about what New Zealand can learn from them.

How to participate

You can now find VC connection details, and information for watching the conference stream at:

Gordon Cook on eScience and advanced networks | Events

Vidconf: Gordon Cook on eScience and advanced networks

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:14:00 +1300

KAREN members are invited to an open virtual seminar with Gordon Cook on Tuesday 23 February. Gordon will share with us key findings from a recent study he conducted into eScience and advanced networking in the Netherlands and discuss what New Zealand can learn from them.

Gordon Cooks visits NZ

Gordon Cook, author of the legendary "Cook Report", is being brought to New Zealand for 3 days by InternetNZ later this month, including 2 days in Wellington. While in Wellington, REANNZ will host Gordon for an afternoon open KAREN community session on eScience and advanced network developments.

Gordon has recently completed an in-depth study of the eScience system and advanced network (SurfNet) in the Netherlands. As many of you
will know, SurfNet is at the leading edge of advanced network thinking and usage. Gordon will share with us his key findings and enter into discussions about what New Zealand can learn from them. This is an open KAREN community seminar held over the KAREN video conferencing bridge.

When and where

This seminar will be held 2:30 - 3:30pm Tuesday 23 February and available across New Zealand via video conferencing. Connection details will be available on Monday 22 February. I will send a further news item out on Monday with this information.

More information

For more information about Gordon, visit the event listing on our website:

Gordon Cook on eScience and advanced networks | Events

KAREN newsletter issue 10 out now

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:27:00 +1300

Issue 10 of hyphen, KAREN's newsletter, is out now. hyphen brings you interesting articles on KAREN, services and the successes of our members.

The January 2010 issue of hyphen includes articles on:

science benefits of the expansion of KAREN to the University of Canterbury's Mt John Observatory and the AUT radio telescope
VUW's research service strategy
joint BlueFern/BeSTGRID proposal for investment in new national eResearch infrastructure
re-focused REANNZ Member Engagement team
IPv6 training collaboration between REANNZ and Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology

and more...

hyphen issue 10 - January 2010 (pdf, 245KB)

Visit our website to view this and earlier issues of the hyphen newsletter

Participate in the SKA workshop via access grid

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:22:00 +1300

The Australia and New Zealand Workshop on SKA Data and Signal Processing is coming to an Access Grid node near you.

Participate in the SKA Data and Signal Processing workshop via Access Grid

Interested in the Australia and New Zealand Workshop on SKA Data and Signal Processing on 15 February but not able to make it to Auckland? You can now participate in this event remotely over Access Grid.

For full details on the workshop visit the official webpage: Aust/NZ Workshop in SKA Data and Signal Processing

How to join in

You can find a list of rooms on AVCC's Access grid venues directory

This event is also listed on AVCC's Access Grid event calendar

NEN: Invitation to schools

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:39:00 +1300

If your school has open-access fibre or will have by June 2010, we want to hear from you. We're holding executive briefings with Principals of schools that may qualify to participate in the National Education Network trial extension, beginning 15 February. We encourage you to register your interest now.

Invitation to participate in the NEN trial

In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, we've issued an invitation to schools that we think already have access to fibre through an open-access provider or that expect to have access by 30 June 2010, to take part in the NEN extension.

School meetings

Executive briefings with Principals of schools that may qualify for the trial will be held 15 February - 2 March in five locations across the country. These briefings will discuss the goals of the trial and explain what the implications might be for participating schools. Briefings are being held 12.30 to 2.00pm at the following locations/dates:

North Shore, Monday 15 February
Christchurch, Tuesday 16 February
Wellington, Wednesday 17 February
Nelson, Monday 22 February
Palmerston North, Tuesday 2 March

A light lunch will be served from midday at each briefing. Visit our schools information page for more details and to register for a meeting:

NEN: Information for schools

NEN School Survey

To register your interest in participating in the NEN trial extension, please complete the schools survey by Friday 26 February 2010. This will provide us with the necessary information to proceed with detailed planning for connecting your school to the NEN.

NEN Schools Survey

NEN: Workshops for suppliers

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:04:00 +1300

Suppliers of network infrastructure and networked education services are invited to attend a NEN workshop. These workshops, to be held 15 February - 2 March in five locations across the country, will outline the project scope and the expected timeframe for the procurement of key network components.

Invitation to National Education Network Workshops

Suppliers of network infrastructure and networked education services are invited to participate in a workshop to discuss the implementation of a National Education Network.

In December last year, we advised suppliers that REANNZ had been tasked by the Ministry of Education with the central procurement of services for the National Education Network (NEN) trial extension. We also indicated that we would be arranging workshops for interested suppliers during February 2010.

These workshops are to be held in the following centres:

North Shore, Monday 15 February
Christchurch, Tuesday 16 February
Wellington, Wednesday 17 February
Nelson, Monday 22 February
Palmerston North, Tuesday 2 March

We have scheduled these workshops in the areas where a number of schools are already connected by open-access fibre. Each supplier workshop is scheduled for 7.15 – 9.30 am. A light breakfast will be served.

Workshop content

While we are still at an early stage of the implementation of the project, at the workshops we would like to outline the project scope and the expected timeframe for the procurement of key network components, including:

Provision of cluster/town mass access network devices (distribution routers)
Provision of school edge Layer 3 devices
Regionally based support (network cluster wranglers)
Commodity Internet
Commodity Internet filtering
Local access services between the KAREN Point of Presence (PoP) and the schools with a target minimum of 100Mb/s symmetric Ethernet
Installation and configuration services to ensure the service is connected and configured properly in each school
Expansion of KAREN to new PoPs for rural clusters, if required

We welcome the involvement of organisations interested in providing services for the National Education Network to join us at one of these workshops to hear more about our plans and share your ideas.

How to register

To register, please contact Martha Bouterey at REANNZ:

phone: 04 913 1090
email: martha.bouterey@reannz.co.nz

SKA Data and Signal Processing workshop

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:44:00 +1300

The 1-day SKA Data and Signal Processing workshop on Monday 15th of February will bring together industry and academia to discuss data and signal processing as well as other topics of advanced computing and networking related to the SKA (Square Kilometre Array) and radio astronomy.

Aust/NZ Workshop in SKA Data and Signal Processing

The workshop aims establishing a framework for New Zealand research and industry in engaging with Australian SKA Research and Development related to data and signal processing.

When: 10:00 - 17: 00, February 15, 2010
Where: Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

The format for the workshop will be for presentations in the morning and early afternoon with a brief panel discussion to conclude.

Topics

Computer architectures for ASKAP and SKA data processing
Peta-scale data intensive research challenges for the SKA
Signal processing and data volume challenges when studying the Universe at high time resolution
Computational challenges in Transient Radio Emission Array Detectors
iVEC and the Pawsey Centre: A petascale computer focused on radio astronomy

Confirmed speakers include:

Professor Peter Quinn, Director of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Western Australia
Professor Steven Tingay, Director, Science and Operations, Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy & Deputy Director of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research
Dr Tim Cornwell, CSIRO Research Program Leader for Software Development & Project Lead and Engineer for computing for the Australian SKA Pathfinder
Nick Jones, Director BeSTGRID, Co-Director eResearch Centre, University of Auckland
Dr Melanie Johnston-Hollitt, Chair NZ SKARD, Victoria University of Wellington
Dougal Watt, Chair NZSKAIC, IBM New Zealand
Professor Andrew Rohl, CEO iVEC 'the hub of advanced computing in Western Australia'

Free registration

The meeting is generously sponsored by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology and registration has been waived, however participants are asked to indicate their attendance by Monday 8th of February for catering purposes.

Watch the conference online

The workshop will be streamed live over KAREN. Interactive participation via video conferencing will be also available for people not able to attend in person. Please enquire at the time of registration for technical details.

For all enquiries and to indicate attendance please contact Dr Slava Kitaev (slava.kitaev@aut.ac.nz)

Aust/NZ Workshop in SKA Data and Signal Processing

SKANZ 2010

This workshop is conducted in conjunction with the SKANZ 2010 conference, being held 16 - 18 February. You can find further detail about this event at

SKANZ conference 2010

The singing scientist from AgResearch

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:24:00 +1300

If you haven't come across this already, this YouTube post from AgResearch is a real epigenomics dosey doe.

Epigenome Song

In this post from July 2009, AgResearch scientist Matt Barnett explains epigenomics in a country style sing-along.

Epigenome Song | AgResearch's Channel

You can find more YouTube videos from AgResearch on the AgResearch Channel | YouTube.

KAREN on YouTube: KARENmedia

You can also catch KAREN at the new YouTube KARENmedia Channel. Visit the KARENmedia Channel to view our first posting on the ITP Connect project - connecting seven of the country's polytechnics and institutes of technology to KAREN.

KARENmedia Channel | YouTube

Webinar: HPC for eResearch

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:28:00 +1300

This Thursday (4 February), BlueFern at NZi3 brings you a half-day supercomputing webinar headed by SGI.

Programme

Part 1 - 10:00-11:30

Introduction and Computational Science Infrastructure Overview
SGI Corporate and Directional Update
Overview of HPC Architectures for Computational Science and Research
SGI Product Overview

Part 2 - 11:45-13:00

Data Management for HPC and eResearch
Discussion

How to participate

To connect from your desktop, go to http://sds.karen.ac.nz/scopia?ID=6691.

We recommend you install the desktop client beforehand. To install the client, go to http://sds.karen.ac.nz/scopia?client.

Please Note: Scopia Desktop currently only works in Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8

To connect from an H.323 IP Endpoint, dial: 210.7.46.20 and select the meeting you wish to participate in from the menu.

To connect from a Telephone or ISDN endpoint, please dial +64 4 916 5420. When prompted for a number, enter 4926691 followed by #

More information

For more details contact Tony Dale at BlueFern:
+64 3 3667001 ext 7761
tony.dale@canterbury.ac.nz

Open source for science: Linux conf

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:30:00 +1300

A Birds of a Feather meeting at the Linux conference in Wellington this week brought together like minded people to talk open source science and research.

Open source science: BoF

Headed by Zane Gilmore from Plant and Food Research, this BoF was an informal session on open source in CRI, CSIRO, University and other research environments.

ComputerWorld (Australian edition) has a great wee article on the session, including comments from Zane.

ComputerWorld (Australian edition, 21 January 2010)

Join us at the 1st KAREN Member open forum

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:29:00 +1300

The inaugural KAREN Member Open Forum will be held 12:00 - 1:00pm, Friday 29 January 2010. These monthly forums provide an opportunity for KAREN Members to learn about and quiz us directly on the latest developments at REANNZ.

Open Forum: a trial in a new way of engaging with Members

As announced in December, we will be trialling of a new way of engaging with our Members in 2010 - the KAREN Member Open Forums. (You can find the original invitation from Donald Clark below). At 12 noon on the last business Friday of every month, Donald and some of the REANNZ team will host a virtual session on the VC bridge to which any and all Members are invited.

We'll give a brief update on the month's major developments and then open the floor to questions, comment and discussion.

How you can join the forum

For full connection details for the event see the KAREN Member Open Forum event listing on AVCC's Event Calendar.

Please contact the AVCC helpdesk if you need assistance with joining the forum.

More information

News: You're invited - KAREN Member open forums (invitation from Donald) 7 December 2009

Implementation Manager for NEN trial extension joins REANNZ

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:42:00 +1300

REANNZ is excited to welcome Laurence Zwimpfer as the Implementation Manager of the National Education Network trial extension.

NEN Implementation Manager appointed

The National Education Network (NEN) took a step forward today with the appointment of an Implementation Manager. Laurence Zwimpfer has joined the REANNZ team to manage the expansion of the NEN trial from the existing 20 schools to 200. Laurence is an education technology consultant who has spent the last 25 years helping schools and other education organisations deploy information and communications technologies.

REANNZ has been operating a NEN trial connecting schools to KAREN since 2008. Late last year the Government announced an expansion of the trial to 200 schools over the next 18 months.

Laurence is excited to have the opportunity to help lead this next phase in the development of a National Education Network, that he hopes one day will reach all schools. He has been chairing The Wellington Loop, a cluster of Wellington secondary schools connected by a gigabit fibre network, for the last three years, and the NEN project will allow many more schools to benefit.

The first priority will be a series of workshops, to be held in February, to brief suppliers and others interested in providing network services for the expanded trial. Schools close to existing fibre infrastructure will also be identified, as the NEN trial extension will not provide for new fibre infrastructure.

"We are aware that the Government's $1.5B ultra-fast broadband programme will progressively provide high speed connectivity for all schools, but the opportunity we have with the NEN extension is to do something with the fibre already in place," said Laurence.

"Our experience in connecting 200 schools will ensure that good implementation models are in place as the fibre networks reach the remaining 2000+ schools."

More information

National Education Network

APAN29 conference: 20 days to go

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:45:00 +1300

The time is nigh to book your place at APAN29, Asia Pacific's premier advanced network technologies and applications conference - Sydney, 8-11 February 2010.

About APAN29

Hosted by AARNet, Australia's academic and research network, the 29th meeting of the Asia-Pacific Advanced Network consortium brings together scientists, researchers and practitioners from across the region to showcase the use of advanced networking technologies and applications.

APAN29's four-day programme spans network and application technologies, and case studies of advanced networking in:

Applications: Medicine, High Definition TV, e-Science, Middleware and e-Culture
Network Technology: IPv6, Network, Lambda, Security
Natural Resources: Agriculture, Earth Monitoring, and Environmental sensors

Book your accommodation now

Time is running out to book your accommodation at APAN29. Rooms are still available at the conference venue, the Hotel InterContinental Hotel Sydney, at a reduced rate until 24 January. So get in quick... before rooms at the hotel are snapped up by the Australian cricket team!

More information

AARNet's APAN29 website

Services Working Group gets underway

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:22:00 +1300

REANNZ recently established two Working Groups bringing together representatives from academia, science and information technology from across our Membership to provide an agreed, community-owned way forward on the development of KAREN and associated services.

The first Working Group to get underway was the Services Working Group who held their inaugural meeting on 2 December. Representatives from 12 Member organisations met via video conference to understand how they can take KAREN usage to the next level through the sharing and development of services over KAREN.

KAREN, by its very nature, enables collaboration and lends itself to shared tools, applications and services. The KAREN Services Working Group aims to understand how the community can increase the value of KAREN further by sharing the existing resources available over KAREN and clubbing together to develop shared services where gaps exist in the portfolio.

The Services Working Group was quick off its feet and at this meeting decided as its first action to develop a national catalogue of existing services in New Zealand and a roadmap for new services by the middle of 2010.

The Architecture Working Group will hold its first meeting early first year.

For more information on the Services Working Group visit the KAREN Wiki or contact Emma Bottomore.

http://wiki.karen.net.nz/index.php/KAREN_Services_Working_Group_:_Main

Contact Emma Bottomore

emma.bottomore@reannz.co.nz

+64 4 913 6363

Vacancies (2): NEN team

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:19:00 +1300

REANNZ is seeking applications for two new positions within the National Education Network team - School Liaison Specialist and Technical Procurement Specialist.

Applications for the NEN Implemenation Manager position advertised at the beginning of this month are due to REANNZ today.

Schools Liaison Specialist

The Government committed to connect, in the next 12-18 months, the first 10% of New Zealand's schools to a high-speed National Education Network (NEN) based on KAREN. REANNZ, as the operator of KAREN, has been tasked with the implementation and ongoing operation of the NEN trial.

We are seeking a Schools Liaison Specialist, reporting to the NEN Implementation Manager to join the NEN project team.

The Schools Liaison Specialist must have:

Knowledge of the current schools ICT and networking landscape in NZ.
Knowledge of key network suppliers to the education sector, across NZ.
Strong relationships with schools sector, including leading eLearning and technology adopters.
Understanding of government procurement processes.
Understanding of broadband networking technologies.
The ability to make potentially complex and technical concepts and solutions easily understood.

Key responsibilities will include:

Supporting the identification, preparation and connection of clusters of schools, and individual schools to the network.
Supporting and encouraging prompt, high quality decision-making from participant schools.
Engaging with a range of stakeholders, both technical and non-technical, to ensure well informed and efficient procurement.
Promoting an understanding of the NEN goals with end-users, and raising internal understanding of end-user challenges.

The NEN team will be based in Wellington, and ideally the successful candidate will be available to start late January/early February 2010. Please submit you CV with full contact details to dave.russell@reannz.co.nz by January 15th 2010.

Technical Procurement Specialist

We are seeking a Technical Procurement Specialist, reporting to the NEN Implementation Manager to join the NEN project team.

The Technical Procurement Specialist must have:

Experience in the delivery of complex, multi-faceted projects in an infrastructure environment, preferably telecommunications.
Knowledge of broadband networking, including Ethernet over fibre networks.
Experience in technology review, product selection, product research, network planning & broadband solutions delivery.
Knowledge around the integration of the various different elements of connectivity and broadband implementations.
Programme reporting and milestone management expertise.
The ability to co-ordinate multiple projects within an overall programme with a strong focus on delivery against deadlines.
Expertise in the development, administration and maintenance of project documentation.

Key responsibilities will include:

Leading and managing the procurement of the technical elements of the NEN.
Interacting with technical and non-technical stakeholders and team members.
Managing the end-to-end RFP processes for all procurements, within Govt public procurement obligations, whilst being pragmatic and outcome focused.
Contributing to the development of the strategic approach to the NEN implementation.

NEN extension: collecting your questions

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:58:00 +1300

Check out our updated National Education Network page for some new details on REANNZ's part in the trial extension, and how you can start contributing.

Who's doing what

What part is REANNZ playing in the NEN trial extension? And how about the Ministry of Education? We've updated the NEN page on our website with some more information around the respective roles of REANNZ and the Ministry of Education to help answer this question.

NEN page: KAREN website

Start contributing

Once the NEN Implementation Manager joins REANNZ, we'll be able to answer any specific questions you have around the trial. Until this time we encourage you to contribute your ideas and questions to the NEN discussion page on the KAREN wiki.

NEN page | KAREN wiki

NZ identity and access federation another step closer

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:07:00 +1300

The establishment of a New Zealand Identity and Access Management Federation (NZFed) is a step closer after the recent endorsement of the draft strategy.

NZfed draft strategy signoff

The KAREN research community is making progress towards the establishment of a New Zealand Identity and Access Management Federation (NZFed) after the NZVCC Committee on IT and CRITTERs endorsed the recommendations of the draft strategy at their November meetings.

Two projects have been designed and funded to make progress in this area. The first project led by Matt Cocker, Client Support Service Manager, ITS, University of Auckland, developed the following recommendations which have been endorsed:

The NZ federation is formed as a legal entity, with the federation rules based on the Australian Access Federation (AAF)
The AAF operator hosts a NZ Federation on the same operational infrastructure used to host the AAF, and
New Zealand should adopt Shibboleth Version 2 as the core federation technology

Strategy action plan

The overall strategy will be circulated by mid January with the following action plan:

Establish a Policy and Governance working group to establish the New Zealand Federation governance and legal structures, and form an Incorporated Society and society rules to operate by. The working group will review the AAF rules for participants and adapt as required to address requirements of the NZ Privacy Act 1993 and handle attribute definitions and any legal issues.
Investigate the opportunities for funding via AAF mini grants for a joint project between a New Zealand and an Australian institution(s) to develop con-federation between AAF and NZFed.
The second IAM project, contracted to Landcare Research, will create a NZFed toolkit of best practices and standard installation templates to enable New Zealand institutions to join the federation easily. The project will establish best endeavour Identity Providers in all core KAREN Member institutions by the end of Q4 2010 using one technology for entire sector. Technical assistance will be provided to assist at least four organisations to join by the end of 2010 and deliver federated service for:

Sakai collaboration platform
MySCENZGrid geospatial portal
DSpace research publications repository

More information

For more information contact julie.watson@morst.govt.nz

Supercomputing 09 and GPU computing

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:12:00 +1300

If supercomputing is your thing you're invited to participate in today's BlueFern user group meeting where Tony Dale will give highlights from the Supercomputing 2009 conference, and Steve Moore will present on GPU computing.

BlueFern meeting

Tony Dale of BlueFern recently attended the Supercomputing'09 (SC'09) conference in Portland, Oregon. SC'09 included workshops, demonstrations and technical papers featuring the latest supercomputing techniques and technology. Tony will report on the newest and best that he saw at SC'09, and Steve Moore will present a demonstration of one of SC'09s hot topics: GPU computing.

This will be a relatively informal meeting, and all users of the BlueFern high performance computing facility and your colleagues are encouraged to attend.

2:00 - 3:30pm, Monday December 14th, HP Seminar room, NZI3 building

Want to know more about supercomputing?

Visit BlueFern's website for case studies of the use of supercomputing from across a wide range of disciplines

http://www.bluefern.canterbury.ac.nz/

How to participate

Video conferencing instructions

To connect from your windows desktop, go to http://sds.karen.ac.nz/scopia?ID=6000. We recommend you install the desktop client beforehand. To install the client, go to http://sds.karen.ac.nz/scopia?client
To connect from an H.323 IP Endpoint, either dial: 6000 if you are connected to the KAREN Gatekeeper, or dial: 210.7.46.20 and select 6000
To connect from a PSTN/ISDN/Mobile terminal, please dial one of the following access numbers: KAREN_P-10: 64 04 9165420 and when prompted for a number, enter 6000

To access the meeting control, click this link when the meeting is in session: http://iview.karen.ac.nz:80/icm/handoverconf?virtualMeetingID=6000

This meeting will be recorded.

Please contact AVCC for any assistance with joining via video conference.

NEN extension: supplier communication

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:26:00 +1300

REANNZ has set the scene on the NEN extension for suppliers of network services to schools.

School supplier communication

Further to the article in the Education Gazette yesterday on the extension of the NEN trial, REANNZ has issued a briefing providing further detail for suppliers of network services to schools. This briefing adds detail around the scope of the services we will be purchasing, our intended time frames for tender preparation and issue, and shares our advice to schools around network access commitments.

More information

Supplier briefing on the KAREN website

Education Gazette article

You're invited: KAREN Member open forums

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:26:00 +1300

Starting January 2010, REANNZ will trial a new way of communicating with Members - regular, open forums with Donald Clark and others from the REANNZ team via video conference.

The low-down on the Member forums from Donald

Dear KAREN Community

I've been talking recently to a range of KAREN Members about what we can do better at REANNZ. A consistent message is that we haven't yet perfected our communications with the community - particularly around our forward plans.

You enjoy our publication, hyphen, and case studies, and many of you follow our email updates (that are also available via RSS news feeds and twitter). The Member Engagement team (Vicki, Bill, Emma and Dave) are getting out and about lots more - both under our own auspices and supporting you in your events and activities. I'm also excited that the team have nearly completed engagement plans for all the core Members that will help us support you better in building value from KAREN.

However, there is a tremendous amount going on: video conferencing services, tenders for the national and international services, future architecture development, Services Working Group, National Education Network developments, network extensions to connect ITPs and telescopes, and developing REANNZ's financial structure.

Sometimes, it's easier to talk about things in real-time: we can get your reaction and input to better guide us; and you get the chance to quiz us directly.

Starting from January 2010, we will be trialling a Member Open Forum. At 12 noon on the last business Friday of every month, I and some of the REANNZ team will host a virtual session on the VC bridge to which any and all Members are invited. We'll give a brief update on the month's major developments and then open the floor to questions, comment and discussion.

I encourage you to try and join the first one: we'd like to hear from all facets of the community - researchers, educators, network specialists, IT operations, managers and executives.

We'll send VC details in January.

Thanks for your continuing efforts to embed KAREN as essential infrastructure for New Zealand. KAREN is YOUR network - and we'll continue to do all we can to ensure it supports your unconstrained ambitions.

Best, Donald

200 schools to join KAREN

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:36:00 +1300

The NEN trial providing schools with unrestricted broadband over KAREN has been extended.

National Education Network trial extension

Fantastic news today for New Zealand schools! The Ministry of Education has today formally announced, in the Education Gazette, the extension of the National Education Network (NEN) trial.

REANNZ has been operating a NEN trial connecting schools to KAREN since 2008. The Government has committed budget to the expansion of the trial to another 200 schools at 100Mb/s or greater through until at least June 2011.

The target schools for this expanded NEN trial are those that have access to fibre through the Government roll-out or other open-access providers.

This extension is part of a package of initiatives to bring broadband to schools. See the article in the 7 December 2009 edition of the Education Gazette for further details.

Full steam ahead in 2010

Work on this project will begin with a hiss and a roar in January. This will start with workshops with suppliers and preparations for tenders for network and associated services. Tenders will start to be released late Q1 2010.

As you may have noticed from our news message on Friday, we have already begun recruiting a team of people to manage the project. This team is being funded totally from the project budget.

More information

We'll be updating the NEN page on the KAREN website as the trial progresses.

Interested in the educational and architectural findings from the 2008 NEN trial? Visit the NEN page on the KAREN wiki for the details.

Vacancy: Implementation Manager

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:30:00 +1300

REANNZ is seeking applications for the role of Implementation Manager of the National Education Network.

Implementation Manager - National Education Network

The Government has committed to connect, in the next 12-18 months, the first 10% of New Zealand's schools to a high-speed National Education Network (NEN) based on KAREN. REANNZ, as the operator of KAREN, has been tasked with the implementation and ongoing operation of the NEN trial.

We are seeking a commercially-focused Implementation Manager, reporting to the Chief Executive, to recruit and then lead a small dedicated NEN implementation team to deliver a successful project on time and to budget.

The Implementation Manager must:

Be able to lead REANNZ's relationships with suppliers and the Crown (principally Ministry of Economic Development and Ministry of Education).
Have a good understanding of government fiscal control and procurement frameworks.
Understand networking sufficiently to deliver outcomes in line with KAREN's architecture and network philosophy.
Have a good working knowledge of open access networks.
Have experience in programme management, including technical project delivery.
Have an impressive track record of delivering tangible, pragmatic outcomes.
Be able to lead, motivate, and develop a high performing team, integrate knowledge from across REANNZ and the community.
Help identify opportunities for new education and services on KAREN, and support work to implement these.

Ideally, the Manager will also have an understanding of and/or experience in the education sector.

REANNZ (Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd) is the Crown-owned company that owns and operates KAREN.

Contact

Dave Russell
Acting Member Engagement Manager
REANNZ
dave.russell@reannz.co.nz

KAREN wiki wonders - November 2009

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:02:00 +1300

KAREN wiki highlights, recent updates and cool stuff you should know about for November 2009.

The KAREN wiki is a collaborative space where members of the KAREN community share ideas and resources that help them to make the most of their access to KAREN.

At the end of each month we are highlighting recent and interesting case studies, facts and updates from the KAREN wiki. If you have content to add, you too can make a contribution by signing up for a wiki account.

KAREN wiki wonders | November 2009

BlueFern/BeSTGRID high performance computing proposal

BeSTGRID and BlueFern have joined forces to lead a proposal for collaborative High Performance Computing and eResearch for New Zealand. A proposal has been submitted to RIAG (MoRST's Research Infrastructure Advisory Group) for a national, co-ordinated approach to High Performance Computing and eResearch tools and services. You can see the proposal in full at the page above. The proposal leaders, Mark Gahegan and Tim David, welcome your feedback on the document.

Sensor network for transient radio events

Dr Slava Kitaev and his collaborators from across the country are building a radio event sensor network to explore electromagnetic phenomena on Earth and in Space. This page is an interesting synopsis of the project, including diagrams and explanations of the huge data streaming and processing requirements. This project received funding from the 3rd round of the KAREN Capability Build Fund.

NASA

A huge amount of international content is available on KAREN. One of the exciting sites belongs to NASA. This website has a host of high definition videos and images as well as interactive activities for students of physics and other science disciplines.

The Vatican Museums

KAREN brings the world to New Zealand. The Vatican Museums in Rome has one of the largest collections of European Art in the world. This is just one example of the kind of cultural material that is available to artists and historians on KAREN. Have a look at the interactive high definitions of the Sistine Chapel, one of the world's most spectacular works of art. After the Sistine Chapel take a virtual tour of the Egyptian Collection.

Australian advanced network celebrates 20 years

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:38:00 +1300

Yesterday AARNet, the Australian advanced network, celebrated 20 years of the Internet in Australia. This milestone is celebrated in a fantastic video produced for the occasion.

20 years of AARNet video

AARNet, Australia’s academic and research network and the founder of the Internet in Australia, celebrated their 20th anniversary on 26 November 2009. As part of the launch event for a book commemorating the occasion (AARNet - 20 Years of the Internet in Australia), AARNet showed a fantastic video showcasing the use of the network across disciplines:

climate change
medicine
astronomy
high energy physics
schools

This short video shows inspirational and exciting examples of what is possible over networks like KAREN. It is definitely worth a look.....

YouTube video: AARNet - 20th Anniversary of the Internet in Australia

KAREN RFPs released

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:55:00 +1300

REANNZ last night released four RFPs for KAREN connectivity and services.

KAREN connectivity and services RFPs

REANNZ has released four Request for Proposals (RFPs) for KAREN connectivity and related network services. These RFPs cover KAREN’s:

International connectivity
National connectivity
Service management services
Ethernet switches

You can view the RFP documents on our website at KAREN connectivity and services RFPs | Projects & Services

KAREN wiki wonders - October 2009

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:47:00 +1300

KAREN wiki highlights, recent updates and cool stuff you should know about for October 2009.

The KAREN wiki is a collaborative space where members of the KAREN community share ideas and resources that help them to make the most of their access to KAREN.

KAREN wiki wonders | October 2009

Bringing in experts through VC

Many members, including the University of Waikato, are using video conferencing to bring in experts to classes, enriching students' learning experiences. You can find more information about how the University of Waikato are using KAREN at http://www.wiki.karen.net.nz/index.php/University_of_Waikato

KAREN Champions programme evaluation

In 2008 REANNZ supported core KAREN Members to establish a dedicated KAREN Champion to advocate for and drive the use of KAREN-enabled tools, services and techniques within their organisation. Following the completion of the programme, REANNZ held interviews with the Champions to gather feedback and assess the success of the programme. Your feedback on the report is welcomed.

Technical specs - KAREN

For those of you more technically inclined, this category on the wiki is all about technical information on KAREN networking, including training and trouble-shooting resources and configurations.

KAREN’s global connectivity expanded: media release

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:23:00 +1300

KAREN’s global connectivity expanded

KAREN’s international network capacity between Australia and New Zealand has been doubled in capacity in response to Member demand.

REANNZ has signed an agreement with Verizon Business to double KAREN’s current international network capacity between Australia and New Zealand from 155Mb/s to 310Mb/s.

This upgrade was driven by strong growth in the use of KAREN’s international network by KAREN Members, and will be provided at no extra cost to Members.

“Our Members have aggressively embraced the opportunities KAREN provides for communicating and collaborating with their international colleagues. Their participation in international research and education over KAREN has increased so much that we are growing the capacity of KAREN to meet their needs. This expansion in capacity will ensure our Members can continue to participate in and lead big global science activities and further embed themselves in international research programmes.

“The fact that we are having to make this upgrade in international capacity ahead of schedule is a strong sign that the KAREN community is leading the charge in developing the weightless economy New Zealand needs to survive”, said Donald Clark.

The upgrade in capacity is being provided by REANNZ’s existing network partner, Verizon Business, and will be in place shortly. Savings made on recent network contracts have enabled this additional capacity to be provided within existing budgets.

REANNZ is currently developing its plans to procure longer-term, larger links to the global research and education community.

More information

You can also find this and other media releases on our Media and Communications page.

REANNZ 08-09 Annual Report highlights success

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:45:00 +1300

Check out highlights and insights from 2008/09 in the REANNZ Annual Report 08/09.

Filleted highlights from the REANNZ Annual Report 08/09

The Crown committed to provide additional shareholder capital of $16 million in the 2010/11 year, to support the ongoing operation of an advanced network in New Zealand and its transition to a self-funding business model.

The Ministry of Research, Science & Technology and the Tertiary Education Commission engaged REANNZ to invest $2.9 million to connect remote Members sites to the network.
The final $2 million of the Capability Build Fund was successfully allocated, with 97% of delivery milestones on target.
We hosted one of the largest APAN meetings to date, with over 350 delegates, which raised substantially the profile of KAREN in New Zealand.
A small group of the country’s primary and secondary schools were connected to KAREN as part of a trial National Education Network, sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education Commission and National Library.

More information

You can download the full Annual Report below, or visit our Publications page.

REANNZ Annual Report 2008-09 (pdf, 2.37MB)

eResearch@Otago: tune in on Tuesday

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:03:00 +1300

Tune in this coming Tuesday to watch the live stream of the eResearch@Otago seminar.

eResearch@Otago

eResearch@Otago is a bi-annual event where researchers from Otago and Southland can come together to share brief presentations about their projects and activities, focusing on the benefits gained through the use of technology to support and advance their Research.

This year's event on Tuesday 20 October, will include keynote presenters Mark Gahegan, Director of eResearch at the University of Auckland and Paul Turnbull, Griffith University, Australia. Mark will delve into eResearch, and Paul will present on digital humanities and the implications of the humanities “going digital” in our schools and universities.

eResearch@Otago

Watch the live stream

In response to overwhelming demand, the eResearch@Otago team are trialling streaming the event this year.

For Dunedinites not able to attend in person or for those further afield, you can watch the live video stream of this event from your desktop. This will be active and streamed over KAREN from10:30am, Tuesday 20 October.

View the live video stream of eResearch@Otago

Play it again: Internet2 Fall 2009 Meeting

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:58:00 +1300

Recordings from the Fall 2009 Internet2 Member Meeting on network-based collaboration are now available for your viewing pleasure.

Internet2 Fall Meeting

Held in San Antonio last week, the Fall 2009 Internet2 Member Meeting focused on network-based collaboration, including virtual organisations, social networking, and software collaboration tools.

Videos from the main sessions at the Meeting are now available for you to view. Presentations covered:

TeleHealth
Social networking tools in the cloud
Museum outreach to schools
Network research
Federated identity
and much more...

KAREN connects to Internet2 through our international network relationships. This means the videos are delivered to you over KAREN.

Fall 2009 Internet2 Meeting recordings

More Internet2 Meeting recordings

Want to see more? You can view the Agenda and Netcast archive for Internet2 Spring and Fall Member Meetings held in the past three years.

Agenda and Netcast archive | Internet2

About Internet2

Internet2 is KAREN's sister organisation in the USA. Internet2 is a consortium of 300+ universities and research organisations in the United States. It has a focus on new research and education applications enabled by advanced research and education networks. KAREN connects to Internet2 and through to all members of Internet2 via our international network.

Tech expansion in schools: NZHerald

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:23:00 +1300

Today's NZHerald reveals the Minister of Education is to reaffirm the Government's commitment to high-speed internet access for all schools today at the ULearn conference.

NEN trial extension

In an article in the NZHerald this morning, Minister of Education Ann Tolley is said to be calling for the education system to "fully commit to the digital age" during her speech at the ULearn conference in Christchurch.

The article states this may include an extension of the National Education Network trial being run over KAREN.

We understand the Minister will make a formal announcement on the extension of the trial next week.

Further information

Read the full NZHerald article: Tech expansion in schools high on conference agenda - 7 October 2009

New science communication network launched

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:48:00 +1300

Science communication in NZ is set for bigger and better things with the launch of a new network of science blogs.

Sciblogs network launched

Today the Science Media Centre launched a network of science blogs known as Sciblogs. Sciblogs brings together scientists from universities, Crown Research Institutes and private research organisations the length of the country. It will be the largest online hub for science-related content relevant to New Zealanders and act as a forum of discussion on the important issues facing society.

Science communication guru and Manager of the Science Media Centre, Peter Griffin, says Sciblogs brings the best science bloggers together in one place to form the largest local online community dedicated to science. Sciblog contributors have full editorial and creative control of their blogs and new Scibloggers will be added over time.

One of the star bloggers on Sciblogs is our own KAREN Champion from IRL, Dr Shaun Hendy.

Further information

Sciblogs site

KAREN wiki wonders - September 2009

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:09:00 +1300

KAREN wiki highlights, recent updates and cool stuff you should know about for September 2009.

The KAREN wiki is a collaborative space where members of the KAREN community share ideas and resources that help them to make the most of their access to KAREN.

KAREN wiki wonders | September 2009

New Zealand content

All KAREN members and similar edication and research organisations across the world are available 'on-net', i.e. reachable directly over KAREN and via our international relationships at super speeds and without the usage and bandwidth limitations of 'off-net' destinations. This means any content hosted by our members and international community is also available on-net. Check out the digital collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library or University of Otago's Digital Collections.

KAREN resources

This directory contains links to eResearch resources and KAREN related topics available on-net. If you are aware of useful material that is not listed here please add a category or a link. And why not have a look at NIWA's "Know your beach coastal explorer."

Lincoln eResearch event

There was a fantastic turn out to the eResearch event at Lincoln on 22 September. Plant & Food Research were hosts to about 60 representatives from KAREN members including Plant & Food, AgResearch, GNS Science, Landcare, Lincoln University, the University of Canterbury and NIWA. The packed programme allowed scientists to showcase the latest tools and projects on KAREN.

Remote access to the Australian Synchrotron

KAREN's international reach allows members to take advantage of equipment and resources overseas. IRL are using the Australian Synchrotron to do X-ray Crystallographic studies of small molecules in crystal powders.

KAREN supports ULearn conference

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:56:00 +1300

KAREN will be live at the upcoming 2009 ULearn educator's conference in Christchurch 7 - 9 October.

About ULearn

ULearn is an annual conference attracting 2000 delegates, organised by not-for-profit educational research and development organisation, CORE Education. The conference is designed to provide a forum for professional development and networking as well as an event to gauge trends, provide information and celebrate best practice focusing on e-learning in education.

KAREN at ULearn

REANNZ is proud to support the ULearn conference by making KAREN available throughout the event so delegates can access rich media content and educational services at lightning speed, and participate in high definition video conferencing.

ULearn 2009 website

NZ video conferencing event: register now

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:32:00 +1300

Registrations are now open for the annual conference for the Advanced Video Collaboration Centre, Friday 20 November. This event brings together users, technicians, and representatives in the NZ community of remote collaboration over KAREN.

This is a great opportunity for people involved with video collaboration across New Zealand to get together to discuss current ideas, issues and implementations on video collaborative technologies.

Topics and presentations of the day include:

Videoconferencing update in NZ Universities & CRI's
KAREN network update & looking forward
Bridge Updates & Tools
Remote Teaching and Education over VC
Room / Lighting Design
Quality Assurance
VC Tips / Tricks
Booking Systems
Open Discussions

AVCC hope to see a diverse audience attend this conference, so don't hesitate to sign up even if your institution is still without video conferencing facilities. This day will provide insight into deploying video conferencing systems correctly, their evolving applications and and how they provide added value to any educational or research environment.

More information

AVCC conference details

eResearch@Otago 09: register now

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:28:00 +1200

Registrations are now open for the 2009 eResearch@Otago seminar.

eResearch@Otago 2009

The University of Otago in conjunction with REANNZ is excited to be hosting a one day event for researchers and interested parties on Tuesday 20 October to promote eResearch, and New Zealand’s participation in the global eResearch community.

This will be our second eResearch@Otago event, following on from our highly successful 2007 debut, and will feature researchers sharing their eResearch experiences, and showcasing some of the eResearch initiatives currently underway in New Zealand.

The event will run from 10:30am until 5:30pm and will include the signature ‘brown bag’ lunch. Drinks and nibbles will follow the final speaker.

Speakers

A wide range of participants and invited speakers will be attending, including researchers, scientists and management.

Keynote Speakers

Mark Gahegan, Director of eResearch, University of Auckland
Paul Turnbull, Griffith University, Australia

Presentations

Intro to BeSTGRID - Nick Jones, University of Auckland
KAREN 101 - Emma Bottomore, REANNZ
KAREN Computational Grid and the KAREN search engine - Tim Molteno, Physics, University of Otago
OpenSim Virtual World Grid - Information Science, University of Otago
Virtual Research Environment: The Otago Experience - Russell Butson, HEDC, University of Otago
Music & the Digital Diaspora - John Egenes, Department of Music, University of Otago
Genomics - Mik Black, University of Otago & AgResearch

You can view a promotional poster for the event (9MB, pdf)

Register now

Please register for this free event by Monday 12 October. To register and for further detail on this event visit http://extreme.otago.ac.nz/ocs/index.php/eResearch/er09

Contact

If you have any questions please contact:

Russell Butson
Higher Education Development Centre (HEDC)
University of Otago
russell.butson@otago.ac.nz

Updated 23 September 2009

Paper call: open source and parallel computing conf

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:51:00 +1200

A call for papers has been issued for the Open Source, Multicore and Parallel Computing conference to be held in January 2010.

Open Source, Multicore and Parallel Computing conference

The Open Source, Multicore and Parallel Computing Miniconf offers a space to learn about and discuss Open Source contributions to developing Parallel Software. The formal conference date is yet to be confirmed, but likely to be either Monday 18 or Tuesday 19 January 2010.

The conference aims to launch a conversation on how the OSS Community, Education Sector, Scientists and Researchers, Developers and Industry are looking at this “new” scenario.

Call for Papers

The Call for Presentations for this event is open now until Wednesday 30 September. We invite presentations with a broad scope that could include between others:

Specific code and technical developments
Direct applications to industry or scientific research
Training and education on Parallel Programming
How the Open Source Model would be central to develop a sustainable platform for Multicore and Parallel Computing

More information

Visit the conference website for details on the event and types of proposals sought:

Open Source, Multicore and Parallel Computing conference website

KAREN newsletter out now

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:53:00 +1200

Issue 9 of hyphen, KAREN's newsletter, is out now. hyphen brings you the latest information on KAREN, services and the successes of our members.

The September 2009 issue of hyphen includes:

identity management strategy progress
grid service development from BeSTGRID
final round CBF winners
introduction to the new REANNZ Chairman
company priorities from REANNZ's CEO
and more...

hyphen issue 9 - September 2009 (pdf, 774KB)

Visit our website to view this and earlier issues of the hyphen newsletter

eResearch on show at Lincoln

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:36:00 +1200

Are you interested in new ways to do science and based in Canterbury? Then come along to the eResearch@Lincoln seminar at Lincoln on 22 September.

eResearch@Lincoln: new ways to do science... now and in the future

Plant & Food Research and REANNZ invite you to learn about KAREN and what the future holds for those using the network.

Hear first-hand what leading scientists who work in areas like yours are doing with KAREN and how it is making a difference to their work. The programme will feature presentations on:

Environmental modelling | John McMaster, Plant & Food Research
Biosecurity - Remote microscopy | Cor Vink, AgResearch
Genomics - Collaboration commons | Alan McCulloch, AgResearch
Meteorology - Supercomputing | Michael Uddstrom, NIWA
Video conferencing tools | Nathan Gardiner, AVCC
KAREN 101 | Bill Choquette, REANNZ

When and where

10:00am - 12:00noon, Tuesday 22 September 2009

Fitzgerald Room, Plant & Food Research, Canterbury Agriculture & Science Centre, Gerald St, Lincoln

More information

For full details and to register for this free event see our event listing: eResearch@Lincoln | Events

NIWA invests in new supercomputer

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:53:00 +1200

Yesterday NIWA announced its buying one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers for use in environmental forecasting.

New supercomputer for environmental forecasting

The new IBM Power 575 supercomputer and supporting infrastructure will cost $12.7 million, and is one of the biggest single investments in science in New Zealand.

NIWA’s new supercomputer will be the most powerful climate research supercomputer in the Southern Hemisphere, and will be used to investigate some of the most complex problems in energy, aerospace, weather and climate modelling fields. The supercomputer will be located at NIWA's Wellington site in Evans Bay.

Supercomputer investment for New Zealand

The supercomputer will be available to scientists throughout New Zealand through KAREN. This means the whole science community in New Zealand will be able to benefit from this investment. Once you're set up a user of the supercomputer, you can submit jobs and receive the results back at a speed and quality as if you were on site at Evans Bay.

This investment adds to the overall capacity and capability of high performance computing in New Zealand, and complements other high performance computing resources, such as the BlueFern facility at the University of Canterbury.

More information

NIWA selects IBM to provide new supercomputer to advance environmental forecasting |NIWA's press release

$12m for climate change computer | Dominion Post

REANNZ welcomes new Chair

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:06:00 +1200

Professor John Raine has been appointed Chair of the Board of Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd.

New chair for REANNZ

REANNZ are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor John Raine to the position of Chair of the REANNZ Board.

“We are delighted to welcome Professor Raine as our Board Chair. Massey University is an authority in the use of KAREN for accelerating research productivity and for improving operational efficiency. We are thrilled to have such a senior figure from one of our leading Members taking REANNZ into the future,” said Donald Clark.

John is currently Regional Chief Executive for the Albany campus of Massey University and for international operations across the university, providing strategic leadership, policy development and management. He has significant experience in leading commercial research and technology commercialisation, which he has enacted at Massey University and during this previous role position of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise and International) at the University of Canterbury. These esteemed recent positions are supported by a strong background in teaching and research in mechanical engineering, product and business development.

John is a current board member of the Committee for Auckland Ltd, IPENZ, the Massey University e-centre Ltd, and the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. He chaired the Tertiary Education Commission PBRF Engineering, Technology and Architecture Panel for the 2006 Research Quality Assessment round and has been a member of the 2008-2009 PBRF Sector Reference Group.

John takes up the position as REANNZ Chair on 1 September 2009. He replaces Dr Jim Watson, who retired on 30 June 2009 after a 3-year term as Chair, and Jane Taylor who has been Acting Chair for July and August. The company is grateful for both their contributions and their ongoing support.

KAREN wiki wonders - August 2009

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:32:00 +1200

The KAREN wiki is a collaborative space where members of the KAREN community share ideas and resources that help them to make the most of their access to KAREN.

At the end of each month we will highlight recent and interesting case studies, facts and updates from the KAREN wiki. You too can make a contribution by signing up for a wiki account.

KAREN wiki wonders | August 2009

iTunes U

iTunes U enables educators and researchers to access and share audio and video podcasts on-net. This fantastic service from iTunes showcases a wide range of material from education and research communities all around the world. The majority of international content is hosted by the insitution so is accessible over KAREN. Some US-based content is also locally hosted so is on-net. So what are you waiting for? Plug in your head phones and start taking advantage of this free service!

APAN27 - Taiwan 2009

Check out the highlights from the 27th APAN conference in Taiwan. Julia Charity, Scion's KAREN Champion traveled to Taiwan to join 440 delegates from 29 countries around the world and others who were able to join virtually via video conferencing. The conference showcased the latest in computer hard-, soft- and middle-ware (e.g. personal supercomputers!) as well as novel uses of "virtual lab/field" software like "Second Life" and myexperiment.org.

The APAN29 conference is being hosted by our Australian sister network AARNet in Sydney in February next year.

SCENZ-Grid brings geospatial data to KAREN

SCENZ-Grid, a collaboration between Landcare Research and GNS Science, is building a grid infrastructure for Geoscientists in New Zealand. The SCENZGRID web portal will provide access to tools and services, developed within the BeSTGRID infrastructure, to exchange and integrate information related to land cover / land use, and will be used as prototype technology for use in other science domains.

SCENZ-Grid is also collaborating with BeSTGRID ain NZ, SEEGRID/Auscope in Perth, Australia and GEONGRID in USA.

Lincoln eResearch Forum fosters collaboration across KAREN members

KAREN members based in Lincoln have formed a cross-organisation working group bringing researchers and IT staff together to enhance eResearch and support collaboration. Members of the forum are:

Lincoln University
Plant and Food Research
AgResearch
Lincoln Ventures Ltd
Landcare Research

Schools global collaboration opportunity

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:18:00 +1200

New Zealand schools are invited to participate in a global education initiative, The Four Nations Classroom.

The Centre for Global Education

The Centre for Global Education facilitates programming for over 10,000 students every year from every corner of the planet. These programmes break down the traditional barriers of time, culture, and location, creating a truly global classroom.

The Four Nations Classroom

Terry Godwaldt, Director of Programming at The Centre for Global Education in Edmonton, Canada has offered an open invitation to New Zealand Secondary Schools to participate in the Four Nations Classroom initiative.

The Four Nations Classroom partners schools from Pakistan to Mexico, and Jordan to China, for cultural exchanges and collaborative projects. Countries are put into groups of four and rotate through each of their partners between September and December. With their partners, they make their way through an established curriculum while working on a series of cross cultural collaborations.

Contact

Contact Terry directly for further information on this initiative at terry.godwaldt@epsb.ca

Image: www.freephotosbank.com

Supercommunications for super science

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:35:00 +1200

The Square Kilometre Array project has been all over the radio (and air) waves during the past few days, and KAREN is there.

The greatest bid yet

The New Zealand and Australian governments have joined forces to bid for the $3.1 billion SKA project, and KAREN will be there to support it. The SKA will comprise 5000 radio dishes in distant locations and linked by high-speed, supercommunications networks such as KAREN to form one giant radio telescope. Combined these dishes effectively comprise the world's biggest telescope, with the ability to observe celestial objects in distant galaxies and look back in time to the emergence of the universe. The scale of this project is incredible and will be one of the most ambitious science projects ever undertaken.

In the May issue of hyphen we announced Auckland University of Technology's radio astronomy site at Warkworth one of the winners of the MoRST Hardship fund. This fund, announced as part of Budget 2008, supports the connection of remote university and Crown research institute locations to KAREN. We are continuing to work with AUT on connectivity options.

Professor Sergei Gulyaev, from Auckland University of Technology, was one of the first New Zealand science leaders to be awarded funding through the KAREN Capabilty Build Fund. This funding enabled Sergei to participate as an equal partner in Trans-Tasman collaboration radio astronomy research - research that has paved the way to this recent development.

SKA in the news

Stretching universal boundaries by Marilyn Head - DomPost

Melanie Johnston-Hollit: the Square Kilometre Array - Radio New Zealand

NZ, Australia combine for telescope bid - ABC Science

NZ in running to host revolutionary astronomy project (video) - TV3

NZ in running to host revolutionary astronomy project (article) - TV3

IPv6 hui: keynote speakers confirmed

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:47:00 +1200

Keynote speakers at New Zealand's IPv6 Hui 2009 have been announced. Register now for this event.

New Zealand IPv6 Hui 2009

New Zealand's first dedicated IPv6 conference is on this month. With a day each in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, it is very easy to get there.

Please see if at least one person from your organisation can attend, ideally "ICT decision makers or influencers". The focus of the New Zealand IPv6 Hui is IPv6 adoption and roadmaps.

Confirmed speakers

"Father of the Internet" Dr Vint Cerf will be an international keynote for the Auckland and Wellington legs of the event. Tokyo University's Hiroshi Esaki will be an international keynote for the Christchurch event (by video conference).

ICT Minister Steven Joyce will deliver a keynote speech in Wellington.

Other speakers confirmed so far include Cisco IPv6 'Guru' Tony Hain, New Zealand IPv6 Steering Group convener Dr Murray Milner, and Australian IPv6 Summit Steering Committee Chair and IPv6Now Managing Director Tony Hill.

Registration

If you wish to attend or want more information please go to www.ipv6.org.nz/hui - The registration fee is $150 per person.

Contact

Richard Wood
richard@internetnz.net.nz
04 495 2333
(on behalf of the New Zealand IPv6 Steering Group)

Resources

Download the IPv6 Hui 2009 invitation (pdf, 196KB)

KAREN wiki wonders - July 2009

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:26:00 +1200

The KAREN wiki is a collaborative space where members of the KAREN community share ideas and resources that help them to make the most of their access to KAREN.

At the end of each month we will highlight recent and interesting case studies, facts and updates from the KAREN wiki. You too can make a contribution by signing up for a wiki account.

KAREN wiki wonders | July 2009

Seismographic Information Service (SIS)

New Zealand is well known for its geological rockin' n' rollin'. Geological and Nuclear Sciences and Victoria University of Wellington are collaborating to provide researchers and educators around the world with easy access to New Zealand's seismographic data using KAREN. GNS KAREN Champion Paul Grimwood explains the project and the teaching resources now available.

High-Resolution visualisation wall at Victoria University

Victoria University of Wellington is the proud owner of New Zealand's first OptIPortal - a visualisation wall for viewing high definition static images, video, or in streaming mode. VUW's wall is made up of 12 LCD screens combined in a 4 x 3 display to give a total resolution of 10240 x 4800 pixels. You can find more details on our wiki along with photos of the OptIPortal in action.

Massey University KAREN case study explosion

Massey University's use of KAREN in the Fundamental, Mathmatical, Information and Computer Sciences is a sight to behold. From mathematical models of biological systems to computational chemistry - it's all happening. Contact details of each project leader are available if you're keen to find out more.

Practical IPv6 training

Back in March of this year, we held an IPv6 technical training workshop for Members. David Brownlie, REANNZ Technical Operations, gave his perspectives from having implemented and worked with IPv6 on KAREN. Glen Eustace from Massey University and Greg Phillips from Verizon provided additional presentations and learning. See the wiki entry for detailed presentations and workshop notes. Grow this resource by logging into the wiki and adding your own IPv6 experiences.

Mapping KAREN traffic flows

Donald Neal, University of Waikato's KAREN Champion posted some interesting graphs demonstrating how KAREN's importance has grown over the first couple of years to become an essential part of the organisation's connectivity. As at the middle of June 2009, around half of the Universitiy of Waikato's inbound traffic was coming via KAREN. We expect this to increase further as the efforts of Donald's Champion activities around Waikato start to bear fruit.

Interconnection and connectivity reports released

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:56:00 +1200

REANNZ has today released two reference documents on standards for neutral Points of Presence and New Zealand's interregional fibre optic connectivity.

Interconnection and connectivity reports released

As part of its ongoing activities, REANNZ has recently completed two documents on physical interconnect standards (Points of Presence) and New Zealand's interregional network capability.

In the spirit of openness and transparency, these documents are being made available under a NZ Creative Commons Attribution license.

Reference documents

Connectivity Report: Status of Interregional Connectivity (pdf, 270KB)

This report presents an introduction into New Zealand's interregional fibre optic connectivity. The provision of high speed interregional connectivity can only be realistically achieved using optical fibre. The level of infrastructure competition within New Zealand varies geographically - this report outlines and summarises connectivity options for linking regions together at the physical level.

REANNZ Point of Presence: Technical Standards (pdf, 1.1MB)

This report details REANNZ's expectations for the environmental and equipment standards for KAREN PoPs and is a useful resource for organisations looking at establishing a neutral PoP to facilitate regional IT-based business development.

These documents are also available on the publications page of our website: Publications | KAREN

KAREN schools continue their dream run

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:26:00 +1200

The National Education Network trial has been extended for participating schools until the end of 2009.

About the National Education Network trial

During 2008, REANNZ ran a hugely successful National Education Network (NEN) proof of concept trial that connected schools and content and service providers to KAREN. This trial proved the educational benefits of advanced connectivity and tested the architectural principles of the National Education Network. NEN schools have been making the most of their access to super fast broadband into 2009.

NEN trial extension

The Ministry of Education has agreed to extend the trial until 30 December 2009 while it works on options for the future of schools networking.

This is great news for participating NEN schools who will continue to have access to the best online resources for learning and collaboration.

NEN trial schools

Register now: New Zealand IPv6 Hui

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:36:00 +1200

Is your organisation prepared for IPv6 adoption? You are invited to this ‘must-attend’ technology planning event.

New Zealand IPv6 Hui 2009

Registrations are now open for the 2009 IPv6 Hui. Targeted at IT executives and senior managers, the 'IPv6 Hui' will tackle head-on the need to develop roadmaps for industry and corporate networks to implement IPv6 in New Zealand. It is being overseen by the New Zealand IPv6 Steering Group, convened by Dr Murray Milner at the behest of the Ministry of Economic Development.

Meet “Father of the Internet” Dr Vint Cerf. Attend quality presentations. Learn from case studies. Discuss the issues and consider your own IPv6 roadmaps in a collegial environment.

Locations/dates

Christchurch, Wednesday 19 August 2009, NZi3 University of Canterbury

Auckland, Thursday 20 August 2009, Rendezvous Hotel

Wellington, Friday 21 August 2009, Te Papa Museum

More information

New Zealand IPv6 Hui 2009

eResearch showcase: Bioinformatics

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:37:00 +1200

Free virtual seminar on Wednesday 29 July on KAREN-optimised tools and services for bioinformatics in NZ.

About the Bioinformatics seminar

Research in the biosciences is undergoing a transformation as a result of huge amounts of information generated in genome projects, and increasingly depends upon bioinformatics for the effective organisation and analysis of such data and management of experiments.

In this free virtual seminar, Allen Rodrigo (The Bioinformatics Institute) and Steven Stones-Havas (Biomatters Ltd) will describe the features of the NZBioGrid - workflow and computational software and applications, enabling researchers in New Zealand to access and analyse biosciences databases from their desktop.

This seminar is being held via video conference, using the KAREN video conferencing bridge, 10:00 - 11:00am Wednesday 29 July 2009.

This project was awarded funding through the KAREN Capability Build Fund.

More information

For more detailed information on the programme and instructions for joining this video conference see the eScience showcase event listing on the KAREN website.

eResearch showcase: Bioinformatics | Events

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

QUESTnet 2009 virtual conference

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:09:00 +1200

QUESTnet 2009 lets you join the discussions on networks for education and research through their virtual conference space. Register now to participate in the event.

About QUESTnet 2009

Queensland Education, Science and Technology Network QUESTnet is the Queensland regional component of the Australian Academic and Research Network AARNet. The QUESTnet 2009 conference will be held Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 July 2009.

This year's conference theme is Leveraging our Investment. Sharing and repurposing network infrastructure to maximise its value to the sector requires a paradigm shift in our thinking. To enable this discussion QUESTNET 2009 will include a new K12 and Vocational Education and Training Stream to explore the opportunities for strategic collaboration and reuse of Higher Education network infrastructure.

Join the discussions

QUESTnet 2009 will feature an online virtual conference space utilising our Moodle Learning Management System. This will allow you to watch the live stream of the event and participate in interactive sessions with a worldwide audience. Follow the instructions on the QUESTnet 2009 site to register for this virtual conference.

More information

QUESTnet 2009 conference

Updated: Satellite remote sensing seminar

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:02:00 +1200

The BRCSS seminar - Social science and environmental applications of satellite remote sensing - has been rescheduled from Friday 19 to Wednesday 24 June.

Seminar rescheduling details

Due to the delayed arrival of Xiangzhang Deng, one of the international panellists for this seminar, the seminar has been rescheduled for Wednesday 24 June 1 - 3pm on the Access Grid.

All other details of the event remain the same. See our original news item for content details and to RSVP:

Satellite remote sensing seminar | News item (posted on 10 June)

Insight into Supercomputing: vidconf

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:17:00 +1200

If supercomputing is your thing you're invited to participate in the first BlueFern user group meeting where Colin McMurtrie will give highlights from the Supercomputing 2008 conference.

BlueFern meeting

In November 2008, Colin McMurtrie from BlueFern attended Supercomputing 08 - the international conference for high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis. Colin received funding through the KAREN Capability Build Fund to attend this event.

At today's first BlueFern user group meeting, Colin will talk about his trip to Supercomputing 08 and how the new skills and expertise gathered from this trip are being used to increase high performance computing capability in NZ. This meeting is being held via the KAREN video conferencing bridge.

This will be a relatively informal meeting, and all users of the BlueFern high performance computing facility and your colleagues are encouraged to attend.

Agenda

Colin McMurtrie - 15-20 mins - Supercomputing 08
Tony Dale and Vladimir Mencl - recent LoadLeveler queue changes
Colin McMurtrie - XLF runtime and compiler changes that need to be rolled out on the pSeries

When

3:00 - 4:00pm, Friday 12 June 2009

How to participate

This meeting is being held via the KAREN video conferencing bridge. To watch the stream of the conference:

Go to http://kvcs.karen.ac.nz/
Enter your name
Enter the conference ID: 4001
Choose your streaming rate
Stream the conference

To actively participate, you can join the conference with a H.323 video endpoint:

Enter the address 210.7.46.10
Navigate to the conference named BlueFern User Group Meeting or by entering the ID 4001# (no password required)

Satellite remote sensing seminar

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:13:00 +1200

The BRCSS Network invite you to participate in a seminar via the Access Grid on social science and environmental applications of remote sensing on ~~Friday 19 June from 9 - 11am~~ Wednesday 24 June from 1 - 3pm.

eResearch is not just for the hard Sciences

John Gibson, Stephen Sheppard and Xiangsheng Deng will provide a non-technical discussion of satellite remote sensing, summarise some recent social science and economics applications that use satellite remote sensing data, and discuss factors that currently constrain greater use of such data by social scientists. They will also examine the possible role of KAREN in facilitating more timely interpretation of remote sensing images.

More information

John Gibson's poverty mapping in China CBF funded project

Full abstract for this seminar and biographical details of the panel (doc, 30KB)

RSVP for this seminar

Please register with the BRCSS Seminar Co-ordinator Melanie Milicich by emailing m.milicich@auckland.ac.nz

Where you can participate

This seminar is held using the Access Grid. Access Grid rooms are located within New Zealand universities. View the document below to see where you can participate.

Participating Access Grid locations (doc, 37KB)

About BRCSS

The Building Research Capability in the Social Sciences network is a virtual research community that aims to build research capability in the social sciences sector.

BRCSS - Building Research Capability in the Social Sciences

Nuggets from the Spring 09 Internet2 Meeting

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:04:00 +1200

John Hine, Victoria University of Wellington, has returned home from the Spring 09 Internet2 Member Meeting with news on developments in identity management, collaboration platforms, health research networks and more...

Internet2 Spring Meeting

Internet2 is a consortium of 300+ universities and research organisations in the United States. It has a focus on new research and education applications enabled by advanced research and education networks.

John attended the Internet2 Spring 2009 Member Meeting in Arlington Virginia with the support of the KAREN Capability Build Fund and Victoria University of Wellington, and has published a report on his trip. His report covers developments and discussions in:

identity and access management
campus infrastructure
collaboration
health research networks
and more...

You can find this and other trip reports from our members on the community reports page on our website.

KAREN community reports

Recordings now available

If John's report has sparked your interest and you're after more information, you can watch the recorded webcasts of key sessions from the spring meeting.

Internet2 Spring Meeting recordings

$16m invested in KAREN: Budget 09

Thu, 28 May 2009 17:05:00 +1200

The Government has announced a $16m investment in KAREN to support leading-edge connectivity for research and education, as part of Budget 2009.

Media release

As part of Budget 2009, the Government has announced a $16m investment in KAREN to support leading-edge connectivity for research and education.

This $16 million capital injection will support KAREN’s ongoing operation and transition to a self-funding model.

Donald Clark, Chief Executive of REANNZ said, “We warmly welcome the Government’s new investment to ensure KAREN keeps operating as New Zealand’s advanced network. This funding is a sign of the Government’s confidence in what our members are achieving through their connection to a leading-edge, unlimited broadband environment.

“Such an investment, especially in these difficult economic times, indicates a strong commitment to science and to the investing in the underlying infrastructure of the country.

“We recognise the commitment and support of our Crown shareholders, members and other stakeholders. We will be working hard to fulfil their expectations and to ensure we continue to operate as one of worlds most efficient advanced networks”, said Donald.

More information

Budget boost supports strong base for science - Media release, Hon Wayne Mapp

MoRST Budget 2009 summary

eScience showcase: Genomics

Thu, 21 May 2009 10:08:00 +1200

Free virtual seminar on Wednesday 27 May on KAREN-enabled infrastructure for genomics researchers in New Zealand.

About the Genomics eScience showcase

The 'Integrated Genomics Resources for Health and Disease' project has developed tools to securely manage, analyse and visualise microarray data within New Zealand. This service allows easy access to bioinformatic tools and the enables enhanced collaboration opportunities between researchers. Most resources developed as part of this project are now available through the Integrated Genomics portal

Programme

In this free virtual seminar, Drs Chris Brown and Mik Black from the University of Otago will talk about the development of these resources for the genomics community and what they will mean for human health and disease research.

Nick Jones, Director of BeSTGRID, will also talk about how BeSTGrid has been working with New Zealand bio and geo science researchers to develop and deploy research services. Nick will give an update, describing how these communities are working to develop plans for 2009 / 2010.

This project was awarded funding through the KAREN Capability Build Fund.

More information

For more detailed information on the programme and instructions for joining this video conference see the eScience showcase event listing on the KAREN website.

eScience showcase: Genomics | Events

KAREN newsletter out now

Mon, 18 May 2009 15:27:00 +1200

Issue 8 of hyphen, KAREN's newsletter, is jam-packed with goodness and out now for your reading pleasure.

The May 2009 issue of hyphen includes coverage of the Prime Minister's KAREN experience at NZi3, investments in expanding KAREN membership, the low-down on the new video conferencing helpdesk, and much more...

hyphen issue 8 - May 2009 (pdf, 777KB)

Visit our website to view this and earlier issues of the hyphen newsletter

Astrophysics data exploration and visualisation: Webinar

Mon, 11 May 2009 09:57:00 +1200

Watch a free virtual seminar on Astrophysics data exploration and visualisation using advanced technologies.

On Tuesday 12 May 2009, the BlueFern supercomputing facility at the University of Canterbury bring you Dr Claudio Gheller from CINECA, Bologna, ltaly. While visiting the University of Canterbury, Dr Gheller will give a virtual seminar on data exploration and visualisation using advanced technologies. You are invited to watch the stream of the seminar.

Astrophysics data exploration and visualisation

Dr Gheller will introduce and describe the solutions adopted in a collaboration between CINECA and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in order to develop a new generation of graphic software tools. These tools are designed to overcome the limits and barriers of traditional software by exploiting the latest technological opportunities.

How to participate

For full details on this seminar see the events listing on the KAREN website:

Visualisation and exploration | Events

Trans-Tasman cable project update

Thu, 07 May 2009 11:47:00 +1200

REANNZ has decided not to go ahead with issuing an RFP for a new trans-Tasman cable.

Media Statement

As part of Budget 2008, the Government announced a $15 million capital allocation to be used to support the development of a new trans-Tasman cable to improve the resiliency of trans-Tasman connectivity. REANNZ was appointed as the lead agency for this project and was to act as an anchor tenant of this investment.

In October 2008, REANNZ issued an ROI/RFI seeking responses from the national and international supplier community to fulfil the Crown's and REANNZ's objectives for this project.

REANNZ received four responses. Only one of those responses (supplied by Kordia) offered REANNZ a solution that was compliant with the qualifying criteria outlined in the ROI/RFI. As a result, following discussion with officials, REANNZ has decided not to proceed to issue an RFP for this project. Given that Kordia’s cable project is still in the planning stages, REANNZ has decided not to negotiate directly with Kordia at this time.

REANNZ is now evaluating its ongoing international connectivity options to ensure trans-Tasman connectivity for KAREN members after September this year. REANNZ will work closely with Ministers to agree the best course of action that will satisfy its own requirements and any Government policy objectives.

Performance tuning workshop: Vidconf

Tue, 05 May 2009 12:21:00 +1200

Learn how to tune your workstation and devices to get the best from KAREN.

The speed and capacity of KAREN has allowed members to share data faster than ever before. This has also had the effect of moving the performance bottleneck away from the core network towards institutions and their internal network and equipment.

About the performance tuning workshop

On Friday 15 May, we will are hosting a virtual workshop which will give you an insight into how to tune your network and host to get the best performance and speed out of your KAREN connection.

Andrew McKegg from REANNZ will introduce you to tuning your KAREN devices and workstations. This will include an overview of jumbo frames and TCP tuning.

Ben Yeldon, Systems Support Consultant from Auckland University of Technology, will then share AUT's experience in getting high speed data transfers working, issues they came across and what they did to mitigate them. Ben's presentation will focus on tuning your workstation, but will also touch on edge devices and routers.

Audience

This workshop is targeted at network specialists, IT staff and researchers at KAREN member organisations.

When

2:00 - 3:00pm, Friday 15 May 2009. [The video conference will be open from 1:30pm to allow you to test your connection]

More information

For full details on how to participate see the event listing on our website:

Performance tuning: Vidconf | Events

Image: FreePhotosBank

Cast your vote on video conferencing tools

Mon, 04 May 2009 14:49:00 +1200

The new Advanced Video Collaboration Centre is seeking your feedback on video conferencing tools.

What video conferencing system do you use?

There are a huge variety of video conferencing systems and solutions now available to support teaching, research and collaboration.

AVCC are running a simple poll to identify the most commonly used video conferencing systems across the KAREN community. The results of the poll will help AVCC develop new web content, advice and information that will be of most benefit to the community.

This poll is aimed at video conferencing users at Universities and Crown Research Institutes.

Make your vote via the AVCC home page to the right of the news window.

About AVCC

AVCC provides a video conferencing helpdesk, as well as advisory and support services to help KAREN members get the best experience of video conferencing. The AVCC website also features a growing directory of video conferencing endpoints, which users can refer to when looking for rooms to book at their respective sites.

PM wowed by HiDef VC over KAREN

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:05:00 +1200

Prime Minister John Key and a troop of VIPs were dazzled by high definition video conferencing over KAREN last Thursday during the opening of the new national ICT Innovation Institute, NZi3.

Academia and industry come together at NZi3

Officially opened by the Prime Minister on 23 April, the Institute is New Zealand’s first dedicated ICT research centre and has a vision to be a globally-recognised innovation centre that links academia and industry.

Located in the brand new high-tech NZi3 building, the Institute houses a number of leading innovation centres including the Geospatial Research Centre, Wireless Research Centre, BlueFern Supercomputer and Advanced Video Collaboration Centre.

Donald Clark, REANNZ Chief Executive, spoke to the Prime Minister and guests via video conference, demonstrating the inspiring capabilities of KAREN and the superb quality and realism of high definition video conferencing over this connectivity.

The Prime Minister said "This type of technology is fantastic. We should be investing in this for not only research and education, but also for the state sector."

KAREN's part at NZi3

“KAREN is a vital part of the NZi3’s business infrastructure, ensuring the institute’s research groups have the reliability and scope of bandwidth they need to lead ICT innovation in New Zealand and globally”, said Donald.

“New Zealand’s innovation and entrepreneurialism in ICT is well-known. This new Institute will help us continue to carve out this niche and raise recognition of our talents across the globe”.

Video conferencing helpdesk service

This event was followed by the launch of the Advanced Video Collaboration Centre on 24 April. The launch brought together over 50 guests, Ian Town, University of Canterbury, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Lesley Middleton, General Manager of Research & Science at MoRST and Donald Clark via high definition video conference.

“This service will help our community enormously, really accelerating their ability to exploit video conferencing for research collaboration and teaching. I applaud the University of Canterbury and MoRST for making this critical investment in advanced networking services“, said Donald.

More information

AVCC - Advanced Video Collaboration Centre

NZi3 - ICT Innovation Institute

[Image: (from left) Nathan Gardiner, AVCC Manager; Rex Williams, University of Canterbury Chancellor; Donald Clark (via HD video conference), REANNZ CEO; Prime Minister John Key; Darin Graham, NZi3 Director]

Semantic Data Modelling RFP

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:52:00 +1200

MoRST is seeking proposals for a semantic data modelling project.

About data modelling

eResearch relies on the concept of sharing and re-using data. In theory access to databases for re-use has merit but in practice there are few scientific databases that are set up to allow re-use because of a lack of inherent meaning captured within them. Essentially most existing datasets will not have been designed for interoperability or will have been up-graded overtime making it impossible to make historical comparisons between versions.

Semantic data model fund

This proposal is for a pilot project to enriching a selected database with semantics to enhance interoperability by including more self-description. In an eResearch framework, tools like database enriching semantics are part of the middleware suite as it builds out toward data re-use.

This project would allow nationally coordinated GRID middleware services to be tested using a real-life database, it will also provide a benchmark for promoting databases which are consistent and shareable, and the benefits of drastically reduced costs of development through data modelling.

Proposals are due to Julie Watson at MoRST by Thursday 14 May 2009.

Semantic data modelling pilot RFP document (doc, 194KB)

Contact

All questions about this RFP are to directed to Julie Watson at MoRST:
email julie.watson [at] morst.govt.nz
phone +64 4 917 2863

Updated 27 April 2009

Identity and Access Management RFP extension

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:07:00 +1200

MoRST has extended the deadline for Project One - IAM initiative: Toward a federated approach to close of business Thursday 30 April 2009.

Project One - IAM initiative: Toward a federated approach

This project provides funding of $85,000 to co-ordinate, agree and support an approach to Identity and Access Management (IAM) federation for New Zealand across KAREN member organisations.

Proposals are due to Julie Watson at MoRST by Thursday 30 April 2009.

IAM Towards a federated approach RFP (doc, 141KB)

Contact

All questions about this RFP are to directed to Julie Watson at MoRST:
email julie.watson [at] morst.govt.nz
phone +64 4 917 2863

More Information

For full details of MoRST's identity and access management projects: IAM proposals sought | News

KAREN on Twitter

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:53:00 +1200

You can now follow KARENnews on Twitter.

KARENnews on Twitter

Twitter is a microblogging service that helps you and others stay connected quickly and easily. We have recently added KAREN to Twitter so that you can receive KAREN news items as tweets direct to your Twitter account.

Follow KARENnews on Twitter

Other ways to keep in the know

RSS: receive KAREN news via RSS feed at http://www.karen.net.nz/news/rss/
Email: sign up to receive our news items straight into your inbox through the 'Get email updates' box, bottom left-hand side of our homepage

eScience showcase

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:37:00 +1200

Open virtual seminar on grid and web technologies for microbiology, biosecurity and geoscience.

Developments in ICT, including the introduction of KAREN, has heralded many new and different ways of doing scientific research in New Zealand.

In this open virtual seminar, researchers from three Crown Research Institutes will talk about how they are using the best new grid and web technologies to support their eScience projects in the areas of microbiology, biosecurity and geoscience. These projects are funded by the KAREN Capability Build Fund.

Speakers

Dr. Laura Fagan, Plant and Food Research: Real-Time Remote Diagnostics for Biosecurity Applications
Dr. Robert Gibb, Landcare Research: GeoSciences Network
Mr Steffan Cavill-Fowler, ESR: New Zealand PulseNet Portal

More information

For more detailed information on the programme and instructions for joining this video conference see the eScience showcase event listing on the KAREN website.

eScience showcase | Events

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

IAM proposals sought

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:26:00 +1200

Identity and access management for eResearch in NZ to benefit from new funding from MoRST.

The Ministry of Research, Science and Technology are seeking proposals for two related identity and access management projects to help build eResearch capability in New Zealand.

Project One - IAM initiative: Toward a federated approach

This project provides funding of $85,000 to co-ordinate, agree and support an approach to Identity and Access Management (IAM) federation for New Zealand across KAREN member organisations.

Proposals are due to Julie Watson at MoRST by Thursday 30 April 2009 T~~hursday 23 April 2009~~.

IAM Towards a federated approach RFP (doc, 141KB)

Project Two - IAM initiative: Technical support and resources

This project provides funding of $300,000 to develop an Identity Provider (IdP) resource kit and technical support for KAREN members in readiness to move to an Identity and Access Management federation for New Zealand’s eResearch community. The project will include three to four commonly used research and education services as exemplar identity consuming services to pilot the approach.

Proposals are due to Julie Watson at MoRST by Friday 8 May 2009.

IAM Technical support and resources RFP (doc, 141KB)

Contact

All questions about these RFPs are to directed to Julie Watson at MoRST:
email julie.watson [at] morst.govt.nz
phone +64 4 917 2863

Updated 21 April 2009

KAREN fund now open

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:48:00 +1200

Are you from a University or CRI and have a workshop or project in mind that could help increase your use or promotion of KAREN? Then you should consider making an application to the 2009 round of the Capability Build Fund.

2009 Capability Build Fund

REANNZ is now accepting applications for the balance of the Capability Build Fund (CBF). $380,000 is now available to support travel, event or project proposals. The CBF Advisory Panel expects to fund between four and five projects from the available funds.

This 2009 round of the CBF is open to applications from Universities and Crown Research Institutes that align with two key goals of the fund:

enable effective use of KAREN
promote the use of KAREN

Completed applications are due to REANNZ by 5pm Monday 4 May 2009. An announcement of the successful applications is expected to be made in June 2009.

The Capability Build Fund is provided by the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology.

More information

2009 Capability Build Fund criteria
Previously funded Capability Build Fund projects
Previously funded Capability Build Fund travel or events

Vidconf: KAREN multicast workshop #2

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:07:00 +1300

Due to high demand, we are running a second video conference on enabling multicast over KAREN on Friday 3 April.

IT staff and network specialists are invited to a multicast workshop on 3 April. This workshop will help you take advantage of the benefits of multicast on KAREN.

Multicasting allows for a much more efficient use of network bandwidth than unicasting (traditionally how streaming content is watched on networks) and will be an important part of the delivery of any live TV service over the internet (or private IP networks). TelstraClear's IPTV trial over KAREN uses multicast.

What this workshop will cover

This virtual workshop will introduce you to the basic concepts of multicast and show you how to enable multicast on KAREN. Andrew McKegg from REANNZ and Joerg Micheel from TelstraClear will cover:

KAREN multicast connection options (Local RP+MSDP or KAREN RP)
Multicast Beacon servers

This is the third of a suite of technical workshops REANNZ is offering during 2009.

Sharing what we've learnt

The REANNZ operations team have learnt a lot about multicasting in the process of enabling multicast support over KAREN. We're keen to share our insights with the community and hear about your experiences, challenges and solutions.

With this in mind, we look forward to these sessions being interactive and engaging. So, if you're not able to grab one of the 12 ports on the video conferencing bridge to actively participate in the workshop on the 2nd, you can join us at this session on the 3rd.

When

1:00pm - 2:00pm, Friday 3 April 2009. [The video conference will be open from 12:30pm to allow you to test your connection]

RSVP

Please RSVP to Vicki Lindsay - vicki.lindsay@reannz.co.nz

More information

KAREN multicast workshop #2| Events - for details on how you can participate

Multicasting and beacons @ KAREN wiki

High Performance Computing for Research online survey

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:43:00 +1300

The Ministry of Research, Science and Technology has just released an online survey to assess the needs of New Zealand researchers for High Performance Computing and eResearch.

[Apologies for cross-posting]

This is your chance to give your opinion on the New Zealand's future investments in research infrastructure.

MoRST will be using the results of this survey to advise the government and inform the Research Infrastructure Advisory Group (RIAG) process, on the types of HPC usage, and requirements for HPC, among researchers. MoRST wants to gain insights into the uptake of eResearch practices and the potential benefits to research through using high performance computational resources.

Who is the survey for

The survey is aimed at researchers working 'at the bench' rather than at institutional level. It need not be completed in one go - it can be saved and resumed later. The survey usually takes about 8-10 minutes. People do not need to complete the whole survey - only parts relevant to them.

More about the survey

This survey is available by registering at http://www.morst.govt.nz/current-work/science-infrastructure/hpc-survey/

For further information about this survey please contact kathleen.logan@morst.govt.nz

eResearch and HPC in New Zealand | Background from Nick Jones

Vidconf: KAREN multicast workshop

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:31:00 +1300

IT staff and network specialists are invited to a multicast workshop on 2 April. Run by REANNZ this workshop will help you take advantage of the benefits of multicast on KAREN.

What this workshop will cover

This virtual workshop will introduce you to the basic concepts of multicast and show you how to enable multicast on KAREN. Andrew McKegg from REANNZ and Joerg Micheel from TelstraClear will cover:

KAREN multicast connection options (Local RP+MSDP or KAREN RP)
Multicast Beacon servers

This is the second of a suite of technical workshops REANNZ is offering during 2009.

When

1:00pm - 2:00pm, Thursday 2 April 2009. [The video conference will be open from 12:30pm to allow you to test your connection]

RSVP

Please RSVP to Vicki Lindsay - vicki.lindsay@reannz.co.nz

More information

KAREN multicast workshop | Events - for details on how you can participate

Multicasting and beacons @ KAREN wiki

Updated 25 March 2009

World Summit Awards invitation

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:47:00 +1300

If you're in Wellington tomorrow evening and active in the e-content and creativity arena, then you're invited to be present at the announcement of the New Zealand nominees for the World Summit Awards.

[Sent on behalf of Jan Bieringa]

The global World Summit Awards recognise best practice in e-Content and innovative ICT applications. The WSA is a global showcase of 40 outstanding projects, in eight categories, with a special emphasis on those which show the benefits of information and communication technology for the development of communities and society at large.

The New Zealand nominees that will represent us at the Awards will be announced at the National Library at 5:30pm tomorrow evening (Tuesday 17 March).

The plan for the evening

Refreshments will be served in the Foyer of the National Library at 5.30pm followed by the Awards in the auditorium. Mr John Allen, CEO New Zealand Post will announce the eight nominees.

How to participate

Please RSVP to Jan Bieringa | Jan@bwx.co.nz, ph 04 385 9435

Further information

WSA New Zealand website

Vidconf: Introducing the video conferencing service centre

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:09:00 +1300

A new service centre has been established to provide helpdesk and advisory services for video conferencing at our universities and crown research institutes.

This is your chance to hear about how the Advanced Video Collaboration Centre can help you use video conferencing to engage with your peers, students and collaborators.

Presented by Nathan Gardiner, centre manager, this session will cover:

What is AVCC?
Structure model of AVCC
Services we offer
Online resources
Goals for 2009
How to contact us

The Advanced Video Collaboration Centre will also help you book sessions on the KAREN video conferencing bridge. The Centre is run by and hosted at the University of Canterbury.

When

10:00am - 11:00am, Thursday 19 March 2009

The conference will be open from 9:45am to allow you to test your connection.

How to participate

For full details on how to participate, visit:

Events listing - Introducing the video conferencing service centre

Taking Monet to the classroom

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:49:00 +1300

Art students at Kristin School and Christ’s College were treated last week to a personal talk from Te Papa’s Director of Art on the works of Monet and the Impressionists.

Te Papa is currently playing host to the largest collection of Impressionist paintings ever to come to New Zealand. The ‘Monet and the Impressionists’ exhibition features over 50 paintings from 19th century French artists, the majority of which come from the collection held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Te Papa is running an exciting range of events associated with Monet and the Impressionists including floortalks, guest speakers, French music, and education programmes.

As part of its school programme, Te Papa’s education team organised a lecture on the exhibition for students from Kristin School and Christ’s College from the Director Art and Collection Services Jonathan Mane-Wheoki on Wednesday 4 March 2009. The students were able to learn about the context and features of the artworks from Jonathan (a passionate and well-regarded expert), while viewing them online and interacting with each other. This all made for a rich learning experience.

Colossal squid goes cross-country

This is not the first time Te Papa has used video conferencing over KAREN as part of their education programme. Earlier last week, Diana-Grace Morris (Te Papa Education team leader) and her team showcased the Colossal Squid exhibition to schools via video conference. The students were shown photos and an animated video of the Colossal Squid and were taken through a live dissection of a common squid.

Though still early days, Diana-Grace is excited about video conferencing as a way to let more school students from across New Zealand experience and interact with the treasures at Te Papa, and is looking forward to expanding their video conferencing programme out to schools.

More information

Te Papa: Monet and the Impressionists
Te Papa: Colossal Squid

Top photo: Jonathan Mane-Wheoki during the Monet video conference
Bottom photo: Riria Hotere educator with Te Papa, with students from Kristin School and Christ’s College

KAREN school makes the news

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:16:00 +1300

Students from KAREN school Point England primary in Auckland are leading the way in using technology in the classroom.

The Close Up programme at TVNZ aired an inspiring story about the students from Point England school on 27 February 2009. To these students, using learning tools such as blogging, podcasting and cloud computing are second nature.

These new tools build on the school's 13 year experience of running their own news network. The newscast is broadcast throughout the school daily and then rebroadcast every week throughout Auckland on Triangle TV.

National Education Network school

Point England was a participant in our National Education Network trial and continue to use KAREN as the foundation for ICT-enabled learning. For them, ICT is not an add-on but an important enabling tool for engaging students in learning, building confidence and preparing them for the workplace - this was obvious throughout the trial. Great work Point England!

Dorothy Burt, eLearning Team Leader at Point England, is excited about the huge windows of opportunity the NEN has brought:

"The improved bandwidth alone has provided opportunities for all students to have an online component to their learning, rather than a select few. With technical frustrations such as slow uploads removed, the students are motivated to publish more of their work online. Students have broadened their horizons through video conferencing with students and adult experts from around the world."

"And teachers are thriving in the NEN environment where their planning time after school is no longer spent waiting for uploads and downloads, or waiting for pages they need to load. We have quickly adapted to this environment being the norm and slow broadband feels like the dark ages!"

More information

Close Up story:Hi-Tech Kids at primary school

Point England NEN trial outcomes

Optical networks: a glimpse at the future of KAREN

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:44:00 +1300

Speaking at the recent Commerce Commission's 'Broadband at a crossroads' conference, Donald Clark gave an insight into the next generation of KAREN - towards a hybrid optical / packet network.

Held 26-27 February 2009, this event investigated the market implications and opportunities of next generation networks. The conference is part of the Commerce Commission’s Next Generation Networks (NGN) study.

Optical networking - NRENs are leading the way

National research and education networks around the globe like KAREN are leading the way in implementing the next generation of high performance networking - dynamic optical networks. Donald talks about these developments, their implications for commercial networking and plans for the implementation of optical networking on KAREN.

Beyond IP - dynamic optical networks (pdf, 1.8MB)

Image: Freephotosbank

Vidconf: Video conferencing basics

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:57:00 +1300

Back by popular demand. Richard Bishop will provide practical advise on how to set up and run a successful video conference on Tuesday 10 March.

This free video conference event is open to all interested parties - KAREN member or otherwise.

What this event is about

Video conferencing is revolutionising the way people are communicating over distance. Like with any new enabling technology, there are learnings and challenges to be had along the way. This session will provide advice on how to get the best from your video conferencing experience, from room set-ups and managing technology failures to VC etiquette.

How to participate

Join us 10:00 -11:00am, Tuesday 10 March 2009 on the the KAREN video conferencing bridge. Follow the link below for full details on how to participate:

How to run a video conference

Investment in KAREN pays dividends

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:20:00 +1300

A world-first report commissioned by REANNZ shows that the return on dedicated high-speed networks are estimated to be $200-220m a year.

KAREN Economic Value report

We released an independent report today proving the return on investment in KAREN. In releasing the report, Donald Clark said the nature of the benefits found by the study into KAREN would also be found in broader networks contemplated by the Government.

Key findings in the report:

$200-220m in economic activity is generated by KAREN every year

$140-160m of this are benefits to businesses and the wider community through accelerated ICT uptake

Resources

Media release: Broadband investment: the time is right | Media page

KAREN Economic Value report - Summary and Full | Publications page

The case for NRENs

TERENA recently released a report of its own on the value of advanced networks, 'Making the case for NRENs'. This document draws together evidence and arguments supporting Europe's national research and education networks (NRENs) and the 'special status' that they enjoy in many countries.

TERENA makes the case for NRENs

Important reports on schools’ broadband trial released

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:11:00 +1300

Media release: Important reports on schools’ broadband network released

Two important reports have just been released on a successful trial that provided rural and urban schools with fast and unrestricted broadband to empower teaching and learning.

The National Education Network (NEN) trial provided 20 schools with fast, unrestricted broadband drastically improving their access to information and communication technology tools. The trial was led by REANNZ and funded by the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education Commission and the National Library.

The 6-month trial, successfully completed on 15 December 2008, tested the architecture and explored the educational benefits of a National Education Network. The reports show that the trial was a huge success in both respects:

it proved the benefits of the open access NEN architecture
allowed teachers to expose their students to the sort of tools, techniques and experiences that will equip them to be the knowledge workers New Zealand requires to drive its future productivity.

Feedback from trial schools was overwhelmingly positive. One teacher commented, “The benefits of connecting to KAREN are immense; students and staff can reach the resources of universities in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States; show maps and satellite footage to Geography classes using Google Maps; and collaborate via high definition video conferences with other students around the world”.

The NEN trial was such a success that REANNZ are recommending a complete national network based on the principles of the NEN be rolled out to all schools. After running the trial, our estimate is that high-performance broadband can be delivered to every classroom in New Zealand for only $150m.

“We welcome the Government’s initial $34m investment in schools ICT infrastructure. This funding is a positive sign of the Government’s commitment to improving national connectivity for schools and will help to continue the momentum for broadband we’ve achieved through the NEN trial,” said REANNZ Chief Executive, Donald Clark.

REANNZ is the Crown’s in-house expert in network purchasing and operations with world-class skills. “As a not-for-profit crown company with 2 years experience running New Zealand’s advanced network KAREN, REANNZ is in a prime position to aggregate schools’ broadband demand to procure connectivity to an open, transparent, high-performance network.”

“Our experience of running this trial has strengthened our expertise and insights in the successful design, operation and management of a national broadband network for schools.”

The NEN Phase II report contains detailed information on the outcomes of the trial, as well as recommendations on the successful roll-out of a national broadband network for schools (link below).

For more feedback from participating schools visit http://www.core-ed.net/karen/ or read the full 21st Century Learning Challenge report (link below).

National Education Network reports

National Education Network Phase II report
21st Century Learning Challenge report

Experiences as the online campaign advisor during the US Election

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:27:00 +1300

You're invited to listen about the experiences of Ben Self, the online technical campaign advisor for President Obama at this AARNet video conference.

Brought to you by AARNEt (the Australian advanced network), this Ozeconference introduces you to Ben Self, a founding partner of Blue State Digital. BSD managed the online fundraising, constituency-building, issue advocacy, and peer-to-peer online networking aspects of Obama's 2008 Presidential primary campaign.

The campaign used the BSD Online Tools to mobilise well over three million donors to contribute over $500 million online, to motivate over 2 million social networking participants, and to create and promote more than 200,000 events across the country.

This talk offers a priority to CAUDIT Directors to participate via video.

When

5pm (NZ time), Monday 16 February (3pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time)

How to participate

You can participate in this event via video conference. (Web streaming is not available for this event)

How to register

Visit the events page on the AARNet website for registration and connection details and further information on Ben Self.

KAREN use showcased in new report

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:16:00 +1300

The KAREN Compendium showcases fantastic examples of the use of KAREN enabled tools, techniques and services from across the community.

Our members' use of KAREN, both in variety and sheer volume, has increased exponentially during the first two years of KAREN's operation. To help you realise the size and breadth of use, we have pulled together in one document a collection of KAREN use examples from across the community - the KAREN Compendium.

To download the KAREN Compendium visit our publications page

We'd love to hear about any new activities you are embarking on this year that will utilise KAREN and feature these in a further edition of the KAREN Compendium.

*Apologies for cross-posting*

Reminder: VidConf - How to run a video conference

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:20:00 +1300

We are kicking off our support for the KAREN community in 2009 by bringing you a training session on 'How to run a video conference'. Join us this Wednesday for practical hints and tips for running a successful video conference.

Your presenter

Richard Bishop is the Managing Director of IP Communications Ltd. Richard is the former General Manager of HIT Lab NZ, a human-computer interface research centre hosted at the University of Canterbury.

This video conference is a repeat of a successful session held in December 2008.

When

10:00 - 11:00am, Wednesday 11 February 2009

How to participate

Or you can watch the stream of the conference by entering 210.7.46.10 into your browser. Enter the conference ID: 4000. Choose your streaming viewer. Leave all other fields blank.

VidConf: How to run a video conference

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:01:00 +1300

We are kicking off our support for the KAREN community in 2009 by bringing you a training session on 'How to run a video conference'. Join us on Wednesday 11 February for practical hints and tips for running a successful video conference.

Your presenter

This video conference is a repeat of a successful session held in December 2008.

When

10:00 - 11:00am, Wednesday 11 February 2009

How to participate

Or you can watch the stream of the conference by entering 210.7.46.10 into your browser. Enter the conference ID: 4000. Choose your streaming viewer. Leave all other fields blank.

KAREN traffic reaches incredible heights

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:30:00 +1300

A whopping 730 Terabytes of data zoomed its way across KAREN in December 2008. This exponential increase smashes our previous milestone of 300 Terabytes of traffic for November. Congratulations to you all for your part in helping us reach such lofty heights only two years into KAREN's operation.

The challenge

This achievement brings the next milestone - 1 Petabyte (over 212,000 DVDs) - just within our grasp. Our challenge to you is to break this barrier within the first quarter of 2009. Keep doing new and wonderful things over KAREN and we will soon be there.

US Presidential Inauguration available on KAREN

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:36:00 +1300

Witness history in the making. You can watch a multicast stream of the US Presidential Inauguration over KAREN.

Northwestern University will be providing a multicast TV stream of the US Presidential Inauguration from 6AM on 20 January 2009 eastern time (12:00AM on 21 January 2009 NZT). KAREN accesses Northwestern University via the US research and education network Internet2.

View the stream at http://www.i2-multicast.northwestern.edu/

Technical requirements

KAREN members must be multicast-enabled to view this stream. Mac OS X, Linux, Windows, and Intel Solaris clients are supported.

Rural KAREN school becomes hub for fibre network

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:13:00 +1300

Newly KAREN connected Mangamaire School is the nerve centre for a new 'fibre-to-the-farm' network for the local community.

Last week, Mangamaire, a small town north of Eketahuna, launched its ‘fibre to the farm’ network providing fast broadband to the local community. Mangamaire School is the nerve centre for the network, with the community and local farmers able to connect to the network to help them run their businesses.

Shrinking the world with KAREN

As part of the fibre project, Mangamaire School was connected to KAREN and is a participant of the National Education trial. Donald joined in the launch of the school’s KAREN connection via video conference last week. He showcased some of the incredible resources available over KAREN to support teaching and learning:

More information

‘History is in the making in Tararua’ article, Manawatu Standard, 11 December 2008
National Education Network trial

KAREN celebrates two successful years

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:32:00 +1300

Media release

Two years into its life KAREN has exceeded expectations, with REANNZ arguably now the government’s expert agency for smart and efficient purchasing of broadband, according to REANNZ CEO, Donald Clark.

December 15 2008 marked KAREN’s 2nd birthday, and Mr Clark used the opportunity to highlight its many impressive milestones.

KAREN now has 56 connected member organisations and partners across the country. This is more than double than the same time last year.
KAREN connects all New Zealand’s universities, Crown Research Institutes and the National Library, and has piloted a network for all the nation’s schools.
Membership still growing, with the two primary research and education government agencies and many polytechnics now connected, as well as our national heritage icon Te Papa.
Five private sector organisations have also joined, and are experiencing the benefits of using KAREN’s advanced connectivity to deliver innovative content and services to their research and education sector customers.
Schools participating in the National Education Network trial have reported it as a wild success. One school commented, “We’ve had a wonderful time with this connection” after being able to connect their students with leading global thinkers in the US and Hong Kong. “They are even going to get their researchers looking into some of the suggestions our students made”.
One of KAREN’s Content & Service Partners, TelstraClear, has just launched an innovative new service trial over KAREN – providing over 20 free-to-air television and radio channel streams direct to the desktops of KAREN members to support teaching and learning.
REANNZ established a video conferencing service in response to demand from members for new services over KAREN. During November 2008 members used the KAREN video conferencing bridge for 1,200 hours, or the equivalent of 50 days. This usage excludes people direct video calling to each other.
In November 2008 we reached a new milestone in the use of KAREN, with total traffic volume exceeding 300 Terabytes, or the equivalent of 60,000 DVDs. This represents a steady increase from 200 Terabytes of traffic achieved from July 2008.

"It now appears that the original goal for KAREN to be completely self-sustaining in just a few years was too ambitious. We have come further, faster than any similar international network in our start-up phase and are well on the way to covering our daily operating costs.”, says Mr Clark

“We are talking to our Government shareholders and members about the next phase of investment so that KAREN remains an advanced infrastructure asset for the country.”

Contact

Donald Clark, REANNZ, CEO
04 913 1090

Download the media release 'KAREN celebrates ywo successful years' (pdf, 131KB)

NZ first: Nationwde IPTV service over KAREN

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:57:00 +1300

KAREN members across the country can now access over 20 free-to-air television and radio streams in high quality from their desktop through TelstraClear’s new IPTV service trial.

TelstraClear has launched an innovative new service trial over KAREN – free-to-air TV and radio multicast streaming. This valuable IPTV service is available only to KAREN members (and only for those who have implemented multicasting).

Watch significant events as they happen

You can watch live events, news footage and great kiwi shows from your desktop. For example, on Monday 8 December, the REANNZ team were able to watch the live opening of Parliament in high quality in our office.

The technology behind the service

This trial service showcases the benefits of multicast. Multicasting allows for a much more efficient use of network bandwidth than unicasting (traditionally how streaming content is watched on networks) and will be an important part of the delivery of any live TV service over the internet (or private IP networks).

The service streams TV feeds uncompressed at 6.5Mb/s in MPEG video. Multicasting streaming at this rate is only possible over KAREN’s advanced architecture. Some High Definition content is also available.

Broadcast yourself

TelstraClear are seeking feedback from participants on the value of the service for educational purposes and are offering to broadcast your content too. If you have 2+ hours of your own content of benefit to members contact the IPTV team at TelstraClear.

Feedback via karenIPTV@team.telstraclear.co.nz

More information

Access the IPTV service (http://www.wiki.karen.net.nz/index.php/IPTV)

Vidconf: How to run a video conference

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:41:00 +1300

Your presenters

Richard Bishop from IP Communications and Robyn White from the Social Science Research Centre at the University of Canterbury will present helpful hints and tips on running a video conference.

Richard will also provide technical advice on configuring Mirial desktop video conferencing software.

When

10:00 - 11:00am, Friday 12 December 2008. (The conference session will be open from 9:30am for testing)

How to participate

You can participate in the conference by dialling 210.7.46.10 into your desktop video conferencing client or video conferencing endpoint. Once you reach the blue video conferencing bridge screen enter the conference ID 4000# (make sure you include the #), or navigate to the conference 'Video conferencing setup'.

Or you can watch the stream of the conference by entering 210.7.46.10 into your browser. Enter the conference ID: 4000. Choose your streaming viewer. Leave all other fields blank.

VidConf: BlueFern's services explained

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:09:00 +1300

Join us this Wednesday for a rundown from Peter Helms on the eResearch and supercomputing services available at BlueFern to support your research activities.

We are excited to bring you Peter Helms from BlueFern at the University of Canterbury. Advanced computing and networking are natural companions in the global age of eResearch.

Peter will lead this video conference which will introduce you to the BlueFern supercomputing and eResearch services facility. The presentation will include:

an introduction to BlueFern and supercomputing
examples of exciting research projects and applications using supercomputing
eResearch services capabilities at BlueFern enabled by KAREN
outline of BlueFern's international research partnerships

Peter welcomes your questions on how BlueFern can help you.

What you will get out of the session

You will come away with an understanding of the services of BlueFern and how BlueFern can help you do new levels of modelling simply, easily and quickly.

When

9:30 - 10:30am, Wednesday 10 December 2008

How to participate

Or you can watch the stream of the conference by entering 210.7.46.10 into your browser. Enter the conference ID: 4002. Choose your streaming viewer. Leave all other fields blank.

More information

BlueFern

KAREN traffic at 300TB and still rising

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:01:00 +1300

November saw us reach a new milestone in the use of KAREN, with total traffic volume exceeding the 300 Terabyte mark for the first time. This is a great increase on the already impressive achievement of over 200 Terabytes of traffic every month from July.

Video conferencing makes it mark

The use of video conferencing between our members and internationally for education and research is accelerating at an incredible rate. During November you used the KAREN video conferencing bridge for 1,200 hours - that's 50 days worth - contributing to the increase in traffic levels. Keep an eye on our events page for further community events you can join via video conference.

Keep the traffic flowing

While 300TB is a huge amount of data, traffic load on KAREN is sitting at an average of only 1%. So there are buckets of room on the network for you to keep doing more and different things.

Vidconf: VC endpoints

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:08:00 +1300

Tomorrow at 10am - 11am, Ian Darby will host a video conference exploring the technology and capabilities of video conference endpoints (standalone VC units). This session will cover:

types of VC endpoints
technology behind high definition (HD) video conferencing
VC bridges- what they are and how they work
endpoint configuration suggestions

Don't miss this great opportunity to have your video conferencing questions answered by an expert.

How to participate

Or you can watch the stream of the conference by entering 210.7.46.10 into your browser. Enter the conference ID: 4000. Choose your streaming player. Leave all other fields blank.

Middleware fund ideas wanted

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:52:00 +1300

The Ministry of Research, Science and Technology is requesting proposals on the distribution of $840,000 to support a grid computing and middleware initiative.

The Government Budget 2008 allocated funding to develop capability around the use of KAREN. $840,000 (plus GST) of this funding was tagged to establish a national grid infrastructure and middleware tool initiative.

MoRST recently issued an RFP seeking proposals from organisations on the best use/distribution and management of this funding.

More information

The RPF is available on the Government Electronic Tenders (GETs) website.

Updated: Vidconf - An introduction to BeSTGRID

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:02:00 +1300

BeSTGRID is about making eResearch work. BeSTGRID delivers mechanisms, methods and tools that facilitate collaboration on shared information, sharing of computational resources and online visualisation of instruments and experiments.

This Wednesday at 2:00pm ~~10:00am~~, Nick Jones, BeSTGRID Director, will give an introduction to BeSTGRID and highlight some of their resources for eResearch.

Further information on BeSTGRID

When

2:00pm ~~10:00am~~, Wednesday 26 November 2008

How to participate

You can participate in the conference by dialling 210.7.46.10 into your desktop video conferencing client or video conferencing endpoint. Once you reach the blue video conferencing bridge screen enter the conference ID 4000# (make sure you include the #).

Or you can watch the stream of the conference by entering 210.7.46.10 into your browser. Enter the conference ID: 4000. Choose your streaming rate. Leave all other fields blank.

A novel way to explore books for boys

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:13:00 +1300

This week the National Library began exploring video conferencing as a way to extend the reach of its services to schools.

School Services staff from the National Library met virtually with Wellington College teachers and CORE Education on Monday to explore video conferencing as a tool to share their understanding of books for boys and show them examples of books to help nurture boys’ reading.

“Parents are sometimes anxious about boys’ lack of interest in reading. Often it is not that they don’t like reading but rather they like different kinds of books. These include joke or gruesome books, graphic novels and stories from the action, adventure and fantasy genres,” said Linda Forbes, Wellington Schools Services, National Library.

Video conferencing as an enabler

This was an experimental session for Linda and her colleagues Debbie Roxburgh and Katrina Young-Drew, who had not used video conferencing before to reach schools.

“For us video conferencing is a new and exciting tool we can use to respond to the needs of remote schools and share our collections and resources”, said Linda.

“One of the most helpful tips we learned during today’s session was the importance of video conference ‘production management’. This includes identifying a director or chairperson to ensure the conference runs smoothly, and organising technical details such as camera presets and appropriate lighting. These are easy and practical things we can work on that will really improve the quality of future meetings”, said Linda.

For Gregor Fountain, head of history at Wellington College, the experience demonstrated the potential video conferencing offered for teaching and collaboration. “This experience really stimulated our thinking about how we can use this technology throughout our school and to make connections with other schools and educators.”

What’s next?

Planning is underway to hold a video conference in late November to share resources and technologies for history education. Participants will likely include Wellington College, Nelson College from Girls, National Library, and a curator from the Turnbull Library.

eBook: IT and higher education

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:37:00 +1300

A new book has just been released as an online eBook and in hard copy called The Tower and The Cloud – Higher Education in the Age of Cloud Computing.

High-speed networks have enabled ease of access to resources and services, and the distribution and virtualisation of services. This collection of essays takes a fresh look at the impact of current trends in IT on higher education and on the IT organisation in higher education.

EDUCAUSE - The Tower and The Cloud

Vidconf: VC for researchers

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:27:00 +1300

Join us tomorrow to hear Julia Charity, Scion's KAREN champion, share her strategies for increasing video conference usage among Scion's research community.

Video conferencing is an easy and effective tool for supporting research collaboration and outreach.

Dr Julia Charity will present Scion's successes in increasing video conference usage among their research community. There will be time for questions and a discussion about applications for desktop video conferencing.

Please join us, either directly or by viewing the conference stream.

How to participate

10:00 - 11:00am, 19 November 2008

This video conference is being supported by the KAREN video conferencing bridge.

You can join the conference by entering this address 210.7.46.10 into your desktop video conferencing application or video conferencing endpoint. Once you reach the video conferencing bridge screen enter the conference ID 4000# (make sure you include the #).

Or you can also watch the stream of the conference by clicking here: VC basics. Enter the login username "guest". Leave the password field blank.

More information

KAREN video conferencing bridge

Scion Research

Remote collaboration via video conferencing - your views

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:38:00 +1300

The Social Science Research Centre would like to thank those of you who completed the online survey about use of video conferencing technology. The results so far have been very interesting. For those who did not get a chance to fill it out, the survey is still open, if you would like to express your views.

The online survey is specifically trying to find out what where and how video conferencing technologies are working to assist research and education.

You can find it at: http://www.ssrc.canterbury.ac.nz/about/e_social_science.shtml

Background

The survey follows on from a 2007 survey on user experience and part of interdisciplinary project: The Role of Virtual Technologies in Creating New Forms of Knowledge at the Social Science Research Centre, University of Canterbury.

Contact

If you have any questions or issues please contact Robyn White - robyn.white@canterbury.ac.nz

Professor David Thorns
Social Science Research Centre
School of Sociology and Anthropology
University of Canterbury

New job opportunities at REANNZ

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:26:00 +1300

REANNZ has two exciting job opportunities open for applications. These newly-created roles reflect a new direction and challenge for REANNZ, in growing its client base in new sectors and in expanding the range of services available on KAREN.

Marketing & Business Development Manager

Leading a small team of specialists and reporting to the Chief Executive, this role will appeal to a strategic thinker who has experience in telecommunications, high-tech or ICT. Not a technical role, but a genuine opportunity for an exceptional individual to show creativity in building new markets, managing and closing sales activity, developing the existing client community and managing communications.

Product Specialist

This role is about defining and packaging KAREN products and services, including pricing, placement and promotion for new and established markets. The ideal applicant will have experience with product development in a technology environment and will be comfortable with networking, understand the transformational benefit of the Internet, be credible in commercial negotiations and have a strong ability to work with partners to bring complex products to market. Available on a contract or permanent basis to suit the applicant.

Apply online to jobs@reannz.co.nz, before 21 November 2008.

More information

Job advertisement on Trade Me Jobs

Streaming conference on video conferencing use for R&E

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:21:00 +1300

Breaking Down Barriers: Global Connections

Beginning in the early hours of tomorrow morning NZ time, Megaconference X will showcase the latest real-world uses of videoconferencing for research and education, while using videoconferencing to do so. You can watch the streamed sessions for free.

The Megaconference connects people from all over the world, in order to further the use of videoconferencing in education and research and to advance the state of the art in videoconferencing technology.

Megaconference programme

While there are no presentations from New Zealand this time around (and you may be inspired to present at next year's conference...), our closest neighbours have sessions on:

The Challenges of Space Liveability: Dr John Cokley from the University of Queensland School of Journalism and Communication, will present on preparing a media policy for future space communities as a way to improving the liveability and viability of those communities.
An Experience in Australian Indigenous Culture: This will be a cultural presentation by the students of Giralang Primary School in Canberra, Australia showing some of what they have learned while studying Australia's unique indigenous culture. Lead by renowned indigenous artist and performer Duncan Smith, the students will present an engaging cultural experience including music, dance, art and story.

For descriptions of the 50-odd sessions see the Megaconference programme.

When is it

1:00am - 2:00pm, Friday 7 November (NZ time)

How to participate

You can watch the streamed sessions using a web browser at no cost. (Registration for active participation is now closed.) If you would like to observe this year's Megaconference, please visit the Megaconference streaming page.

Video conferencing: how to, advice and support

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:53:00 +1300

Video conferencing is a readily available and accessible tool for collaboration across KAREN members and internationally. There are many video conferencing and collaboration products in use across the KAREN community.

An increasing number of resources are now available providing step-by-step instructions, advice and reviews on video conferencing tools and services.

KAREN video conferencing service

To help you get the most out of video conferencing and use the KAREN bridge effectively, REANNZ has developed:

step-by-step instructions on booking a conference on the bridge
advice and reviews of desktop conferencing clients Mirial, EVO and Emblaze
connectivity and hardware requirements
tips and tricks
technical configurations
FAQs

Contact John Sto. Tomas at REANNZ for video conferencing technical support and advice.

Visit KAREN video conferencing service

Advanced Video Conferencing and Collaboration

The wider AVCC wiki contains additional information on hardware requirements, trouble shooting, and tutorials for EVO and high definition endpoints. You can also view the event calendar, and technical and node information for the Access Grid.

Visit AVCC

Sharing your revelations

Have you developed your own tips and tricks for using video conferencing or found any other desktop solutions that work well over KAREN? Then feel free to contribute to the AVCC wiki.

CFP: Scientific Instruments and Sensors on the Grid workshop

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:21:00 +1300

Call for papers for the Workshop on Scientific Instruments and Sensors on the Grid at CCGrid 2009.

This workshop will explore the integration of instruments and sensors into a computation Grid and the challenges associated with doing this to collect raw observations used in experiments. Paper submissions are due by 15 December.

The main topics of interest include but are not limited to:

Integration of instruments and sensors into the Grid
Interoperability and compatibility of Grid-enabled instrumentation and applications, and standards.
Representation and/or control of instruments and sensors using Grid and Web services
Remote access to instrumentation and sensors
Virtual organization and security issues of instruments and sensors on the Grid
Data management, provenance, and curation of Grid-enabled instruments and sensors
Real-time instrument and sensor systems

Victoria University of Wellington's Dr Ian Welsh is a member of the organising committee for the workshop.

This workshop is being held at the 9th International Symposium on Cluster Computing and the Grid, Shanghai, China, 18 - 21 May 2009.

Funding to get there

REANNZ has funding available through the CBF Travel fund to support travel to events such as this workshop and support local events with a strong KAREN component. See the criteria for full details of the fund.

More information

Workshop on Scientific Instruments and Sensors on the Grid
CBF Travel fund criteria

Techblog 4: KAREN NOC Services (PoC)

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:33:00 +1300

Network minded and interested in latency, jitter or troubleshooting and measuring network performance? Then check out the KAREN NOC Services Proof of Concept.

The team at REANNZ has been working on the implementation of a suite of open source tools to provide more visibility of the operation and performance of the network to our members.

The home page can be found at http://noc.karen.ac.nz/ and is currently only available to users with access to KAREN.

It provides links to:

Router Proxy
Network Diagnostic Tool
Multicast Beacon
Smokeping Graphs
MRTG Graphs

Feedback

Please send any comments or suggestions to noc@karen.net.nz

Canterbury Uni survey: video conferencing

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:21:00 +1300

David Thorns and his team at the University of Canterbury invite KAREN members to participate in an online survey on the user experience of video conferencing.

Introducing the survey

Remote collaboration via video conferencing has become well established for some groups and individuals in the tertiary research sectors. Although access and use remains highly variable, for some meeting in virtual spaces has become a routine part of their research life.

As part of REANNZ/BRCSS funded research, our e-research team is conducting a brief on-line survey about user experience of video conferencing services over KAREN. Results will contribute to other data gathering around the constraints and enablers of the capability building potential of remote collaborative technologies.

We would like to invite members of your group to participate, whether they use video conferencing or not.

About the survey

The survey comprises both multiple-choice and short answer questions. It should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

All responses are collected anonymously. Quantitative data will be aggregated. This project has been reviewed and approved by the University of Canterbury Human Ethics Committee.

The survey can be accessed directly from this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=NXETIa_2fSxsHxHQLlBzMGXA_3d_3d

Contact

If you have any questions or issues please contact Robyn White - robyn.white@canterbury.ac.nz

Professor David Thorns
Social Science Research Centre
School of Sociology and Anthropology
University of Canterbury

News to you: hyphen 7 out now

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:12:00 +1300

Issue 7 of hyphen, the newsletter about and for KAREN members, is out now. Check it out for features on:

Te Papa and KAREN - soon to be connected
National education network trial update
Music lesson across schools
and more....

Visit the hyphen newsletter page on our website for the detail

Vidconf: eResearch Australasia and GPU workshop highights

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:15:00 +1300

Missed out on eResearch Australasia? This video conference is your chance to hear highlights of the event from New Zealand researchers.

On Tuesday 21 October, Stuart Charters from Lincoln University and Nicky Gardner from ESR will present highlights from their attendance at eResearch Australasia 2008 conference. Stuart will also share highlights from the GPU (graphics processing unit) Computing workshop.

eResearch Australasia is the region's foremost event for catalysing innovation and collaboration, and supporting the development of services and infrastructure for eResearch.

Stuart and Nicky will share their experiences at the event and lessons and out-takes for eResearch in New Zealand.

Further information

Vidconf: eResearch Australasia highlights

eResearch Australasia

USA universities launch mammoth shared digital repository

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:45:00 +1300

A group of research libraries from USA universities have launched a new online shared digital repository called the HathiTrust.

HathiTrust (pronounced "hah-tee") pulls together the digital collections, including millions of books, of research libraries from 25 American universities. Materials in the public domain will be available for reading online in full.

HathiTrust already contains over 1.9 million volumes and approximately 715 million pages of content.

A public search interface for HathiTrust content has not been developed yet. But you can read about what the trust has in plan in terms of access at: Access to HathiTrust

HathiTrust is available over KAREN.

What's happening here in NZ

The HathiTrust is a fantastic example of a community initiated effort in the preservation and sharing of digital books and artifacts.

There are a number of digitisation activities also taking place here in NZ. Visit the KAREN content page on the KAREN wiki to check out what's available both on and off KAREN. Feel free to add your digitisation initiative to the list on our wiki.

Further information

HathiTrust website

Showcase your digital content application

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:37:00 +1300

The World Summit Award (WSA) is the global contest to select best practice in e-Content and innovative ICT applications.

The contest shows that new media keep the promise and can contribute to a better world. It increases public awareness for ingenious content ideas and applications with a twist, thus assisting in marketing high-quality multimedia products.

New Zealand at the Word Summit Award

A call for submissions from New Zealand has been made.

The WSA is a global showcase of 40 outstanding projects, in eight categories, with a special emphasis on those which show the benefits of information and communication technology for the development of communities and society at large.

The eight categories are:

e-Business & Commerce
e-Culture & Heritage
e-Entertainment & Games
e-Government & Institutions
e-Health & Environment
e-Inclusion & Participation
e-Learning & Education
e-Science & Technology

Past success

NZ was enormously successful in the first competition in 2003 with two projects in the top 40 globally. In 2005 we received two Special Mentions & again in 2007 NZ supported two winners and was delighted with three Special Mentions http://www.wsa-awards.org.nz/award/2007_winners.html

Timeframe

Call for Submissions: August 18 – November 20 2008
Final selections: 20-30 November
International Registration starts: 1 December 08
International Registration deadline: 30 January 09
Products check-in: 1 – 28 February 08
Grand Jury: 15 – 30 March 09
Winners Gala, Mexico: May 09

The judges

Janet Mazenier: mazenier@gmail.com
Pete Macaulay: peter@no1.co.nz
Jan Bieringa: jan@bwx.co.nz

Contact

If you have a project you would like us to consider please contact Jan Bieringa: jan@bwx.co.nz, 04 385 9435

Further information

WSA New Zealand website

KAREN breaks the 200TB barrier

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:10:00 +1300

For the past 3 months traffic* over KAREN has totalled over 200 Terabytes every month. This is equivalent to about 42,000 DVDs.

This recent trend is part of more a general trend which has seen traffic over KAREN increase every month for the past year.

With schools and polytechnics beginning to use KAREN for teaching and learning and our foundation members pushing bigger datasets around the country and collaborating more frequently over KAREN, this trend is set to continue.

*Traffic is measured as total traffic across all KAREN ports

Meeting: Driving eResearch Across the Tasman

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:08:00 +1200

eResearch Australasia attendees (or any other KAREN members who happen to be in Melbourne next week) are invited to attend this event that will explore opportunities for eResearch collaborations across the Tasman.

The session aims to build a shared view of the drivers for and issues in achieving collaboration between research groups in Australia and New Zealand, with focus on application level programmes and services.

Further information

See http://www.karen.net.nz/tasman-research/

OzeConferences: Real Time Communication Roadshow 2008

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:05:00 +1200

AARNet are broadcasting each keynote session from their Real Time Communications Roadshow, and you can participate via video conference.

Held between 11 and 25 September, the 14 OzeConferences will cover:

VC adoption and use case studies

Access Grid case studies
Immersive multimedia communications
Optiportal
EVO update
VC solutions
and much more

Sessions will also be recorded for playback at your convenience.

Visit AARNet's OzeConference page for a full schedule and instructions on how to participate.

MoRST vacancy: eScience Adviser

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:17:00 +1200

MoRST are advertising a vacancy for an Adviser eScience and Research. Play a key role in ensuring that the research sector gets the maximum benefit from KAREN.

Job description and further info

Visit http://www.morst.govt.nz/careers/vacancies/Adviser--Senior-Adviser-eScience--Research/

Watch the LHC startup

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:42:00 +1200

Physicist or interested individual? You can view the startup of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) tonight in EVO or via satellite broadcast or a live webcast.

The first beam will be injected into the LHC tonight, and you can watch it as it happens.

EVO live video

Visit http://evo-wiki.cern.ch/twiki/bin/view/EVOPublic/CERNFirstBeamDay

Watch the LHC startup in EVO. For the world wide LHC first beam event that will take place at CERN, in Geneva, Switzerland, we are going to provide the live videos in EVO. A special meeting in Universe community will be available the 10th of September, 9am CEST (GMT+2).

Other viewing options and further info

Visit http://lhc-first-beam.web.cern.ch/lhc-first-beam/Welcome.html

Other options include satellite broadcast and a live webcast

Thanks to Nick Jones for the pointer.

Visualisation

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:30:00 +1200

HIT Lab's researchers are developing a 3D plug in for remote visualisation over AccessGRID.

The usage of visual information has demonstrated over the centuries its potential for resolving problems, describing a phenomena, or providing a perceptual shared representation in collaborating work.

KAREN enables New Zealand researchers to visualize in real-time dynamic, large, sparse or dense amount of remote data (images, videos, 3D models, etc).

To find out more about this 3D plug in visit http://avcc.karen.net.nz/wiki/Remote_Visualization or contact raphael.grasset@hitlabnz.org to be involved in trialling the tool for your research purposes.

Set your creativity free

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:14:00 +1200

The new Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand (CCANZ) web project enables you to choose your own Creative Commons New Zealand 3.0 Licence, read about other Kiwi CC users, join the CC community and promote your work.

Some rights reserved

The CCANZ website allows you to choose “some rights reserved” copyright for your own creative works. The international Creative Commons movement towards internet-friendly copyright is embraced in more than 40 countries and its generic licences have been recently tailored to New Zealand’s legal jurisdiction.

Sharing your creations online

Creative Commons licences encourage sharing. Every CC licence requires that users credit the owner properly, but licence holders can choose other restrictions too. Some licences do not allow commercial use or derivative versions.

With a sharp rise in citizen authorship and online sharing, Creative Commons licences are essential tools for anyone wishing to free up their creations for the benefit of online fans. The terms of CC licences are simple to read, and will usually appear in the form of a hyperlink alongside licensed work

Get involved

Visit the CCANZ website and become part of the movement.

Video conference service going strong

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:30:00 +1200

KAREN video conference trial participants are making the most of this service and simplifying real-time collaboration. Are you taking advantage of this fantastic service?

This video conferencing bridge allows high and standard definition and desktop video conferencing units to communicate with each other while maintaining the highest quality of your connection.

Fill your boots

There are no volume related charges for use of the bridge so you can conference to your heart's content.

Tools and functionality

Online booking, scheduling and conference management tools
High and standard definition capability
Desktop video conferencing software client capability
Supports ISDN and IP based video conferencing end-points
Recording capability

How to use the bridge

Step-by-step details on how to register and use the bridge are available at http://avcc.karen.net.nz/wiki/KAREN_Video_Conferencing_Services

This service is brought to you by REANNZ, in partnership with Agile, Tandberg and InSPire Net.

Reminder: IPv6 workshops

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:20:00 +1200

Reminder: Spaces are filling up for the upcoming IPv6 workshops in Christchurch and Auckland. Registration is first come, first served. Entry is free for InternetNZ and KAREN members.

The 5 day programme will run in Christchurch from Saturday 30 August to Wednesday 3 September, and in Auckland from Monday 8 September to Friday 12 September.

These technical workshops are brought to you by InternetNZ, in conjunction with REANNZ, Cisco, Packet Clearing House, NZRS, auDA and FX Networks.

See the InternetNZ website for further details

Lincoln University eResearch vacancy

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:12:00 +1200

Job opportunity available to contribute to eResearch activities at Lincoln University, Christchurch.

Position description summary

Lincoln University
Research Assistant (Vacancy 08-183)
(eResearch)

To increase the efficiency and improve the effectiveness of research activities the University has received funding to assess the potential contribution of the wider use of eResearch capabilities across the scope of its research portfolio.

You will provide development, support and collaboration on diverse and interesting research projects by utilising your analytical, problem-solving and communication skills. You will have a research degree in science or technology or equivalent experience and practical experience in a research environment.

You should have experience as an analyst/programmer in a technical or scientific environment. You should also have experience of working in a team based research environment, preferably in an environment which made use of eResearch and grid computing tools and technologies.

Lincoln University offers a vibrant, dynamic and cooperative workplace that encourages a good work-life balance, and the opportunity to steer your career towards achieving your goals. The position requires a results-driven, enthusiastic individual who can manage their own workloads to meet multiple deadlines.

Applications must be received by 4 pm on 31st August 2008

Visit http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/section270.html#j6 for further details

Cyberinfrastructure for education explained: EDUCAUSE Review

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:46:00 +1200

Check out the latest edition of EDUCAUSE Review for enlightening articles on the use of cyberinfrastructure (high performance computing, data, visualisation, virtual organisations and advanced networks) for research and education.

The July/August edition of EDUCAUSE Review explores:

evolution of cyberinfrastructure
development of digital resources for the arts and humanities, and the paradigm shift needed to take advantage of these new resources, tools and services
how technologies will change research, teaching and learning in the near future

EDUCAUSE website

REANNZ CEO appointed to InternetNZ Council

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:25:00 +1200

REANNZ Chief Executive, Donald Clark, appointed Councillor of InternetNZ for a three-year term.

InternetNZ recently announced the results of its Council election, which included the appointment of Donald as a new Councillor. InternetNZ takes the lead in protecting and promoting the Internet in New Zealand and fostering a coordinated, cooperative approach to its ongoing development. The Council is InternetNZ’s governing body.

“InternetNZ’s vision is for an open, uncapturable Internet. REANNZ applies very similar principles to KAREN – delivering an open, interoperable, neutral platform for advanced collaboration and innovation. I am delighted to be able to contribute to ensuring such an essential infrastructure for New Zealand continues to operate for the benefit of all”, said Donald.

Neil James joins Donald as a newly elected Council member. Jamie Baddeley, Michael Wallmannsberger, Chris Streatfield and Jonny Martin have been re-elected as Councillors.

InternetNZ website
Computerworld article

Data management report released

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:45:00 +1200

For those interested in data management and curation - check out a recent report on data management from Australian Partnership for Sustainable Repositories (APSR).

APSR at the Australian National University Canberra has released a report on Investigating Data Management Practices in Australian Universities.

This report presents all the findings of the Data Management Survey conducted at The University of Queensland, The University of Melbourne and Queensland University of Technology in late 2007.

The report, based on the responses of 879 researchers, sheds light on all aspects of data management practice including data:

management plans
storage
backup
sharing
ownership

The report also shows how the three participating Universities have used the results of the surveys to progress their own provision of support for eResearch.

You can find this report and other data information and resources at the APSR website.

Call for papers: AusGrid 2009

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:50:00 +1200

A call for papers has been issued for the 7th Australasian Symposium on Grid Computing and e-Research (AusGrid 2009).

AusGrid 2009 is being held in conjunction with the Australasian Computer Science Week, Wellington, New Zealand, 20 - 23 January, 2009.

Papers are requested on the following topics:

Grid applications and e-Research
Grid computing middleware and tools
Data Grids - applications, middleware, infrastructure, data and metadata management and integration
Grid infrastructure - experiences with building, managing and using grids
Grid portals and problem-solving environments
Grid economy
Web services
Semantic Web and Semantic Grid
Collaboration using the Grid and Access Grids
Performance evaluation and modelling
Next generation grid

Full papers are due 7 September 2008. See the AusGrid 2009 website for a run down of key dates.

IPv6 Workshops

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:06:00 +1200

InternetNZ, in conjunction with REANNZ, Cisco, Packet Clearing House, NZRS, auDA and FX Networks, is offering IPv6 technical workshops in Christchurch and Auckland.

KAREN members are invited to take part in these workshops. Attendance is limited to 28 with preference given to KAREN and InternetNZ members.

The 5 day programme will run in Christchurch from Saturday 30 August to Wednesday 3 September, and in Auckland from Monday 8 September to Friday 12 September.

Please confirm your attendance by emailing Richard Wood at richard@internetnz.net.nz. Include your daytime telephone contact number. More information is available in the attached flyer.

Research symposium programme will impress

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:00:00 +1200

Pete Beckman and Jim Basney join other trail-blazers in eresearch as speakers at the High Performance Research Symposium.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to not only listen to world leaders in HPC and Grid technology and management, but to discuss your ideas and issues in an intimate workshop setting.

Download the attached HPRS flyer (and pass it around), or visit http://www.bluefern.canterbury.ac.nz/events/index.shtml

The University of Canterbury's BlueFern™ super computer facility is hosting this event in conjunction with APAN26, on 4 August 2008 at the Millennium Hotel, Queenstown.

Hands-on training: APAN26

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:16:00 +1200

For the technically inclined, APAN26 features hands-on training and know-how workshops on advanced networking technologies and equipment.

Training workshops

Enabling Seamless Unified Communications

TANDBERG (Agile NZ)

how to provide transparent communication between any SIP and H.323 endpoint
features the TANDBERG Video Communications Server (VCS) and the TANDBERG Codian MCU

Managing Peer to Peer (P2P) Traffic

Allot Communications (Renaissance)

how to manage and control peer to peer traffic
balance network security with the demands of network monitoring

Juniper JUNOS as a second language

Business Technology Group

the detail and the benefits of JUNOS network operating system software
be able to confidently work with a JUNOS powered device

Principles of High Performance Wi-Fi: How to get the most out of your Current Wi-Fi and plan for the future

Xirrus

how to plan for and deploy a high-performance Wi-Fi network, including physical and MAC layer, security and switching architecture considerations
how to ensure that infrastructure (wired and wireless) decisions will support the upcoming 802.11n standard

Being a good neighbour, providing aggregated access for your community

Foundry Networks

learn a blueprint for configuring and implementing an aggregated KAREN connection
this includes suitable monitoring technologies and optional policies and controls

View the detailed list of training workshops

High Performance Research Symposium – Last chance for standard rates

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:00:00 +1200

The University of Canterbury is hosting the High Performance Research Symposium on 4 August 2008 at the Millennium Hotel in Queenstown, New Zealand. This event is a lead-in to the Asia-Pacific Advanced Network Consortium meeting (APAN26), Asia Pacific’s foremost event for showcasing advanced broadband networking applications and technologies for research and education.

The symposium will set the scene for APAN26 by showcasing best practice e-Research projects, programmes and tools.

Full details, including speakers and abstracts of presentations, are now available on the Symposium web pages - http://www.bluefern.canterbury.ac.nz/events/index.shtml
Please note that standard registration rates finish on Monday 30 June – increased late registration rates kick in from 1 July
Please also note that the Symposium and APAN26 have separate registration – registration for one event does not include registration for the other event. Registration information is posted on the webpage.

Enquiries can be made to Stuart Broughton at stuart.broughton@canterbury.ac.nz

APAN26 registrations can be made through the KAREN website: http://www.karen.net.nz/apan26-registration/

PDCAT08 workshops call for papers

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:41:00 +1200

Get involved in the PDCAT associated workshops in high performance computing, sensor networks, multi-core programming, data grids, and web 2.0 applications, 1-4 December 2008, Dunedin.

PDCAT08 has five associated workshops open for submissions now.

[Apologies for cross posting]

New Zealand Workshop in High Performance and Grid Computing

http://www.cs.otago.ac.nz/pdcat08/nzhpc08/index.html
Organiser: Dr. Slava Kitaeff (slava.kitaev@aut.ac.nz), Auckland University of Technology
Submission deadline: August 3, 2008

Sensor Networks and Ambient Intelligence (SeNAmI 2008)

http://www.aut.ac.nz/schools/engineering/senami_2008/
Organiser: Dr. Boon-Chong Seet (boon-chong.seet@aut.ac.nz), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Auckland University of Technology
Submission deadline: July 1, 2008

PPAM 2008: Programming Parallel Applications for Multi-cores

http://secml.otago.ac.nz/ppam2008/index.html
Organiser: Mariusz Nowostawski (mariusz@nowostawski.org), University of Otago and World45
Submission deadline: August 3, 2008

Workshop on High Performance Data Grid (HPDataGrid)

http://grelc.unile.it/HPDataGrid08/
Organiser: Sandro Fiore (sandro.fiore@unile.it), Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
Submission deadline: July 25, 2008

Web 2.0: Applications, Modelling and Simulation (WAMS)

http://www.searchforum.org.cn/research/proposal_pdcat2008.html
Organisers: Xueqi Cheng, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Jirong Wen, Microsoft Research Asia Kun Yang, University of Essex, United Kingdom Haiyan Yu, Institute of Computing Technology
Submission deadline: August 3, 2008

PDCAT08 conference website

More NZ presenters on board: APAN26

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:45:00 +1200

NZ researchers from the fields of education, agriculture, and SIP and network security join our impressive line up of presenters at APAN26.

Full line up of New Zealand presenters at APAN26

eCulture

Are we there yet? Crafting a Research Agenda to Understand the Potential of ICT-Enabled Learning: the Marvin Case Study - Annick Janson

Annick and her team of collaborators are developing a research agenda to pilot the educational uses of Marvin, an Avatar-based eLearning application. Marvin allows for the rapid creation of culturally specific and multi-lingual resources in communities, by communities, and for communities, in real time. After successful implementation within social contexts, Marvin is now being distributed to education systems globally.

Inquiry by KAREN: How can a scientist participate in running a scientific inquiry in schools using a high speed network? - Andrew Dunningham

The presentation will introduce Scion's Science for Life and Forests of Life programmes, inquiry based science programmes for schools. Andrew will explain how they intend to investigate and modify the methods, pedagogy and classroom practice developed in Science for Life to allow for effective engagement of students with scientists using KAREN.

Agriculture

Assembling the sheep genome via KAREN - John McEwan

John will present on the current progress and future directions for the International Sheep Genomics Consortium's sheep gene mapping programme. This programme will develop public genomic resources that will help researchers find genes associated with production, quality and disease traits in sheep. Raw sequence and results are stored on a central database at AgResearch Invermay (https://isgcdata.agresearch.co.nz/) and transferred between collaborators via KAREN.

SIP and network security

Advanced Flooding attack on a SIP Server - Malcolm Shore and Xianglin Deng

In this paper Malcolm and Xianglin demonstrate how such firewalls can be defeated and a SIP flooding attack achieved, and then describe a firewall mechanism to counter this form of attack. A further improvement involving enhancements to the SIP server is also described and test results detailed. This work has involved use of the innovative JAIN SLEE environment to develop an enhanced SIP Server, and the advantages of this environment are discussed.

3rd NZ Workshop in High Performance and Grid Computing

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:14:00 +1200

The workshop provides an ideal forum for professionals from both academia and industry to participate and learn about the latest research and development in high performance, reconfigurable and grid computing, advanced networks, e-science, education and other related areas in New Zealand.

This event is being held in conjunction with the Ninth International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing, Applications and Technologies (PDCAT'08) in Dunedin, 1-4 December.

Workshop details

How R&E networks can help reduce global warming: Bill St. Arnaud at APAN26

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:30:00 +1200

Bill St. Arnaud will be beaming into Queenstown for APAN26 to give a plenary presentation on the development of new types of computational and network architectures that can reduce CO2 emissions and benefit eScience.

Saving the Planet at the Speed of Light - How R&E networks can help reduce global warming

Setting the scene: cyber-infrastructure and CO2

One of the greatest threats to our future society and economy is global warming. It is estimated that the ICT industry alone produces as much CO2 as the entire output of the entire aviation industry.

University researchers are now an increasingly major contributor to these CO2 emissions because of the demand for new cyber-infrastructure equipment which is essential to the future of scientific discovery. As a result some universities and R&E networks are starting to explore new types of computational and network architectures that not only benefits eScience but also reduces CO2 emissions.

Architecture solutions

Optical high speed research networks and distributed zero carbon cyber-infrastructure data centers with network virtualization, web services and grids will be a critical component of this architecture. These developments have the potential of creating new revenue opportunities for R&E networks and their associated members through carbon offset trading.

Since consumer control or influence 60% of all CO2 emissions, universities and R&E networks can help pioneer programs to encourage students and faculty to reduce their personal carbon footprint through trading "bits and bandwidth for carbon" such as offering free eProducts such as eTextbooks, eMusic etc (which almost have a zero carbon footprint) as a reward mechanism to those who reduce their personal CO2 output in other activities. Carbon rewards may be more effective than carbon taxes in modifying consumer behaviour.

About Bill

Bill is Senior Director Advanced Networks for CANARIE Inc., Canada's Advanced Internet Development Organization. At CANARIE Bill has been responsible for the coordination and implementation of Canada's next generation optical Internet initiative called CA*net 4.

He has been the principal architect of the User Controlled LightPath concept of applying Service Oriented Architecture to network elements to allow users to create their own Internet network topologies and architectures fully integrated with their specific application and instrument needs.

NZ network players take gold and silver spots at APAN26

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:13:00 +1200

TelstraClear, Endace, Chorus and Verizon Business have demonstrated their commitment to New Zealand and the wider Asia Pacific region’s education and research communities by sponsoring the APAN26 Sustainable Networking conference, 4-8 August 2008, Queenstown.

REANNZ is pleased to announce TelstraClear as Gold sponsor of the APAN26 Sustainable Networking conference.

TelstraClear Head of Enterprise and Government Mark Wilson says the company’s Gold sponsorship recognises their commitment to research and education in the Asia Pacific region through the provision of connectivity and technical support to the conference venues.

“TelstraClear is a proud supporter of the APAN26 Sustainable Networking conference, and we look forward to being part of this event showcasing the capability of KAREN to attendees in Queenstown.”

TelstraClear is also providing a $500,000 contribution to the New Zealand government’s Capability Build Fund to support projects aimed at building research expertise in using applications over KAREN.

REANNZ is also delighted to welcome Endace, Chorus and Verizon Business as Silver sponsors of this event.

Additional sponsors will be at APAN26 providing hands-on training and development updates on technologies and equipment to support advanced networking applications and services.

Deadline extended: student innovation competition

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:18:00 +1200

Happy news for students - APAN26 KAREN Student Innovation Competition deadline has been extended to 30 June 2008.

Calling tertiary students with an idea for or who are using KAREN. You now have an extra 3 weeks to create and submit your e-poster to be in the running to win cash and a free spot at the APAN26 Sustainable Networking conference.

APAN26 is your chance to get up close with leaders in advanced networking from across the Asia Pacific region - share ideas, make connections, and learn about the biggest and best in advanced network applications and services.

Enter the competition by sending us an e-poster showcasing a project or activity that uses the unique capabilities of KAREN and you could attend the conference for free and win a cash prize.

Get the low-down at http://www.karen.net.nz/apan26-innovation-comp/

This competition is sponsored by InternetNZ, with support from Endace.

Otago Uni shares content over KAREN

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:36:00 +1200

The University of Otago has made audio and visual tracks of lectures, seminars and other content available on iTunes U. These tracks are hosted at the university meaning they're available over KAREN for super quick download.

iTunes U is part of the iTunes Store featuring free lectures, language lessons, audiobooks, and more.

Universities and higher education providers in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, the U.S. and Canadian can now offer their content on the free service.

iTunes U demonstration

NZ eScience leaders presenting at APAN26

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:41:00 +1200

Five leading New Zealand academics/researchers have been confirmed as speakers in the eScience stream at APAN26.

eScience is computationally intensive science performed through distributed global collaborations enabled by the internet, using very large data collections, terascale computing resources and high performance visualisations. The APAN26 eScience stream will feature presentations and demonstrations from e-Science leaders from across the Asia Pacific.

New Zealand eScience presentations

Current Research Activities in Next Generation Network Planning - Richard Harris, Massey University

Witness research in techniques for:

measurement and forecasting of network service demand
optimal routing
network traffic management
delay and jitter minimisation on real-time traffic streams

Graphical planning tools (that provide a platform for development of models, algorithms and simulation test beds) will also be shown to illustrate how the research is implemented in practical systems.

Developing eResearch: Challenges and possibilities for the Social Sciences - David Thorns, University of Canterbury

Hear about the role that Access Grid technology has played in the building of a national social science research network (BRCSS) and the key issues in developing both the technological platform for collaboration and a new culture and methodology of research practice.

Virtual Laboratories for Nanotechnology - Shaun Hendy, Industrial Research Ltd

Shaun will discuss both the role of virtual experiments in nanotechnology and the potential implications of virtual discovery for the development of intellectual property in nanotechnology.

Visualisation on the Grid: Helping with Sustainability - Stuart Charters, Lincoln University

This presentation will outline approaches taken to visualisation using grid computing techniques and examine how these approaches can help with sustainability through increased utilisation of resources, flexible collaboration models and by reducing the need for travel.

Advanced Networks & the Geospatial Domain: Novel Research, Commercial Opportunities, Sector Sustainability - David Park, Geospatial Research Centre

This paper will present case studies that demonstrate the benefits already being realised from advanced networking connectivity at the Geospatial Research Centre in:

Facilitating global collaboration on world-leading research
Supporting nascent global commercial opportunities
Enabling the NZ geospatial sector itself to become sustainable

Further information

Biographies of NZ APAN26 working group presenters

International connectivity and broadband boost for research and education: Budget 08

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:58:00 +1200

Media release

International connectivity

“REANNZ warmly welcomes the Government’s initiative to invest in additional international telecommunications capacity to meet the future needs of the research and education sector. This will provide a step-change in opportunities for the KAREN community to collaborate and innovate”, said Donald Clark, REANNZ Chief Executive, today after the Government budget announcements.

“As one of New Zealand’s biggest users of international bandwidth, support for additional capacity, resilience, and increased value is welcomed. We look forward to working with the government agencies and supplier community to achieve these outcomes” says Donald Clark.

KAREN, the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network, enables New Zealand science and innovation to play its full part on the global stage. In modern science, access to the right people, data and equipment is essential, irrespective of where those assets may physically be. KAREN delivers location independence to New Zealand’s research teams.

Already KAREN has enabled New Zealand researchers to participate in a major international sheep genome project with Australia and the USA by being able to host databases and expertise here. KAREN is also enabling improved regional decision making on environmental hazards by allowing data from multiple sources and the expertise from different research bodies to be combined easily.

Currently, KAREN’s international links are significantly smaller than its national network. This has to-date limited research activities such as high-performance grid computing, astronomy and high-end genomics. A step change in the capacity of KAREN’s international links will provide new opportunities for New Zealand institutions to access international science funding, get more value out of national investment in science and increase the profile of Kiwi innovation internationally.

Broadband boost

KAREN has a mandate to connect all the schools and Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) in New Zealand. Some early adopters have already connected to KAREN and are experiencing the benefits of sharing scarce teaching expertise around the country and internationally.

“It is immensely encouraging to see the Government investing more in, and getting greater leverage out of, broadband and ICT spend in our schools. REANNZ is continuing to work with closely with related government agencies to that we can switch on the digital generation that will underpin the future economy of New Zealand.”

Contact

For more information contact Julie Watson, mobile 021 674 954 or email julie.watson@reannz.co.nz

New Zealand partners in network and applications research sought

Fri, 16 May 2008 15:01:00 +1200

The National Information Society Agency (NIA) in Korea has issued an invitation for international partners in network technology and applications research and working groups.

Research partnerships

New Zealand researchers interested in collaborating with Korean researchers and institutions utilising TEIN2 and the APII (Asia-Pacific Information Infrastructure) testbed have the chance to participate in joint projects.

Projects that were funded year last include:

Future Internet Mesh-based Access Network
Telemedicine Application Servic
IPTV Overlay Multicast Application
High-Energy Data Grid
WiBro Terminal and Services
u-Media Transmission and Collaboration System
Safety support for MIPv6 network
Physics working group
eLearning working group

Technology partnerships

NIA is also looking for international partners to test future internet technologies, equipment and devices, such as IP-USN, WSN, traffic measurement.

Contact

If you are interested in partnering with Korean researchers in these areas contact:

Byung-Kyu Kim, Ph.D.
Executive Principal Researcher
u-Infrastructure Planning Team, u-Infrastructure Division National Information Society Agency (NIA)
bkkim[at]nia.or.kr

CFP: Parallel and Distributed Computing, Applications and Technologies

Thu, 15 May 2008 09:06:00 +1200

[Apologies for cross posting]

The International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing, Applications and Technologies (PDCAT) is a major forum for scientists, engineers, and practitioners throughout the world to present the latest research, results, ideas, developments and applications in all areas of parallel and distributed computing.

Following PDCAT'00 in Hong Kong, PDCAT'01 in Taipei, PDCAT'02 in Kanazawa, Japan, PDCAT'03 in Chengdu, China, PDCAT'04 in Singapore, PDCAT'05 in Dalian, China, PDCAT'06 in Taipei, Taiwan, and PDCAT'07 in Adelaide, Australia, PDCAT'08 will be in Dunedin, New Zealand. We are inviting new and unpublished papers on, but not limited to, the following topics:

1. Networking and Architectures
1-01 Interconnection networks
1-02 Parallel/distributed architectures
1-03 Heterogeneous and multimedia Systems
1-04 Multi-core related technologies
1-05 Reliability, and fault-tolerance
1-06 Ubiquitous computing systems
1-07 Computer networks
1-08 Communication and telecommunication
1-09 Wireless networks and mobile
1-10 Optical networks
1-11 Grid computing systems
1-12 Reconfigurable architecture

2. Software Systems and Technologies
2-01 Formal methods and programming languages
2-02 Internet computing
2-03 Image processing and computer vision
2-04 Agent technologies
2-05 Operating systems
2-06 Software tools and environments
2-07 Parallelizing compilers
2-08 Web services
2-09 Component-based and OO Technology
2-10 Simulation and Visualization

3. Algorithms and Applications
3-01 Parallel/distributed algorithms
3-02 Task mapping and job scheduling
3-03 Distributed data and knowledge based systems
3-04 Image processing and computer graphics
3-05 High-performance scientific computing
3-06 Reconfigurable high-performance computing
3-07 Resource allocation and management
3-08 Network routing and communication algorithms
3-09 Bioinformatics
3-10 Database applications and data mining
3-11 Intelligent computing and neural networks

4. Security and Privacy
4-01 Access control and authorization
4-02 Authentication, biometrics, smartcards
4-03 Distributed systems security
4-04 Mobile code and mobile agent security
4-05 RFID applications
4-06 Privacy preserving computation
4-07 Applied cryptography
4-08 Database security
4-09 Intrusion detection and survivability
4-10 P2P and ad-hoc networks
4-11 Security protocols

Key Dates:

Paper submission deadline: June 1, 2008
Author notification: Aug 1, 2008
Camera-ready version due: Sep 1, 2008
Conference: Dec 1-4, 2008

Paper submission guidelines

Papers reporting original and unpublished research results and experience are solicited. Papers will be selected based on their originality, timeliness, significance, relevance, and clarity of presentation. Accepted and presented papers will be published in the conference proceedings.

Submissions should include abstract, key words, the e-mail address of the corresponding author, and must not exceed 10 pages of single column, including tables and figures. Submissions imply the willingness of at least one author to register, attend the conference, and present the paper.

Submissions to PDCAT'08 are made electronically. Authors should upload their manuscripts in the PDF format with file name including an appropriate topic code in the file name of each manuscript. For example, if author Ray submits a paper in the topic of Interconnection networks, the file name should be 1-01_Ray. If you cannot find a suitable topic for your paper, please use the subject code "0-00".

The conference proceedings of PDCAT'08 will be published in English by IEEE Computer Society and cited by Engineering Information (EI). Extended versions of selected papers are to be published in a special issue of The Journal of Supercomputing.

More information can be found at http://www.cs.otago.ac.nz/pdcat08

Cheaper registration ends tomorrow: APAN26

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:34:00 +1200

Register now for APAN26

Tomorrow (15 May) is the last day for you to catch the cheaper registration rate for APAN26.

APAN26 brings you both discipline and technology-specific seminars and workshops from New Zealand and international leaders in the use and development of advanced networks and applications for research and education.

High Performance Research Symposium

Take the opportunity to register for the University of Canterbury's High Performance Research Symposium. This event will be held in the lead up to APAN26 on 4 August in Queenstown, and will showcase best practice e-Research projects, programmes and tools.

HPRS website

Wireless security and VC room design seminars

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:08:00 +1200

If wireless security or video room design are your thing register to participate in an Ozeconference.

Wireless security -A Review of Actual IEEE 802.11 Deployment Practices

14 May (today), 3pm-4pm (NZ time)

David Ross from the Information Security Institute and Faculty of Information Technology, Queensland University of Technology will discuss the difference between theory and practice — between WEP, WPA, WPA2, IEEE802.11i, RSN and TSN — and their application in private, commercial and government environments.

The intended audience for this talk are wireless and wired network engineers, network security staff, network managers, IT Directors.

For full details see: http://www.aarnet.edu.au/Article/EventDetail.aspx?p=65&id=68

Video Room Design Essentials

19 May, 6pm-7pm (NZ time)

Ulrich Schwenn from the Computing Center Garching of the German Max-Planck-Society, will discuss the evaluation of customer needs, consulting, planning and supervising of installation of high quality multimedia & videoconferencing solutions from small meeting rooms to university lecture halls, with emphasis on specific demands of multi-site organizations.

The intended audience for this talk are Audio Video and IT staff responsible for delivery video conferencing services on campus.

For full details see: http://www.aarnet.edu.au/Article/EventDetail.aspx?p=65&id=69

How to participate

You can participate in either ozeconference via video conference, teleconference or by watching the live stream.

The Ozeconferences are run by AARNet, the Australian Advanced Resreach and Education Network.

Consultation extended: Draft Digital Strategy 2.0

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:10:00 +1200

The consultation period on the Draft Digital Strategy 2.0 has been extended to 5.00pm Friday 23 May, 2008.

The Draft Digital Strategy 2.0 is available on the Digital Strategy website.

Consultation runs now until 23 May 2008, and will include opportunities for feedback to be given via new tools, such as a wiki and online dialogue boxes.

Draft Digital Strategy 2.0 (pdf, 1.4MB)

APAN26: Register now for cheaper rates

Fri, 02 May 2008 15:55:00 +1200

Cheaper standard registration rates for APAN26 end on 15 May, so make your booking now to enjoy our diverse programme.

APAN26 keynote speakers lining up

Confirmed keynote presenters include:

Ian Foster, Argonne National Laboratory - Services for Science
Merryn Dunmill, University of Canterbury - Up with the Beat: e-Music Masterclass

New Zealand presenters showcasing New Zealand research and education at APAN26

The session/workshop programme is also hotting up, featuring demonstrations of eResearch and eEducation from a wide range of disciplines and from presenters from across the Asia Pacific region.

New Zealand presenters confirmed to date include:

David Thorns, University of Canterbury - Developing eResearch: Challenges and possibilities for the Social Sciences
John McEwan, AgResearch - Sequencing and assembling the sheep genome

We have many more New Zealand presentations in the pipeline and will update you on these soon.

For more information

Check out the draft programme outline

Contact Julie Watson or Stuart Broughton to get on the APAN26 programme

Techblog 3: Access collaboration is encouraged!

Fri, 02 May 2008 14:52:00 +1200

The question

A question has recently arisen about REANNZ’s attitude to collaboration over getting the physical connection to KAREN. The answer is quite straightforward from our perspective.

The answer

REANNZ would encourage any and all parties; especially those collocated in the same building, to consider sharing the physical assets used to gain connection to KAREN. Organisations could consider sharing routers and the physical fibre connection to the nearest KAREN connection point. Multiple organisations sharing the same physical connection would simply establish a separate VLAN each to the network to maintain their own independence, and accept the joint liabilities/responsibilities for maintenance of the shared components.

In some cases, an organisation may wish to offer a KAREN aggregation service to its (admissible) friends and neighbours such as schools, libraries, other researchers etc. This way, all the connecting parties are able to enjoy better connection economics, although they do all still need to separately join the KAREN community if they are not already members, and pay their own KAREN member fees.

It is possible that some tail circuit providers may have rules or restrictions that prevent this from happening. In those situations, organisations have, of course, to abide by their supply agreements, but we would encourage early reviews of these agreements to remove or reduce these types of restrictions, and/or that more favourable consideration is given in tendering situations to providers who do permit sharing, unless the economics clearly don’t make sense.

For more information

Contact Mark Cordy, Operations Manager

04 913 1092, mark.cordy@reannz.co.nz

$1.6m awarded for KAREN-enabled research and education

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:20:00 +1200

KAREN project fund recipients announced

5 projects will receive total funding of $785,000 from the Capability Build Project Fund. The successful projects take full advantage of KAREN's capabilities, and will accelerate collaboration, skill development, and the use of KAREN.

The successful applicants are:

An AgResearch project that will allow researchers from New Zealand and around the world to use their specialised electron microscopes remotely
A project led by Crop and Food that will allow the real-time remote identification of invasive pests and diseases for biosecurity
A University of Canterbury led project that will establish 3 working PlanetLab nodes in New Zealand, allowing New Zealand researchers to participate via KAREN in a global research network which is used to develop and study new technologies
A GNS project that will enable researchers and educators around the world to access and interpret New Zealand’s seismographic data with unprecedented speed and volume
A project that will use KAREN as part of a Scion educational programme, Forests of life

Members champion KAREN

We're pleased to announce that all applications to the Institutional Capability Build Fund have been accepted, making $50,000 available to each core KAREN Member to accelerate institutional capability to exploit KAREN’s full value.

We look forward to engaging with you and your KAREN Champion as you implement your plans to accelerate awareness of KAREN and capability development.

Funding for travel and events up for grabs

The Travel and Event Fund is open for applications to support your attendance at national and international events, the visiting of international experts and costs for Member-held events to raise capability in advanced networking, eResearch and eEducation.

CBF Travel and Event Fund: criteria

The Capability Build Fund is provided by the New Zealand Government through the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology.

perfSONAR: Network measurement/monitoring workshop at APAN26

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:47:00 +1200

Network engineer or specialist in network measurement and monitoring? You can not miss the perfSONAR workshop at APAN26 Sustainable Networking, 4-8 August.

What is perfSONAR?

perfSONAR is an infrastructure for network performance monitoring, making it easier to solve end-to-end performance problems on paths crossing several networks. It contains a set of services that act as an intermediate layer, between the performance measurement tools and the diagnostic or visualisation applications.

perfSONAR workshop at APAN26

This workshop will introduce perfSONAR as a platform for network measurement and monitoring for National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) and member organisations, and provide detailed information to encourage implementation.

This workshop is being jointly organised by Internet2, GEANT2 and TransPAC2 in cooperation with APAN.

Visit the perfSONAR website

KAREN wiki: make your contribution

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:19:00 +1200

Share knowledge and make suggestions on KAREN and eResearch related services, applications projects and strategies at the new KAREN wiki.

Contribute to existing topics or create a new one. The first seeded community - identity and access management (IAM) - includes an overview of the state of IAM in New Zealand and profiles international IAM activities and resources. Create an account to have your say on IAM in New Zealand.

If you would like a username and password for this wiki, please e-mail karenwiki@reannz.co.nz with your name and the name of the organisation you work for.

KAREN wiki: http://www.wiki.karen.net.nz/index.php/Main_Page

Hyphen newsletter issue 6 out now

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:15:00 +1200

Issue 6 of our newsletter hyphen is out now bringing you news, reviews and information on KAREN and the successes of our members.

Some of the highlights include:

APAN26 NZ's digital event for 2008 - Queenstown, 4-8 August
Identity and access management group formed
KAREN weathermap upgrade
Review of visit from Amazon web services guru

See this and previous issues of hyphen on our website.

Registrations now open: High Performance Research Symposium

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:44:00 +1200

Further speakers confirmed for the High Performance Research Symposium (HPRS)

Three speakers have been confirmed to speak alongside Ian Foster at HPRS:

Dr Bill Appelbe, the Chief Executive Officer of Victorian Partnership For Advanced Computing (VPAC) and formerly the Head of the Computer Science Department at RMIT.
Dr Marienne Hibbert, the Project Director of BioGrid Australia
Dr Richard Blaikie, Deputy Director of The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury.

Why and how to attend the Symposium

The Symposium will:

demonstrate the benefits of e-Research projects currently underway in New Zealand, and introduce overseas best practise examples
act as an informal catalyst for collaboration and further development of e-Research networks

HPRS is being hosted by the University of Canterbury's BlueFern™ super computer facility.

When and where

Monday 4 August 2008
Millennium Hotel, Queenstown, New Zealand

Visit the Symposium's website

Draft Digital Strategy 2.0: public consultation from 14 April

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +1200

Today Communications and Information Technology Minister David Cunliffe announced the release the Draft Digital Strategy 2.0 for public consultation.

Digital Strategy 1.0 was released during 2005. It was designed as an action plan to maximise ICT opportunities and create a vision of a digital future for New Zealand.

The refreshed Draft Digital Strategy 2.0 builds on input from a series of workshops held in late 2007, the Digital Future Summit 2.0 held last year, as well as the significant progress on Digital Strategy 1.0. The Digital Strategy Report on Progress 2007 sets out those achievements.

New Zealand’s research community is essential to innovation. It is responsible for the creation of new technologies and has a key role in supporting new education topics and methodologies. Hence your participation and feedback is important to shape New Zealand's digital future and the development of an updated Digital Strategy.

The Draft Digital Strategy 2.0 is available on the Digital Strategy website. Consultation on the Draft Digital Strategy 2.0 will be for ~~four~~ six weeks, from 14 April to 12 23 May 2008, and will include opportunities for feedback to be given via new tools, such as a wiki and online dialogue boxes.

Draft Digital Strategy 2.0 ( pdf, 1.4MB)

Updated 8 May 2008

Parallel and Distributed Computing: call for workshops

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:20:00 +1200

The PDCAT08 Organising Committee invites workshop/tutorial proposals for PDCAT08 to be held in Dunedin, New Zealand, in December 2008.

Workshop/tutorial proposals are invited on specific aspects of parallel and distributed computing, particularly relating (but not limited) to:

Multi-Core systems
Parallel programming models
Wireless networking
Grid computing
Ubiquitous computing
Agent technologies
Virtualisation
Cloud computing
Bioinformatics
P2P systems
Security and privacy

See http://www.cs.otago.ac.nz/pdcat08/

Digital humanities report

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:33:00 +1200

The Arts and Humanities e-Science Support Centre (AHeSSC) at King’s College London has published a report entitled Text and Grid: Research Questions for the Humanities, Sciences and Industry.

The 2007 All Hands Meeting featured a workshop that explored engagement between the existing body of expertise and experience in the text-driven digital humanities and the advanced network and grid technologies ushered in by the e-science programme.

This report summarises the main points that emerged from that workshop, and contains some gems for New Zealand digital humanities practitioners.

Thanks to Sam Searle (VUW) for the pointer to this report.

See the full report

NZ granted access to research 2.0 beta service

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:28:00 +1300

ResearchChannel has invited New Zealand researchers to take part in the public beta test of Research1.

Research1 is a web-based collaboration platform that allows researchers to quickly and easily collaborate with peers and share information with the general public.

Use of Research1 is free – all they ask for in return is your valuable feedback.

Key benefits

Public access to the fruits of government-funded research, even while it is in progress
Direct interaction with and between experts at the leading edge of their respective disciplines
Participation in a community that encourages and supports a level of discourse not commonly available to those outside of academia

How it works

Individual researchers or teams can establish a Research1 "Project Hub" for each research project.

This public-facing webspace may contain up to 10 GB of text, photographs, audio and video that may be shared with the general public or act as a private collaboration space.

A simple set of Web-based tools are provided to create each Project Hub, upload and publish content, launch a blog to discuss ongoing work and facilitate interaction through project- or discipline-specific e-mail forums.

How to take part

To participate in the Research1 beta test, visit http://betasignup.research1.org.

Your feedback about the platform and suggestions for features you would like to see in future releases will be extremely helpful.

Further information

If you have questions about the project, please contact Jim DeRoest (deroest@washington.edu) or Gary Bissiri (gbissiri@washington.edu ).

Jim DeRoest
Director, Technology Initiatives
ResearchChannel (http://www.researchchannel.org/)
University of Washington

Presentation by the architects of Research1 (October 2007)

Call for papers: eResearch Australasia 2008

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:57:00 +1300

Members of the international research and higher education community are invited to participate in eResearch Australasia 2008, to be held 28 Sep - 3 Oct 2008 at the Sebel and Citigate Hotels, Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.

Submissions are invited for presentations, workshops, and BoFs. These must be received by 23 May 2008. Submissions for posters and live demonstrations are also invited and must be received by 15 August.

Please see http://www.eresearch.edu.au/participation for further information.

The conference aims to provide:

A catalyst for innovation and collaboration, by bringing together the architects, builders, users, and managers of eResearch infrastructures and services
A forum to support the development, enhancement, and harmonisation of national, regional, and discipline-specific eResearch infrastructures and services
A showcase for innovative science and research enabled through these technologies and services

This conference comes highly recommended from New Zealand participants of the 2007 conference.

Travel funds available to get to supercomputing workshops

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:30:00 +1300

Registration for the SC08 Education Program Summer workshops is now open and KAREN members can apply to the KAREN travel fund to help get you there.

The SC Education program provides week-long workshops in High Performance Computing (HPC) education and HPC curriculum development for faculty, administrators, and students. These week-long workshops focus on curriculum change and professional development derived from today's high performance computing environments.

Faculty areas being covered include:

chemistry
biology
physics
humanities, arts and social sciences

We encourage you to apply to the REANNZ travel fund if you're keen to attend a workshop as an opportunity for capability building and to learn about how to incorporate HPC approaches into your curricula.

Further information

http://sc-education.org
http://www.karen.net.nz/criteria/#travel

Internet changing science

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:58:00 +1300

Is the internet changing science? Yes, according to Ben Shneiderman, a University of Maryland computer science professor. It's time for science to incorporate social networking and collaboration too.

Wired Science opens the discussion on Shneiderman's article and Science 2.0.

Read the Wired blog post and make your comment at http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/03/the-internet-is.html

Free attendance at APAN26 and cash prizes up for grabs

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:35:00 +1300

A message to all tertiary students: Get creative with the KAREN Student Innovation Competition to win cash and a free spot at the APAN26 Sustainable Networking conference.

APAN26 is your chance to get up close with leaders in advanced networking from across the Asia Pacific region - share ideas, make connections, and learn about the biggest and best in advanced network applications and services.

Enter the competition by sending us an e-poster showcasing a project or activity that uses the unique capabilities of KAREN and you could attend the conference for free and win a cash prize.

Get the low-down at http://www.karen.net.nz/apan26-innovation-comp/

This competition is sponsored by InternetNZ, with support from Endace.

APAN26: Fellowship program opens

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:30:00 +1300

Students (graduates and undergraduates) and young researchers are invited to apply to the APAN Fellowship Program for sponsorship to attend the APAN26 Sustainable Networking conference in Queenstown, 4-8 August 2008.

The aim of the APAN Fellowship Program is to promote global collaboration by providing grants to encourage broad participation in APAN meetings.

Fellowship covers:

Registration fee - access to all sessions/workshops/tutorials
Accommodation - 4 nights
Food - 4 days
Local transportation - to/from Queenstown airport and accommodation

Applications are due by 15 May 2008.

Further information

Visit the APAN website at http://www.apan.net/meetings/newzealand2008/fellowship.html for detailed information on how to make your application.

Announcing the High Performance Research Symposium

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:40:00 +1300

REANNZ and BlueFern^TM at the University of Canterbury has joined forces to bring you two fantastic events in August 2008 - APAN26 Sustainable Networking and the High Performance Research Symposium.

The University of Canterbury's High Performance Research Symposium - 4 August 2008, Queenstown - will set the scene for APAN26, showcasing best practice e-Research projects, programmes and tools.

Speakers include Professor Ian Foster (Director, Computation Institute, Argonne National Laboratory & University of Chicago).

Ian Foster is an expatriate New Zealander and University of Canterbury graduate of who pioneered the concept of grid computing and cyber-infrastructure.

Visit http://www.bluefern.canterbury.ac.nz/hprs

APAN26 - New Zealand’s premier digital event for 2008 - showcases first-hand how ICT developments and advanced networks like KAREN are accelerating research and collaboration in the Asia Pacific region and are contributing towards environmental, regional and operational sustainability. The conference is being held 4 - 8 August 2008 in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Registrations are now open for APAN26 at http://www.karen.net.nz/apan26-registration/

APAN Network Research group: call for papers

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:15:00 +1300

Calling all network graduate students and researchers: get involved in the APAN26 Sustainable Networking conference in Queenstown by submitting a paper to the Network Research Working Group.

The APAN Network Research Working Group is holding a one-day workshop on 4 August as part of APAN26.

Graduate students and researchers from New Zealand and the Asia Pacific are invited to submit a paper on their research activities in the following areas:

Network Technology: wireless/optical networks, future network technology, network security, traffic measurement, performance analysis
Network Application: distributed application, ubiquitous computing, grid computing
Sustainable Networking Technology: energy-aware network management and control, power-saving in sensor networks, delay-tolerant networks

Full papers are due 30 April 2008.

For full details on paper submission see the call for paper page on the APAN website

ICCMSN: Paper submission extension

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:00:00 +1300

The deadline for the submission of papers for the International Conference on Computer Mediated Social Networking has been extended to Sunday 9 March.

This conference aims to explore issues in the context of social networking such as formation of online communities and how collaboration and cooperation can be achieved.

Applications that can benefit from models of social network structure include, social norm spreading, disease propagation, opinion dynamics, and collective knowledge construction. The network topologies play an important role in these applications. This conference will address the links between these topics. Additional topics of interest include:

Facilitating effective structure in a Social Network environment
Agent-based simulation for studying the dynamic behaviour in on-line societies
Issues and solutions in modelling virtual collaborative environments
Integration of various communication tools such as Wikis, Blogs, Discussion Boards etc.

For further information view the conference website at http://www.business.otago.ac.nz/infosci/conferences/isn2008/

APAN 26: Registrations now open

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:55:00 +1300

Book your place now at APAN 26 - Registrations are now open for the APAN 26 Sustainable Networking conference, 4-8 August 2008, Queenstown, New Zealand.

Experience first-hand how ICT developments and advanced networks are changing the look and feel of research and collaboration in the Asia Pacific region and are contributing towards environmental, regional and operational sustainability; participate in demonstrations of applications and services that are only possible over advanced networks like KAREN.

The 5-day programme will feature seminars, workshops and presentations from experts who are developing advanced network applications and middleware for medical, e-Science, and e-Culture, natural resource research. The programme will also include technology sessions in IPV6, network engineering and security.

Plans are also underway to bring you an international experts and commentary on the role of research and education networks in mitigating the impact of global warming.

Visit http://www.karen.net.nz/apan26-registration/ to register.

APAN 26 is being hosted for the first time in New Zealand by Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd (REANNZ). For information on APAN visit http://www.apan.net/

4-8 August 2008
Millennium Hotel, Queenstown, New Zealand
http://www.karen.net.nz/apan26/

Call for papers: Computer Mediated Social Networking conference

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:10:00 +1300

Final call for papers for International Conference on Computer Mediated Social Networking (ICCMSN - 2008)

Dunedin, New Zealand
11-13 June 2008
http://www.business.otago.ac.nz/infosci/conferences/isn2008/

Submission date: 27 February 2008

Although the use of HTML and early Web browsers expanded the Internet experience from mostly one-to-one interactions to that of one-to-many, this development still did not afford the sophisticated kinds of social interactions undertaken by people in the real world.

Recently, however, new technologies (such as Weblogs, Web services, RSS/Atom, tagging with folksonomies, and Wikis – sometimes collectively called “Web 2.0") have appeared that offer more socially-oriented network interactions. This has led to the new system development mode of employing lightweight scripting languages to bundle various Web 2.0 elements, or plugins, and then deploying them on network servers, thereby establishing Social Network Systems (SNS).

The physical nature of the new network architectures is increasingly heterogeneous, comprising more lightweight portable devices (cell phones and PDAs) interacting with ever-more powerful network servers that host SNS. From these developments have merged such popular services such as Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, LiveJournal, Flickr, and YouTube. But analysts and observers predict that SNS have much greater potential than merely exchanging media files: these are expected to afford opportunities to meet and engage in extended, creative, and more meaningful (in fact, unforeseeable) interactions that will greatly enhance their Internet experiences. How can this vision be achieved?

An important new platform technology where all these developments come together is that of the new virtual environments, such as Second Life and There, which enable people to meet and engage in virtual, three-dimensional social interactions. The future of SNS will certainly be played out on these platforms.

Key Issues

In all societies, whether electronic or real, there is a fundamental tension between freedom and rules. If the interaction rules of behaviour are too rigid, people feel constrained and leave the society. On the other hand, if interaction rules are too lax, aimless inhabitants become bored – plus the society can be overrun by vandals and free-riders. To address this concern we need to explore the following questions:

How can we facilitate effective structure in a SNS?
How can we enable collaboration/cooperation in social networking application areas such as education, e-commerce, world-wide research etc?
How can collective knowledge be constructed and shared?
What is the role of network topologies (scale free, small world, random) in the areas such as disease spreading, opinion dynamics, and norm spreading?
How can we model the dynamic growth and shrinkage of online communities?
How can software agents be used in the development and simulation of on-line societies?
How can various Web 2.0 tools be integrated to satisfy the needs of electronic communities in a holistic manner?
How can realistic virtual environments be modelled, designed and developed? What are the issues and solutions?
How can high speed networks such as KAREN (Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network facilitate the real world experience of virtual environments?
How can privacy, security, and trust issues be addressed in on-line communities?

Important dates

Submission: 27 February 2008
Acceptance notification: 25 March 2008
Camera-ready submission: 5 April 2008
Conference: 11-13 June 2008

The conference organisers invite your participation by submitting research papers in the relevant areas of your interest. Inter-disciplinary research papers are also encouraged.

This event is supported by REANNZ Ltd.

Webcast: Building successful virtual teams

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:42:00 +1300

Webcasts of all key presentations at the recent 'Building effective virtual organizations' workshop are now available online.

The event brought together internationally renowned experts with first-hand experience in managing and participating in virtual teams - teams separated by institution, discipline and countries brought together to solve new and complex problems.

Check out the presentations for valuable advice on building successful virtual teams for research and collaboration at http://www.ci.uchicago.edu/events/VirtOrg2008/index.php?pg=agenda

KAREN features at Google

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:40:00 +1300

On a recent trip to the US Donald Clark was invited by Vint Serf, Chief Internet evangelist at Google, to present at a Google tech talk session on the opportunities and challenges faced by KAREN and the research and education community in New Zealand.

Donald's talk drew on work by the local eResearch and education community, referenced international presentations at the first KAREN event in NZ and the issues raised by the Capability Build Fund Roadmap.

View this presentation here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ6KUNMNdIw

Reminder: 14 March deadline for fund applications

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:01:00 +1300

The application deadline for making applications to the $50,000 building institutional capability component of the Capability Build Fund is fast approaching.

KAREN foundation member institutions (universities and CRIs) are invited to submit an investment plan to the Fund by 14 March 2008.

See http://www.karen.net.nz/criteria/ for application forms and fund criteria.

Contact Bill Choquette at bill.choquette (at) reannz.co.nz or 04 913 1099 for further information.

Call for papers: Managing identity conference

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:00:00 +1300

Victoria University of Wellington is hosting the International Conference 'Managing Identity in New Zealand: User-Centric Identity in the 21st Century', Wellington, 29-30 April 2008.

The conference will focus on the development and future directions of identity management (IdM) in New Zealand, and its wider implications for users, with particular reference to the introduction and use of new digitised forms of IdM. A major issue for future IdM will be establishing user-centric IdM: individuals’ ability to control the (digital) representation of their identity and its potential uses.

Call for papers

Interested participants are invited to submit abstracts for management, case study or policy papers, research papers, or student research papers. Contributions do not need to exclusively focus on New Zealand. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

User-centric IdM (characteristics, conditions, applications)
Management and implementation of IdM
National IdM policy strategies
Identity vs digital identity
Accessibility; transparency
E-Authentication
New identification technologies
Standardisation
Open-Source
and many more

Further information

Visit the conference webpage at http://www.identityconference.victoria.ac.nz/

Correction: Amazon web services evangelist in NZ

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:42:00 +1300

Mike Culver's visit to REANNZ is taking place at 1pm Tuesday 19 February.

See http://www.karen.net.nz/web-services/ to read the full (updated) news item.

Many thanks to our eagle-eyed members for spotting the error :)

Amazon web services evangelist in NZ

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:31:00 +1300

Mike Culver an Evangelist for Amazon Web Services is visiting REANNZ as part of his February trip to Australia and New Zealand.

Like IBM, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, Amazon is investing in infrastructure and software for next generation web services - cloud-based computing services such as data storage, processing and analysis.

Come along to hear about Amazon's Web Services and discuss the potential of web services for scientists and researchers in New Zealand.

For those of you in other parts of the country, Mike is also meeting groups in Christchurch, Hamilton and Auckland. Check out the trip details below for his itinerary.

Further information

Trip details: http://evangelists.wetpaint.com/page/Mike+Culver+NZ+Australia+Feb+2008

Amazon web services: http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=3435361

Details

When: 1pm, Tuesday 19 February 2008

Where: REANNZ offices, Level 4, Railway West Wing, Featherston Street, Wellington

RSVP: Contact Vicki Lindsay (vicki.lindsay@reannz.co.nz, 04 913 1098) if you are keen to participate

Webcast: Virtual organisation workshop

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:51:00 +1300

Virtual organisations, entities linked by electronic communication tools to support collaborative relationships in distributed work environments, are increasingly central to collaborative projects across all disciplines.

BEVO will help researchers and educators learn how to establish virtual teams and make them successful, and will introduce current technologies that can help them function effectively.

The plenary sessions of the workshop will be Webcast. Sessions begin at 8:00am on 15 January. Note: New Zealand is 18 hours ahead of Washington, which makes for a 2:00am start on the 16th NZ time. For those of you in bed at this time recorded plenary sessions will be accessible 24 hours after the workshop.

Visit http://www.ci.uchicago.edu/events/VirtOrg2008/index.php?pg=main to view the agenda and for details on how to participate.

Bioinformatics software first for BeSTGRID

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:20:00 +1300

Biomatters Limited and New Zealand’s Bioinformatics Institute announce the first release of new Geneious software for grid computing on BeSTGRID, the Broadband enabled Science and Technology Grid running on KAREN, the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network that provides high-speed, high-capacity internet to New Zealand academics, researchers and educators.

The new software allows researchers in New Zealand to use bioinformatics applications on BeSTGRID, taking advantage of high-speed internet access and grid-computing.

The Bioinformatics Institute and Biomatters are working together to make available a complete suite of grid-computing bioinformatics applications for BeSTGRID users, with funding support from REANNZ (Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand). Additional software releases will take place through 2008. All applications developed under the project will be open source and freely available to researchers in New Zealand. All of the applications will work with Biomatters’ free basic version of Geneious desktop software, as well as Biomatters’ expanded product Geneious Pro.

Biomatters’ Geneious Grid Plugin allows users to seamlessly connect their desktop to BeSTGRID and run the applications from Geneious. Computing jobs act as though they were submitted locally, but the speed of research is greatly accelerated as a result of the offloading of complex calculations to the Grid. Under the project, Biomatters is making the BeSTGRID version of the Geneious Grid Plugin freely available to researchers in New Zealand.

The first grid application available in this release is a version of MrBayes specifically tailored to run on BeSTGRID. This first release also includes a function that allows users to run any other bioinformatics program currently available on the Grid, including ClustalW, BayesPhylogenies, and ModelTest.

Research in the biosciences is undergoing a transformation as a result of huge amounts of information generated in genome projects and other high throughput systems, and increasingly depends upon bioinformatics for the effective organization and analysis of such data and management of experiments. Many of the bioinformatics tools available require significant computing power and computing time, and are prime candidates for grid computing.

Geneious is an integrated, cross-platform bioinformatics software suite developed in New Zealand by Biomatters for manipulating, finding, sharing, and exploring biological data such as DNA sequences or proteins, phylogenies, 3D structure information and publications. It features sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, contig assembly, primer design and restriction analysis, access to the NCBI and UniProt databases, BLAST, protein structure viewing, automated PubMed searching, and more.

KAREN and BeSTGRID provide collaborative access to biological data resources and to distributed computing power. The adaptation of Geneious for BeSTGRID gives desktop access to public databases, to standardized workflows or pipelines for data analyses, and to the shared computational capacity of New Zealand’s research network. The combination of Geneious with BeSTGRID overcomes the major limitations of current bioinformatics grid portals by coupling desktop data organization with grid-enhanced data analysis.

BeSTGRID users can go to http://www.geneious.com/default,766,geneious_karen_network_plugin.sm to download a free copy of the Geneious Grid Plugin and MrBayes for BeSTGRID. The Plugins run with Geneious Basic (which is free) or Geneious Pro, which can be downloaded and installed simply by going to the download page at http://www.geneious.com.

Queries about future versions of the client, and requests for additional features, should be directed to Professor Allen Rodrigo (a.rodrigo@auckland.ac.nz), Director of the Bioinformatics Institute and Principal Investigator on the project. Software support is available by contacting support@geneious.com.

KAREN Fund oversubscribed by 700%

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:30:00 +1300

KAREN Members have been quick to take advantage of the REANNZ Capability Build Fund (CBF), with round two of the project fund now under consideration by judges on the Advisory Panel. An unenviable task judging a fund that is oversubscribed by 700%; but a strong indication that the KAREN community is recognising the need for capability growth to participate in the new potential offered through eResearch and education collaborations over KAREN.

The CBF is open to KAREN members to assist with building skills and applications to enhance eResearch. Round two of the project fund will be announced at the end of March 2008. The CBF Travel Fund is currently open and application forms are on the Royal Society website. A special solicited fund to accelerate institutional capability - to free up time for researchers and educators to take advantage of new tools and applications - is open until 14 March 2008. Find out more about this fund on the KAREN website.

New connections round off successful first year for KAREN

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:42:00 +1300

Saturday 15 December marked the first-year anniversary of KAREN.

One year on and KAREN is continuing to break new ground for education, research and innovation in New Zealand.

We have 20 members connecting at over 40 locations; we have allocated $2.7 million of the Capability Build Fund to development projects and travel grants; traffic on KAREN is regularly topping 9 Terabytes a day; and - most importantly - we are starting to see data-centric research and education activity transformed through KAREN.

Our aggregators, service and content partners, and research and education partners are also further broadening the reach and richness of KAREN.

In the education space we are on track to have our first school connected to KAREN before the end of the year. We have also just announced our KAREN experience programme offering free memberships to ITPs and wānanga for 2008 in exchange for trial projects enabled by KAREN. These developments are exciting news for new and current members alike and will enrich the teaching and learning experience for both.

We look forward to working with the expanding community in 2008 to further crystallise KAREN’s place as essential infrastructure for an innovative New Zealand.

KAREN experience for ITPs and wānanga

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:00:00 +1300

Media release

ITPs and wānanga offered free KAREN membership for 2008

REANNZ Ltd is accelerating the reach of KAREN by offering free network membership to institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs) and wānanga for the 2008 calendar year.

The KAREN Experience Programme will expose ITPs and wānanga to the transformational benefits of KAREN, allowing them to develop new approaches to teaching and learning through supporting access to online collaborative tools, rich media content and data repositories. ITPs and wānanga can also take advantage of KAREN to streamline their IT operations through managed internet access, data storage, voice over IP, and access to shared services.

“This programme will allow the ITP and wānanga sectors to realise the important role KAREN has in helping them achieve their plans in a rapidly evolving tertiary education system,” says Donald Clark, Chief Executive, REANNZ.

In exchange for free membership, ITPs and wānanga will be asked to make an ‘in-kind’ investment of equal value through committing to a series of projects during the year that would not have been possible without KAREN. This will help ensure that ITPs and wānanga realise the greatest benefit from their connection.

Full media release and frequently asked questions (pdf, 102KB)

Institutional capability build fund now open

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:50:00 +1300

The Institutional Capability Build Fund is now open for applications. The purpose of this negotiated round of the Capability Build Fund is to accelerate our members’ institutional capability to exploit KAREN’s full value. $50,000 per member institution is available to support staff time investment in KAREN capability development and awareness raising activities.

Members are invited to submit an investment plan detailing activities that will best accelerate KAREN capability build and use in their institution.

See the CBF criteria on our website for further information.

Australian Access Federation Workshop

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:20:00 +1300

If you are quick off the mark you might be able to attend the next AAF Workshop at Macquarie University in Sydney, 17 - 18 December.

RSVP by 13 Dec to Bruc Liong at bliong@melcoe.mq.edu.au

Visit the website for more information: http://federation.org.au/AAFWorkshop

MAMS and AAF are hosting a free 2-day Federation Workshop at Macquarie University in Sydney. The workshop is aimed at providing background and necessary skills for minigrant recipients (and others) to contribute their projects to the AAF. It covers technical information and guidance for participants to join the Shibboleth-based MAMS Testbed Federation.

There are some limited spaces available for non-minigrant recipients to attend the workshop, hence if you know any colleagues who would like to attend, forward them this message and ask them to register (first come, first go).

Objectives of this hands-on workshop:

participants will be able to Shibbolize service providers by themselves
participants will be able to setup and manage their Identity Provider
discussions on issues pertinent to AAF from perspective of Identity Provider and Service Provider

The intended audience is technical architects and developers at higher education and research institutions, in particular the members of institutions who received recent AAF minigrants.

The first day will focus on the Shibboleth component of AAF with the second day on discussions on different approaches and problem solving.

Contact details

Bruc Lee Liong
MAMS Project Manager (MELCOE)
http://mams.melcoe.mq.edu.au
Ph:0408 008 733 Fax:+61 2 9850 4148

Learn grid computing online

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 09:40:00 +1300

Aspiring grid researchers are invited to participate in an international grid school, hosted by The International Collaboration to Extend and Advance Grid Education.

The International Winter School on Grid Computing '08 will bring together world experts and enthusiastic students. It will be delivered fully online: participants will be able to attend the School without travelling.

Experts will provide exciting practical exercises, discuss the challenges of building and sustaining e-Infrastructure, report its rapid influence on the way we research, design and make decisions. They will share their vision of the developments and challenges ahead.

Applications are invited from enthusiastic and ambitious young researchers who have recently started (or are about to start) working on Grid projects. Students may be planning to pioneer or enable new forms of e- Infrastructure, engage in fundamental distributed systems research or to develop new methods in any discipline that depends on the emerging capabilities of e-Infrastructure.

Applications close on 14 December, so be in quick!

More information: http://www.iceage-eu.org/iwsgc08/

Geoscience collaboration and GEON workshop

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:27:00 +1300

26-28 November, University of Auckland

Research coordination and collaboration for geoscience in New Zealand is leaping forward with the recent initiation of the SCENZ-GRID project to establish a grid infrastructure for geoscientists in New Zealand and the larger scale NCRIS funded AuScope project in Australia.

This three-day workshop will explore these and other geoscience collaborations, and give participants a detailed look at the workings of cyberinfrastructure and grid computing, based around the Geosciences Network (GEON).

The first day is a discussion session with scientists and cyberinfrastructure developers from the USA, New Zealand and Australia, targeted at opening up knowledge of opportunities and improving collaboration within a broad range of e-science initiatives.

Day two and three are GEON-related workshop sessions. The workshop will get into the nitty gritty of e-science and cyberinfrastructure, and will appeal to domain scientists, computer and information scientists with an interest in cyberinfrastructure and grid computing.

To register visit http://www.bestgrid.org/index.php/WorkShop:Geoscience_collaboration_and_GEON_Auckland

CBF application deadline - 30 November 2007

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 11:59:00 +1300

A reminder to all KAREN members to submit your applications to the Capability Build Project Fund by 30 November.

The criteria of the REANNZ Capability Build Project Fund has been sharpened in this round to assist KAREN members to build institutional capability in advanced technology skills, tools and applications.

See the Capability Build Fund section of our website for information on the criteria and goals of the fund. The fund is administered by the Royal Society. Visit their website to download the application form.

Check out our case studies to find out how successful projects from Round 1 of the fund are using KAREN to enhance their research.

New research gateway online

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:18:00 +1300

New Zealand researchers can now access and share their research with peers both in New Zealand and overseas through the Kiwi Research Information Service.

nzresearch.org.nz is a gateway to the open-access research documents produced at universities, polytechnics, and other research institutions throughout New Zealand.

The tool gathers research document metadata from repositories around New Zealand and assembles them in one database - connecting research users from around the world to research documents produced in New Zealand institutions.

Check out this fantastic resource and find out how to contribute your research at http://nzresearch.org.nz/

Data sharing in the social sciences

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:40:00 +1300

The JISC-funded DISC-UK DataShare project has recently released information New Zealand social scientists with an interest in digital repositories may find valuable.

DataShare is a collaborative project led by the University of Edinburgh, to develop a model for the deposit of social science datasets in institutional repositories.

A State-of-the-Art Review has just been written, marking out the current scene on data sharing. While the report is UK-focused, it may be of wider interest to New Zealand social scientists, and has a very thorough bibliography.

DISC-UK is a UK consortium of data support professionals working in departments and academic libraries in universities (Data Information Specialists Committee-United Kingdom). The project is about working with academics and institutional repository managers to provide exemplars for sharing research data within institutional repositories (based on EPrints.org, DSpace and Fedora software).

More information

http://www.disc-uk.org/index.html

New Zealand exports eResearch talent to Australia

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:30:00 +1300

University of Auckland eResearch Director and KAREN champion Paul Bonnington is crossing the ditch to take up the Directorship of Monash University eResearch Centre.

Paul has been lecturing at Auckland University since 1994, is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and was previously Associate Dean for IT in the Faculty of Science.

Paul is a staunch advocate for KAREN and has taken a leading role in establishing a framework for eResearch both at the University of Auckland and throughout the country through the BeSTGRID project.

His frequent demonstrations of eResearch tools EVO and Sakai has seen the quick uptake of these tools by our members, and under his directorship BeSTGRID has made exceptional progress in delivering eResearch mechanisms, methods and tools.

Paul and his family will be moving to Melbourne early January 2008.

We wish Paul all the best.

Register now for the advanced video conferencing workshop

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:35:00 +1300

Registrations are now open for the second of two technical workshops on advanced video conferencing and collaboration over KAREN - 23 November, 9:00am - 5:00pm, University of Canterbury, Christchurch.

Hosted by the HIT Lab NZ, this workshop will cover:

Access Grid – Software Installation / Tips & Tricks / Shared Apps / 3.1
EVO – Update / Installation Overview / Development updates
Adobe Connect Pro
HDV / DV Streaming & H261AS codec
Quality Assurance in New Zealand
Access Grid 3.1 Venue / Bridge Server
High Definition video conferencing
NZ Online Booking System
Room Designs for video conferencing
Troubleshooting
AVCC website

Visit http://avcc.karen.net.nz/wiki/AVCC_Technical_Workshop_-_Nov_2007 for more information and to book your place.

Expand your horizons at the Creative Commons seminar

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:40:00 +1300

Get up with the play on the Creative Commons approach to copyright licensing at this free event: Expanding Expanding Copyright Horizons - Creative Commons Seminar, 27 October, Wellington.

Brought to you by Creative Commons New Zealand and hosted by the National Library, this free full-day seminar will feature international and local experts on this modern approach to balancing the rights of the creator and public access to information, allowing users to share, reuse and remix legally.

Visit the event summary on our website for further information: http://www.karen.net.nz/cc-seminar

Taiwan Grid Camp 2007

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:42:00 +1300

Grid Camp 2007, WLCG Tier-2 and EU-IndiaGrid Workshop will be held at Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan from 28 October to 2 November, 2007.

The 3-day tutorial and 2-day WLCG Tier-2 workshop will cover:

introduction to EGEE infrastructure
Grid middleware and components (gLite technical overview, Security and Information System, Work Load Management and Data Management)
administrating and troubleshooting a Grid resource center and hands-on testing
specific training sessions for Tier-2 centres

Check out our website at http://www.karen.net.nz/grid-camp-07/ for further information on this event.

Where are you from?

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:45:00 +1300

KAREN Identity and Access Management Workshops

The Advanced Network Capability Build Fund is supporting two workshops, one in Auckland on Monday 5th November and the other in Christchurch on Tuesday 6th of November, to assist members of the KAREN community to prepare their identity and access management infrastructure for membership of IT trust federations. The workshops are free to attend and funding is available from the Capability Build Fund to provide travel assistance for up to two attendees from each organisation.

We are privileged to have Professor James Dalziel from Macquarie University, the leader of the Meta Access Management system (MAMS - https://mams.melcoe.mq.edu.au/zope/mams) project, to lead the workshops. James is a well known and excellent speaker, with a wealth of knowledge of identity and access management.

The workshops will cover:

What identity and access management (IAM) entails
IT trust federation
Shibboleth and related technologies
PKI certificates and their use
OpenId and Identity 2.0
The Australian Access Federation (AAF)
Plans for IAM in the New Zealand R&E community

The workshops will also provide an opportunity, through facilitated discussions, to do a stock take of IAM across the KAREN community, and help plan a path to IT trust federation capability for the community. Attendees will be sent a list of questions before the workshop so they can be well prepared to respond on behalf of their organisation. Folllowing the workshops a report will be written detailing the state of IAM preparedness across the KAREN user community, and providing recommendations for the steps necessary to progress towards readiness for IT trust federation.

The workshops will commence at 10am and finish by 4pm to allow ample time for travel.

It is expected that those with the responsibility for identity and access management will be the primary attendees of the workshops, and Directors of IT/CIOs will also find the workshops useful in positioning their organisations to move forward towards an ability to join IT trust federations.

Venues in each city will be advised shortly. For more information contact Neil James, neil.james@stonebow.otago.ac.nz, Project Manager, KAREN IAM Workshops.

By the way check out this animation http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/themes/access_management/federation/animation

Teaching in Second Life on show

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:04:00 +1300

Design and Second Life at Victoria University's School of Design was big news on TVNZ's Breakfast show last Friday.

We've posted a recording of the show on our site so you can check out how VUW's Design School is using Second Life as a teaching tool. The recording is listed under 'KAREN in the news' on our Media and Communications page to view the show.

You can see the original news item we posted on KAREN's support for Mediazone Island and Peter Rive's PhD supervision in Second Life at http://www.karen.net.nz/karen-2nd-life/.

Recording courtesy of Marcia Lyons, Programme Director Digital Media and Pete Rive, PhD Candidate - School of Design, Victoria University.

UK version survey open

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:24:00 +1300

New Zealand academics, researchers and repository managers are invited to take part in a short survey to develop a framework in the UK for the identification of versions of objects in digital repositories.

As the amount of academic material available online and the number of institutional repositories increases, the need to be able to clearly identify different versions of a work and to understand the relationship between digital objects grows.

The UK JISC funded Version Identification Framework (VIF) Project aims to assist academic authors, researchers and repository managers by contributing to the development of guidelines and standards for identifying, and dealing with, versions.

You can find the survey at:

http://www.survey.leeds.ac.uk/vifacademics/
http://www.survey.leeds.ac.uk/vifinformationprofessionals/

More information

http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/vif/

KAREN enables Second Life virtual post grad supervision

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:29:00 +1200

Thanks in part to KAREN, Victoria University is the first New Zealand university to supervise a PhD totally 'In World'.

Marcia Lyons (School of Design, Victoria University) and Mark Billinghurst (HIT Lab NZ) will co-supervise Peter Rive's PhD solely from the project's island in Second Life - Mediazone Island.

Peter will engage with and draw from the Second Life experiences of Victoria design students as part of his investigation into the role of open source and creative commons licensing in facilitating greater creative collaboration and knowledge sharing within virtual worlds.

Second Life is expanding the boundaries of international creative collaboration and visualisation, and presents new and exciting ways of doing education and research for KAREN members.

KAREN named as finalist in TUANZ Innovation Awards

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:22:00 +1200

KAREN has been named as one of two finalists in the TUANZ Next Generation Fibre-Optic Network Award category of the TUANZ Innovation Awards 2007.

This award recognises the fibre-optic network project which makes the most significant contribution to moving New Zealand towards next generation fibre-based telecommunications.

Being named as a finalist is great kudos for KAREN, and reinforces the essential role KAREN is playing in enabling New Zealand, for the first time in decades, to be an equal player on the global innovation stage.

You can see the entire list of finalists at https://www.tuanz.org.nz/content/0c927847-ec0d-4522-bda8-78c9347dbfeb.html

The winners will be announced at a black-tie awards dinner on Thursday 11 October 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Auckland.

Go green. Go conferencing

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:11:00 +1200

This Wainhouse Research paper "Using conferencing and collaboration to achieve carbon neutrality" is designed to encourage organisations to use online conferencing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from travel.

Although written for a UK audience, this paper will appeal to anyone interested in climate change and how conferencing and collaboration can impact efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Visit http://www.wrplatinum.com/content.aspx?Relo=1&CID=7805

Capability Build Project fund

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 13:00:00 +1200

The second round of Capability Build Project fund opens today. The aim of the fund is to build institutional capability amongst KAREN's core members. The criteria for the fund have been revised to reflect the priorities identified in the recently released Advanced Network Capability Building Roadmap 2007 - 2009. The primary areas of focus are:

supporting adoption and implementation of real –time collaboration technologies for teaching and research
supporting the adoption and implementation of middleware – specifically enabling sharing of data and/or information or computational resources, scientific equipment or facilitates national or international collaboration, and
coordination of standards-based novel methods of data collection and analysis eg tele-instrumentation, visualisation and simulation, data and text mining

The Capability Build Project Fund is administered by the Royal Society, visit www.rsnz.org for an application form. Applications close on 30 November 2007. If you are interested in discussing the priorities from the roadmap contact Bill Choquette at REANNZ on +64 4 913 1099 or bill.choquette@reannz.co.nz

Knowledge shared is knowledge multiplied

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:00:00 +1200

In the spirit of shared knowledge, three reports from KAREN community members on Capability Build Fund supported travel and event activities have recently been added to our website.

Two reports present insights from the eResearch Australasia conference and suggestions for follow-up in New Zealand in the areas of sustainable technologies, data storage and curation, identity and assess management and others. Sam Searle (Victoria University of Wellington) and David Thorns (University of Canterbury) were supported by the CBF to attend this event.

The third report summarises the 2007 High Performance and Grid Computing Workshop and makes recommendations for the 2008 workshop. This event was organised by Slava Kitaev (Auckland University of Technology) and supported by the CBF.

These reports can be found on the Community reports page of our website.

KAREN gets richer through service and content partnerships

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:00:00 +1200

KAREN, the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network, is increasing the value of network membership by introducing clear guidelines for organisations to connect to KAREN for the purpose of providing services and content to the research and education community in New Zealand.

TelstraClear and Objective Corporation are the first two Accredited Service and Content Partners on KAREN.

Accredited Service and Content Partners on KAREN will be able to provide all KAREN Members with innovative solutions to support better research and education outcomes for the country. Members of KAREN are currently the universities, Crown research institutes and the National Library, and will include all schools, libraries, archives, art galleries and museums in the future.

“It is clear that all of our members, from the big research universities to the smallest schools, value the advanced, unrestricted bandwidth that KAREN delivers today. It is a natural evolution for us to enable the country’s private sector to respond to Member demands for innovative solutions over this connectivity”, says Donald Clark, Chief Executive REANNZ.

[Continues... ]

Download the full media release (pdf, 110KB)

Visit the new Partners section of our website

Roadmap to accelerate KAREN capability released

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Science and education are evolving. New advanced networking technologies are accelerating the pace of discovery and learning across the world. The focus is shifting toward sharing data, applications and resources and enabling collaboration between institutions, and between the research sector and private industry. New tools, applications and skills are necessary to be fully enabled by KAREN.

The Advanced Network Capability Building Roadmap 2007 – 2009 lays out the key actions New Zealand needs to catch up. The document outlines three areas for development: skills, technologies and awareness. It provides a useful framework for educators, researchers, policy makers and funding agencies to direct the effort required to make KAREN essential infrastructure.

The Roadmap as a whole consists of four documents:
Overview including suggested actions and outcomes for future activities
Workforce Capability: Background paper 1
Technological Capability: Background paper 2
Sector Capability: Background paper 3

For more information contact julie.watson@reannz.co.nz +64 4 913 1095

National Library embraces a digital future

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +1200

The National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Maatauranga o Aotearoa has just released its New Generation National Library strategy. The strategy firmly places the National Library in a leadership position in embracing a digital future and includes the development of a National Digital Library as one of three delivery channels.

Of the first year's focus areas, almost half relate specifically to digital activities - including leveraging their Membership of KAREN.

It is exciting to have a member of our community so firmly base their future around the opportunities of easy and seamless access to information delivered to users wherever thy are.

Read all about the National Library's exciting plans here: http://www.natlib.govt.nz/catalogues/library-documents/strategic-directions-to-2017/

Creative Commons licences for NZ out soon

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand will soon offer licences in New Zealand.

Creative Commons provides authors, scientists, artists, educators and other digital content creators with a range of copyright terms to protect their works while encouraging the sharing of expression, knowledge and art.

The New Zealand Creative Commons initiative is run by The Council for the Humanities.

Visit the Creative Commons website (established by The Council for the Humanities) for further information on the project, or visit the m-net website to read the news article.

Genetics researchers generate 1TB of data per week

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Genetics researchers at the Wellcome Trust in the UK are generating over 1 Terabyte (1 TB) of data per week reports this article in The Register. That's around 200 DVD movies worth of data.

Luckily, in the the UK they have JANET and here in New Zealand we have KAREN to enable such massive amounts of data to be transfered to and accessed by researchers around the world. Using KAREN, it could take less than 15 minutes to send this huge amount of data across the country.

Do you know any star performers?

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:00:00 +1200

Information about the KAREN awards - acknowledging members of the KAREN community who have made an outstanding contribution to KAREN - is now available on our website.

Do you know someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in championing or spreading the word about KAREN? If so, take a look at the criteria and nominations information on our website to see whether they are eligible to be nominated for a KAREN award.

KAREN awards

KAREN enables ESR to take lead role in pathogen research in Asia Pacific

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:00:00 +1200

ESR Senior Scientist Dr Brent Gilpin held a seminar recently describing the development of PulseNet international - a network of laboratories who generate DNA fingerprinting data on microbial pathogens and share this data electronically.

This laboratory led analysis is enabling the identification of foodborne disease outbreaks at a much faster rate, and with much more success. The network includes countries from North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

REANNZ's new Development Coordinator Bill Choquette attended the seminar. "It was fantastic to hear first hand how KAREN has enabled ESR to accelerate and invigorate their role in the development of PulseNet in the Asia Pacific region," said Bill.

Using the PulseNet, middleware will compare genomic DNA patterns of bacterial pathogens from a range of countries including the USA, Hong Kong, Japan and others. The KAREN network will allow the exchange of large databases of patterns, and the establishment of regional databases which ESR will coordinate.

The KAREN network will also take communication among participating countries to the next level, with video conferencing via KAREN having applications not only in continued education among participants, but also in research projects and potentially disease investigation and control.

See ESR's website or the full case study on our site for further information

First network report released

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:00:00 +1200

REANNZ has released the first KAREN Members Report. This report provides an overview of the activity undertaken to support both members and the network for the six months to 30 June 2007. It also includes information about the performance of KAREN during this time.

This busy period has seen the network go live, members being connected at many locations around the country, and the beginning of network usage, with pleasing volumes of traffic being passed.

As always, we welcome any feedback or comments from KAREN users.

These reports will be produced every six months.

Download the report from our publications page: http://www.karen.net.nz/publications/

KAREN: Transforming science

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Visit Computerworld online to check out Ian Foster's visionary and strategic statements about service-orientated science - the future of science.

Read the full article by Computerworld journalist Ulrika Hedquist

REANNZ co-sponsors leading IPv6 workshop

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Calling any technical people wanting to gain in depth knowledge of IPv6.... we have the workshop for you.

Faraz Shamim (Cisco) and Gaurab Upadaya (Packet Clearing House) have kindly agreed to deliver their five day IPv6 Workshop in NZ. This workshop has been delivered at several APRICOT / APNIC / SANOG meetings in recent years. Faraz and Gaurab are experienced, world-class instructors on IPv6.

Nathan Ward will also be helping out with some of the sessions, particularly those relating to IPv6 transition strategies, and providing NZ specific insights.

The workshop is taking place in Wellington, 6 - 10 August. The cost of attending this course will be $195 + GST, reducing to $95 + GST for REANNZ members and free for InternetNZ members.

The workshop is being organised by InternetNZ, and is co-sponsored by InternetNZ, REANNZ and FX Networks.

Check out the workshop page on our website for further information: http://www.karen.net.nz/ipv6-workshop

New eResearch mailing list

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +1200

A new mailing list has been established by the organising committee of the eResearch Australia 2007 conference to announce eResearch related activities and events of interest to the education and research community.

The list is called eresearch-announce@eresearch.edu.au. All posts will be moderated, and it is anticipated the list will be low traffic. Anyone who is interested may subscribe. This includes New Zealand folks interested in keeping up to date or getting involved with goings on in the Australian eResearch community.

If you would like to subscribe, simply send a plain text message to majordomo@eresearch.edu.au with the words subscribe eresearch-announce in the message body. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Experience the KAREN forum again

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:00:00 +1200

Presentations from the Building KAREN Communities for Collaboration forum are now available on-line so you can experience the forum again or take a first look at what you missed out on.

Presentations (pdf) from the following speakers can be downloaded from the forum programme page of our website:

Daniel Patrick
Ron Johnson
George McLaughlin
Rhys Francis
Rick Stevens
Nick Tate
Laurin Herr
Ian Foster

Recordings of the forum were also made and will be available on our site shortly.

http://www.karen.net.nz/forum-programme/

Paper call for Scientific Instruments and Sensors on the Grid workshop

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +1200

A call for papers has been issued for the Second International Workshop on Scientific Instruments and Sensors on the Grid being held in Melbourne this December.

The workshop will explore the integration of instruments and sensors into computing and storage grids.

Papers are being solicited on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

Integration of instruments and sensors into Grids
Protocols and service models for Grid-enabled instruments and sensors
The role of Web 2.0 technologies and APIs in instrument-driven science
A discussion or survey of extant models from Defence or industry that may be useful in developing a reusable approach to Grid-enabling sensor and instruments for e-Science
Interoperability and compatibility of Grid-enabled instrumentation and applications
Representation and control of instruments and sensors including safety issues
Remote access to instrumentation and sensors
Virtual organization and security issues
Data management and metadata issues related to real-time data sources
Social, administrative, and financial issues of Grid-enabled instruments and sensors
Agent-based and autonomic computing for instrument and sensor networks

Papers are due on 31 July 2007.

The workshop is taking place as part of the Third International Conference on Intelligent Sensors, Sensor Networks and Information Processing (ISSNIP) 2007.

You can find information on the ISSNIP Conference and the workshop at http://www.issnip.org/2007/index.html

KAREN on National Radio's Our Changing World

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:00:00 +1200

KAREN users Chris Brown and Mik Black from the University of Otago featured - along with KAREN itself - on Radio New Zealand National's Our Changing World programme this Thursday, 28 of June.

The progamme will be available as a stream for the coming month at the Radio New Zealand website. It is also available as a podacast. (Programme length 12'31'')

Chris and Mik from the University of Otago School of Biochemistry discuss their genomic health and disease research activities, which receieved support from the KAREN Capability Build Fund earlier this year. Read a case study of their work.

June Job Opportunities at REANNZ

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +1200

REANNZ is a relatively new Crown Company providing innovative, leading edge technology to both national and international research ers, educators and innovators.

REANNZ is into its second year of operations and is evolving its corporate services function to better align them to the company's mission to make KAREN essential infrastructure for an innovative New Zealand

Three positions are open and interested parties are strongly encouraged to apply - Corporate Services Manager, Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive and Accounting Technician.

Applications will be accpeted until close of business Wednesday, 18 July.

Corporate Services Manager

Our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is seeking a manager with extensive experience to manage the functions within the Corporate Service division of the Company. This is an integral role, providing a high level of support to the CEO, engaging extensively with the Directors of the Board and supporting staff members of the Company. The key duties you will be responsible for are:

Managing two personnel in the financial and non financial areas of the Company

Compliance with all external obligations and liaising with external regulators and advisors
Acting in the role of Company Secretary, including delivery of sound Board papers and Board processes
Advising on contracting and commercial negotiation matters (in conjunction with external advisors) and, where appropriate, becoming directly involved.
Ensuring that the appropriate policies and procedures are in place internally and that the company observes these operationally
Providing advice on policy formulation and contributing to strategic planning

You will have significant experience in utilising your initiative, sound judgement and discretion, and, thrive on challenges. A commercial legal background is preferable.

If you are passionate about building a successful career within a growing, leading-edge technology company and can demonstrate:

Experience in most of the key duties; a proven ability to rapidly embrace and understand new tasks
Positive attitude to a wide variety of work requirements combined with a focus on delivery
Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to maintain good relations with a wide variety of people at all levels

We would like to talk to you!

To apply, or for further information, please forward your covering letter and CV to jobs@reannz.co.nz

Full job description

Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive

This exciting opportunity to support the Chief Executive requires a proactive candidate with at least three years PA experience at an executive level. You will have outstanding interpersonal skills and be committed to providing top level client service in an environment that both rewards and challenges you.

To be successful in this position you will need to be an extremely organised and efficient team player able to multi task and prioritise with ease, possess a high level of flexibility, and attention to detail.

If you are ready to move to a position which will demand your best each day, and you have a high degree of typing accuracy and sound knowledge of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Microsoft Office and Excel apply now.

To apply, or for further information, please forward your covering letter and CV to jobs@reannz.co.nz

Full job description

Accounting Technician

This role sits within the Corporate Services Team of REANNZ and reports directly to the Corporate Services Manager.

As the Accounting Technician you will be responsible for preparing and maintaining the financial records and to manage the financial function of the company.

To be successful in this position you will need to have a high level of experience in all financial transaction process tasks plus familiarity with MoneyWorks financial system or a proven ability to rapidly understand and use financial systems (including online banking).

If you can demonstrate a high level of attention to detail, a strong financial focus a professional work ethic, and have outstanding interpersonal and organisational skills, we would like to hear from you.

To apply, or for further information, please forward your covering letter and CV to jobs@reannz.co.nz

Full job description

KAREN enables 300% throughput improvements

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +1200

The primary KAREN VLAN was changed to support a 9000 byte IP MTU on Tuesday, 26 June. This change allows members to take advantage of the low latency, high bandwidth characteristics of KAREN to achieve greater data throughput than conventional networks permit. This is achieved without impacting the support for existing traffic.

KAREN members have already been taking advantage of the possibilities that this change allows. Ben Yeldon of AUT and Craig Miskell of AgResearch have performed some initial testing.

"Testing has shown a 3-fold increase in overall throughput when using large (4000byte+) frames vs 1500byte frames", says Craig.

This performance gain was seen without performing any tuning of the systems involved.

KAREN forum live at a node near you

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:00:00 +1200

The first KAREN forum – Building KAREN Communities for Collaboration – is happening at an Access Grid node near you on 3 – 4 July.

Key presentations from the forum are being broadcast via Access Grid from the conference venue at the University of Auckland.

Tune in to hear Rick Stevens talk about trends in cyberinfrastructure or Paul Arthur present on humanities and the e-research revolution. In the closing keynote address, Ian Foster will be elaborating on the notion of collaboration through discussing ideas underpinning grid technologies.

Access Grid participants will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of each session.

Check out the calendar on the Access Grid website to view the details and sessions times for all Access Grid presentations: http://accessgrid.karen.net.nz/index.php/Calendar

You can also view the full programme and speaker details on the KAREN website: http://www.karen.net.nz/home/

Register your interest

If you are interested in participating in the forum via Access Grid please register your interest with your local node operator prior to the event.

Node listings, with location and contact details, can be found on the Access Grid website: http://accessgrid.karen.net.nz/index.php/Nodes

hyphen 03 out now

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:00:00 +1200

The third issue of our newsletter hyphen is out now.

Produced quarterly, hyphen brings you the latest information on the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN), and the successes of our members.

This issue outlines the winning applications to the Capability Build Fund Working Group and Development Fund, and presents case studies on two projects. We also profile Dr Jim Watson, REANNZ Board Chair, and celebrate the National Library’s recent joining of KAREN.

You can find this and past issues of hyphen in the KAREN in action section of our website.

hyphen - issue 3

VREs and CWEs revealed

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Presentations from the International Workshop on Virtual Research Environments and Collaborative Work Environments are now available online.

The workshop brought together researchers working in the areas of VREs and CWEs - virtual environments that provide consistent and dependable work spaces for collaborative research.

You can view presentations from the workshop at http://www.nesc.ac.uk/action/esi/contribution.cfm?Title=768

Videos from the workshop are also starting to appear at http://redress.lancs.ac.uk/Workshops/Presentations.html#edinVRE.

The first video online is Chuck Severance's keynote which is a must see.

This event is being followed with a workshop at the European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Limerick, Ireland, 24th September 2007. You can find a description of this event at http://www.e-researchcommunity.org/news/ecscw2007.html

Amazon HPC Services

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +1200

A blog entry from Bill St. Arnaud highlighted the use of Amazon's web services to run bioinformatics supercomuting applications.

Whilst interest in High Performance Computing (HPC) is rising rapidly in New Zealand now that KAREN is here, we don't hear much discussion of alternative or "entry-level" HPC services.

Amazon has two projects that it has thrown its computing and programming muscle power behind that are of particular note:

S3 (Simple Storage Service)

Provides a simple web services interface that can be used to store and retrieve any amount of data, at any time, from anywhere on the web. It costs 15c(US) per GB per month of storage; 18c(US) per GB for the first 10TB of data retrieved.

EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud)

Provides a virtual computing environment, allowing you to use web service interfaces to requisition machines for use, load them with your custom application environment, manage your network's access permissions, and run your image using as many or few systems as you desire. It costs 10c(US) per "instance hour"; same data transfer rates as S3, but data transfer between S3 and EC2 is free.

No doubt there are pros and cons to services such as these - but they are likely to play some role in the HPC landscape and therfore should form part of the debate here in NZ.

Book your spot at the IEEE Workshop

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +1200

A call for papers has been issued for the 2007 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) New Zealand Workshop in High Performance and Grid Computing.

The workshop is being at the Auckland University of Technology on 5 July 2007 - immediately following the key days of the Building KAREN Communities for Collaboration forum at the University of Auckland on 2 - 4 July.

Further information on the workshop and the call for papers can be viewed on the events section of our website: http://www.karen.net.nz/ieee-workshop

Register now for the KAREN forum

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Building KAREN Communities for Collaboration 2 - 5 July 2007

Excitement is mounting as registrations for this forum pour in from wide and far across the research, education, innovation and government sectors.

We have been incredibly lucky to have had support for the forum from the National Science Foundation Office of Cyberinfrastructure through an award supporting international research connectivity. Dr. John Silvester, Professor of Computer Engineering and former Vice-Provost for Scholarly Technology at the University of Southern California and Jacqueline Brown, Executive Director International Partnerships, Northwest Pacific Gigapop, have been instrumental in securing top international speakers for our forum along with funding travel for US based collaboration partners to visit their NZ counterparts.

Both John Silvester and Jacqueline Brown are attending the forum and will be available to discuss with New Zealand based researchers possibilities for US networking opportunities.

John Silvester is an authority on high-speed computer networks and is very active in advanced networking initiatives at the State, National, and International levels in the USA. He served as Chair of the Board of the Corporation for Educational Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) from 2000 through 2006, was a founding Board member of the National LambdaRail, was a member of the Internet2 National Planning and Policy Advisory Committee, and is the Principal Investigator of Translight/PacificWave - an award supporting international research connectivity from the NSF Office of Cyberinfrastructure.

Jacqueline Brown's role as Executive Director International Partnerships means that she too is involved in facilitating connections with researchers around the globe.

To register for the forum or to arrange a one on one meeting with either Jacqueline or John on 5 July or during the forum please contact julie.watson@reannz.co.nz

Building KAREN Communities for Collaboration programme

Accredited Aggregator service standard released

Wed, 30 May 2007 00:00:00 +1200

The Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN) has released an Accredited Network Aggregator service standard to drive penetration of KAREN into new sectors.

Having an Accredited Aggregator service will allow a wider group of customers to access KAREN by reducing the last mile connection barriers. Allowing multiple smaller organisations to gain access to KAREN through an Accredited Network Aggregator connection will also reduce both administration and connection costs while maintaining a high quality experience.

The first Accredited Network Aggregator is FX Networks.

Read the full media release.

Read the KAREN Accredited Network Aggregator Policy memo.

Calls for papers issued

Fri, 25 May 2007 00:00:00 +1200

GridNets 2007

A final call for papers has been issued for GridNets 2007. The deadline is extended to 28 May.

GridNets covers Grid networking applications, middleware and infrastructure research and development. The conference is being held 17 - 19 October in Lyon, France.

Two keynote speakers have also been announced: Bill St Arnaud (Senior Director Advanced Networks for CANARIE Inc.) and Mike Fisher (British Telecommunications Group Chief Technology Office).

See http://www.gridnets.org/2007

HPC Asia 2007

A call for papers has been issued for the 9th International Conference on High Performance Computing in the Asia Pacific Region. The conference is being held in Seoul, 9 - 12 September.

HPC Asia is one of the most important international events that bring together HPC researchers, developers, and users throughout the world to exchange ideas, case studies, research results and future development issues in the field of High Performance Computing, Grid and e-Science, and Network Applications.

Authors are invited to submit papers of original unpublished research work in all area of high performance computing. This conference will focus on (but is not limited to) the following:

System Architecture and Models for HPC
System Software for HPC
Algorithms and Applications for HPC
Computational Science & Scientific Computation (BT, NT, ST, ET, etc.)
Grid Computing, its Applications and Business Models
e-Science and/or cyber-infrastructure
High Performance Network and Networked Applications

The deadline for submissions is 31 May.

See http://www.hpcasia2007.org/

Meet Ian Foster

Thu, 24 May 2007 12:00:00 +1200

A key drawcard of the Building KAREN Communities for Collaboration forum is the ex-pat New Zealander and aptly known 'father of the Grid', Ian Foster.

Ian is in Auckland from 2 to 5 July to attend the forum, and is giving the closing address on 4 July. Ian is also available to meet with people on 5 July in Auckland. Contact Vicki Lindsay (vicki.lindsay (at) reannz.co.nz) to arrange a meeting.

Bill St. Arnaud, Senior Director Advanced Networks at CANARIE (Canada's advanced network), recently wrote a great blog highlighting some key concepts presented by Ian around Science 2.0. Here's a snippet:

"A presentation I highly recommend is one given by Ian Foster at a recent D-Grid meeting.

The first generation of grids and eScience involved a strong coupling between the application and the underlying computational infrastructure. The second generation, built around Web 2.0 and Service Orientated Architecture will empower many more users to deploy service oriented science where people create services independent of any specific computational infrastructure which anyone can discover. Users can now decouple their applications from the computational infrastructure and select best of breed facilities anywhere in the world."

For more information on this item and for a link to Ian's presentation please visit Bill's blog at http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com/

Ian's own blog also comes highly recommended by Bill. You can view his blog at http://ianfoster.typepad.com/blog/

Further information on the forum can be found on our website at http://www.reannz.co.nz/building-karen-communities-for-collaboration/

New tool trialled for collaborative classrooms

Thu, 24 May 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Last Friday (18 May) BeSTGRID demonstrated for the first time in New Zealand live remote teaching on KAREN using EVO (Enabling Virtual Organisations).

EVO provides desktop based video/voice collaboration and screen sharing through a web browser.

A graduate class in genomics at the University of Canterbury was taught by Dr David Bryant, a University of Auckland-based lecturer, from the comfort of his own office. There were three live video camera feeds from David’s office, including a DVD-quality feed for his office whiteboard.

David was able to share his office desktop computer screen with class in Canterbury, and provide live demonstrations of software, and PowerPoint presentations.

The session was organised by Associate Professor Neil Gemmell (BeSTGRID's Project Lead: University of Canterbury).

See http://www.bestgrid.org/index.php/Main_Page for further information on BeSTGRID and EVO. To view images from the session, visit http://www.bestgrid.org/index.php/Remote_Teaching_using_EVO

National Library jumps on board

Tue, 22 May 2007 12:00:00 +1200

New Zealand’s access to rich digital content and global knowledge networks took a leap forward today when the National Library of New Zealand formally joined the KAREN community.

National Library Chief Executive, Penny Carnaby, and REANNZ Chief Executive, Donald Clark, signed a membership contract today to join the National Library to KAREN.

Visit the media page of our website to view the full press release: http://www.reannz.co.nz/media-communications/

Travel fund opens for applications

Wed, 09 May 2007 12:00:00 +1200

A further round of applications is being sought for the KAREN Event Support and Travel Fund.

This is part of ongoing investment in capability building activity around the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network. It aims to enhance the skills of people working with KAREN and support functional delivery opportunities to build usage of KAREN.

For successful applications to the fund, it will be necessary as a minimum to meet the Panel's criteria. The Royal Society is hosting the application process at http://www.rsnz.org/funding/karen/

More information about the Capability Build Fund can be found at http://www.karen.net.nz/capability-build-fund/

The closing date for this round of applications is 30 May 2007.

Identity management session

Tue, 08 May 2007 00:00:00 +1200

AARNet with support from NMI-EDIT (Internet2 and EDUCAUSE) and the Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) Middleware Working Group will hold an Ozeconference/information primer for the APAN community on identity management. This is the first of three sessions on this topic. This first presentation takes place via video conference or web cast at 9.00am Australian Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday 30 May 2007. The presentation will cover the following areas:

What is identity management and what does it do?
What are the business drivers?
What are the components?
What does the architecture look like?
Q/A

Discussion and questions are encouraged.

Two further sessions are planned to take place in June and July covering US case studies and implementation and Academic, Research and Education Network (AREN) case studies and implementation.

Audience

The audience for this Ozeconference is Directors, Senior Managers, IT Administrators and anyone with an interest in identity access management and middleware within ARENs, universities and research organisations.

About Michael Berman

Michael Berman is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Michael has spoken at EDUCAUSE events in the management/introductory context a number of times and is well versed on identity management.

How to participate

If you are interested in participating, please provide the following details; your name, institution, email, telephone (during conference) and IP address to jason.bordujenko@aarnet.edu.au.

This presentation will also be web cast. (Requirements - Quicktime and Java).

This conference is being hosted by AARNet using a standard-definition H.323 conference.

Testing

If you want to test that you can successfully connect to the AARNet conference server they have allocated time 1 hour before this presentation for tests. Tests will take place at 8.00am Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC +10 hours) on Wednesday 30 May 2007. Dial in following the instructions listed above.

Having problems connecting?

Contact:

Jason Bordujenko
AARNet Video Conferencing Support Officer
AARNet Pty Ltd
Brisbane, Australia
email: realtimecomms@aarnet.edu.au
phone: +61 7 3317 9572
mobile: +61 41 282 4549

Job Opportunities @ REANNZ

Fri, 04 May 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Two exciting and unique positions have been created at REANNZ as a result of our latest strategic planning exercise:

Development Manager

Full position description

This position is responsible for extending the reach of KAREN – building on the network effect by connecting additional organisations, regional clusters or entire sectors. This position has principal responsibility for driving membership income by closing new connection opportunities and demonstrating value through connection trials.

This position is also about being the ‘customer champion’ – listening to what new and existing customers want from KAREN and REANNZ and working within REANNZ to deliver that within established frameworks.

Content & Services Manager

Full position desription

This position is responsible for enriching the KAREN experience of members by making desirable and viable content and services available over KAREN. This will be achieved through applying a rigorous assessment process (including trials) and solid business evaluation to each opportunity, supported by a directional roadmap, to turn concepts into trials or into operational services.

Please inform anyone you think might be interested in these opportunities and would make a valuable addition to the REANNZ team. We will consider national and international applicants (providing the latter already has the right to work in NZ, or would stand a very good chance of obtaining that permission). Whilst these are permanent positions, we may also be able to consider secondments.

Applications are invited by way of a covering letter and CV to nicolette.gregory@reannz.co.nz [PDF or MS Word format]. The closing date for applications is Monday 21 May 2007. Remuneration will be according to experience and ability.

REANNZ is committed to equality of opportunity.

KAREN Forum revving up

Wed, 02 May 2007 00:00:00 +1200

2 - 5 July 2007, University of Auckland Conference Centre

Registrations are now open for the inaugural KAREN forum - Building KAREN Communities for Collaboration.

In a first for New Zealand, the forum will bring together speakers from around the globe to demonstrate how KAREN can enhance your current collaborations and enable new activities with remote colleagues and resources.

The forum has attracted an impressive lineup of international presenters, including Ian Foster (Director, Computation Institute, Argonne National Laboratory & University of Chicago) and Rick Stevens (Associate Laboratory Director, Computing and Life Sciences, Professor the Computer Science Department, University of Chicago).

Ian Foster is an expat New Zealander who pioneered the concept of grid computing and cyberinfrastructure. His colleague Rick Stevens will be presenting on trends in cyberinfrastructure and how these impact on works flows and compositions of research teams and associated funding streams.

We also have George McLaughlin, Consultant for TEIN2 and APAN (ex CEO of AARNET), Rhys Francis, NCRIS Facilitator for Platforms for Collaboration and Nick Tate (Director, ITS and AusCERT The University of Queensland) from Australia.

Check out our website for profiles of our key speakers, as well as the updated programme and accommodation and location information.

We are still working maximising speaker coverage across disciplines and have briefed all presenters on taking a generic approach to advanced networking techniques, covering applications, processes, and learning applicable to all disciplines using KAREN.

To register simply email julie.watson@reannz.co.nz indicating the days you wish to attend, including the dinner. There is a flat registration fee of $100.

Accredited Aggregation Network consultation

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Several network access providers have enquired about the possibility of providing aggregation services, ie sharing a core KAREN connection with more than one end customer. Such a service can be useful where customers do not have the funding available to purchase a 1Gb/s last mile connection or the required equipment to deal with the routing and other specifications of a core KAREN connection.

In general, REANNZ supports the concept of aggregation networks but needs to ensure that the end-user’s KAREN experience is maintained – both in technical and in service terms. To this extent, it is considering implementing a “KAREN Accredited” scheme for aggregation providers.

Our consultation memo contains the details of this KAREN Accredited Scheme.

Your response to this draft position is welcomed, by email, mail, telephone or in person. Please contact either Donald Clark (04 913 1090; donald.clark@reannz.co.nz) or Mark Cordy (04 913 1092; mark.cordy@reannz.co.nz ).

APAC - Call for papers

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +1200

New Zealand researchers are invited to submit a paper for APAC07, the APAC Conference and Exhibition on Advanced Computing, Grid Applications and eResearch to be held in Perth, Western Australia from Monday 8 to Friday 12 October 2007.

The scope of the technical streams will include the following areas:

System Benchmarking and Optimisation
Computational Tools and Techniques
Grid Middleware and Tools
Web Services, Portals and Workflows
Software Engineering and Tools for eResearch
Visualisation Tools and Techniques
Data Management and Digital Repositories
Authorisation, Authentication and Identity Management
HPC and Grid Applications in the Sciences, Arts and Humanities

For more details about the conference go to www.apac.edu.au/apac07/

New logo for KAREN members

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:00:00 +1200

REANNZ has created a new ‘Enabled by KAREN’ logo for use by KAREN member organisations.

Use of the logo will contribute towards our mission of making KAREN essential infrastructure for an innovative New Zealand by raising awareness of the increasing number of people using KAREN to power their activities.

Feel free to include the logo on publications, websites or other material associated with any KAREN-related activity, application, or project.

You can use it alongside:

utilisation of KAREN infrastructure

services or tools provided by KAREN

Capability Build Fund activities

Visit our website to download the logo: http://www.karen.net.nz/karen-logos/

All you need to do is let us know when you use the logo so we can keep track of its use.

R&D co-operation boosted through new peering agreements

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +1200

Through REANNZ's international partnership with Taiwanese network, TWAREN, and Singaporean Network, SingAREN, KAREN members now have improved access to their peers in these countries. KAREN recently signed Memoranda of Understanding with TWAREN and SingAREN confirming peering arrangements, and as a result widening the reach of KAREN and speeding up access to international collaboration partners in these countries.

Peering is an interconnection of separate networks or groups of networks allowing the exchange of traffic between network customers.

"We are so happy to see that the peering between us has been completed. The success of our first step was so encouraging. We are looking forward to having more collaborations including VoIP and measurement technologies in the future," said Li-Chi Ku, Assistant Engineer, Taiwan Advanced Research and Education Network National Center for High-performance Computing.

"SingAREN is pleased to peer with KAREN to facilitate seamless collaboration between researchers from the two communities as we move towards Global Research Collaboration," said Francis Lee, president of SingAREN.

"New Zealand has excellent trade and science relationships with both Taiwan and Singapore. For New Zealand researchers, the improved access to partners in both these important countries will support deeper collaborations that will help ensure this country stays at the leading edge," said Donald Clark, REANNZ Chief Executive.

KAREN is also currently peered with the following networks/institutions:

AARNET (Australia's Academic and Research Network)
ESnet (Energy Sciences Network)
PNWGigapop - University of Washington
Abilene - Internet2
GMnet – NTT
NLR (National Lambda Rail)
Transpac – Indiana University
CSUNET-NE – California State University Network
CENIC (The Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California)
CANARIE (Canadian Advanced Network and Research for Industry and Education)

Asian Internet Engineering Conference

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +1200

A call for papers has been issued for the 3rd Asian Internet Engineering Conference (AINTEC) to be held in Phuket, Thailand, 27 - 29 November 2007.

AINTEC 07 focuses on developing synergies between researchers in Asia, cooperations at the international level and target challenges specific to the Asian environment. The conference is single-track and features a technical program which includes invited talks by leading experts, presentations of papers, demos, and posters.

In response to the recent natural disaster in Asia, AINTEC 07 main topics concentrate, but are not limited to, the survival of the Internet, and opportunistic and autonomic networking in order to provide alternative means of communications in emergency and chaotic situations. For example, the conference will cover:

Emergency networks
Wireless and Mobile Networks
Sensor networks
Delay and disruption tolerant networks
Location management and positioning
Internet over satellite communications
Autonomic and Situated communications
Opportunistic networking
Peer-to-peer and overlay networks, and more..

Visit http://www.interlab.ait.ac.th/aintec07/ for further information.

PM link up via KAREN

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +1200

KAREN was all the rage in Seattle last week when Prime Minister Helen Clark visited the University of Washington’s Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HIT Lab UW) and linked by video conference to the HIT Lab NZ at the University of Canterbury.

The two sites were linked via high definition video conference system which was run over KAREN.

Visit the HIT Lab NZ website to view the media release and a full video of the link up: http://www.hitlabnz.org/route.php?r=news-view&news_id=47

JISC Conference 2007 Highlights

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +1200

The annual conference of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) was held in Birmingham on 13 March. JISC funds a range of ICT services and programmes to support education and research, including JANET, the UK equivalent of KAREN.

Papers and presentations from the conference are now available on-line. There is some really useful material here of interest to the KAREN community.

Check out the material from the sessions 'Why have a JANET connection?’ and ‘Virtual Research Environments in a real research world’, to get a flavour of the richness of digital content and the capabilities of virtual research environments made available via advanced networks.

Visit the JISC Conference website at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/events/2007/03/event_conf_0307.aspx

$2.6m for advanced networking

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +1200

REANNZ has awarded over $2.6 million to ten projects in the first round of its Working Group and Development Fund. This fund is aimed at developing capability around the use of KAREN and advanced networking techniques.

The ten successful projects are led by eight KAREN member organisations, including five universities and three Crown research institutes, and span the fields of e-research, microbiology, earthquake engineering, bioinformatics, grid computing and the social sciences.

See the media release for the full story and to view a summary description of the winning applications.

Media release: $2.6m invested in advanced networking capability (pdf)

da Vinci notebooks online

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +1300

The British Library has digitised and made available online two of Leonardo da Vincis' notebooks - called the Codex Leicester and the Codex Arundel.

The notebooks are made available online via the British Library's application 'Turning the Pages', which allows you to move and turn the pages as well as zoom in and rotate them.

Turning the Pages is an example of the kinds of projects being enabled and online content being made available through advanced research and education networks.

It is one of a number of projects that form part of the British Library's strategy to build a digital research environment; to digitise resources, collections and other valuable content and making them accessible and available online. This strategy is enhanced by JANET, the UK's advanced research and education network (see http://www.ukerna.ac.uk/). The broad take-up of JANET in the UK (18 million end users) means the Library is able to reach an audience of unprecedented size.

Both notebooks are freely available at the British Library website for the next five months .

KAREN on the radio

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +1300

Tune in to Radio New Zealand National's Insight programme at 8.15am this Sunday 18 March for a documentary piece on Business and Broadband, including interviews with early adopters of KAREN.

For those of you online, you can listen to a live stream of the programme at http://www.radionz.co.nz/__data/assets/audio_item/0019/8065/national.asx

Programmes can be played off the Insight page of the Radio New Zealand web site at http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight and audio can also be downloaded as a podcast.

Music of the Primes

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +1300

Professor Marcus du Sautoy from the University of Oxford is presenting The Music of the Primes, a public lecture exploring the mystery of prime numbers on Thursday 15 March, 6pm.

This lecture will be made available LIVE to New Zealand Universities over the NZ-AccessGRID on the KAREN network. It will be possible to fully participate remotely and to ask Prof du Sautoy questions at the end of the presentation.

Visit http://www.bestgrid.org/index.php/Marcus_du_Sautoy for further information on this captivating lecture and for technical information on hooking up.

eResearch Jargon Buster

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +1300

Does all of the jargon that comes with eResearch confuse you?

Visit the National Centre for e-Social Science's (NCeSS) new Jargon Buster at http://www.ncess.ac.uk/learning/jargon/ and find out what all of the abbreviations and terms mean!

If you have some jargon that needs busting that is not included in the Jargon Buster, NCeSS can add it to the list.

Proteomics Symposium 2007

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +1300

The Proteomics Facility, University of Auckland, will be hosting a one day symposium on 19 March, informing researchers from a diverse range of scientific backgrounds about both current and new proteomic technologies and methods available through The Proteomics Facility.

Presentations will be pitched at a level so that ‘non-experts’ in proteomics can learn what the facility does, who the staff are, what equipment the facility has and what they can do for you and your research.

If you're interested in participating in a session but not based in Auckland, plans are underway to broadcast the symposium live via KAREN and the NZ access grid.

Visit the website of the Proteomics Facility for further information: http://www.sbs.auckland.ac.nz/services/proteomics/index.htm

KAREN travel fund winners announced

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:00:00 +1300

$82,000 has been awarded to seven successful applications to the first round of the Event Support and Travel Fund. The Event Support and Travel Fund is one of two funds comprising REANNZ's Capability Build Fund (CBF) – designed to help raise awareness and use of KAREN and advanced networking techniques.

The Event Support and Travel Fund enables New Zealand members to attend national and international events. It is also available to support the travel of overseas-based leaders in networking technologies to and around New Zealand.

The successful applications to the fund come from members across the KAREN community, and span fields as diverse as bioinformatics, earthquake engineering, grid computing, and particle physics.

The successful projects and project leaders are:

e-Science – Dr Kris Bubendorfer, Victoria University of Wellington
Networks in Geographical Education – Lex Chalmers, University of Waikato
Earthquake Engineering on KAREN – Jason Ingham, University of Auckland
NZ-BioGrid – Dr Murray Grigor, University of Auckland
Access Grid NZ – Nathan Gardiner, HIT Lab NZ, University of Canterbury
NZCMS – Dr David Krofcheck, University of Auckland
Initiating IceCube High Performance and Grid Computing at the University of Canterbury – Dr. Surujhdeo Seunarine, University of Canterbury

Check out the second issue of hyphen (due out early March) to read a description of each winning project.

APAC 07

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +1300

APAC 07

The biennial Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing (APAC) Conference and Exhibition on Advanced Computing, Grid Applications and eResearch will be held in Perth, 8-12 October 2007. This event is the biggest of its kind in Australia.

The call for papers and information on opportunities for participation will be issued shortly.

See the APAC 07 website for further details: http://www.apac.edu.au/apac07

tech bLOG 2

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +1300

NZNOG 07

REANNZ was represented for the first time at the NZ Network Operators Group (NZNOG) 07. NZNOG provided an excellent opportunity for some of us to get together and discuss KAREN, the status of connections and some of the future possibilities for the network and those who use it.

Joerg Micheel from Telstra Clear presented a paper on the design and implementation of KAREN, which provided an interesting introduction to a discussion concerning the use of IPv6. NZNOG 2008 may be a useful forum for REANNZ to present information on KAREN in action, as we move forward from the design and implementation phase to the network in use.

Even without a KAREN specific session, NZNOG included information about tracking ASNs and route leakage, the future direction of APNIC and a perspective on the investment in fibre optic cable as a public utility, in addition to many other sessions relevant to KAREN users.

IPv6

It was noted at NZNOG that the debate on IPv6 implementation has been going on since the early 1990’s with little agreement. In that time, and despite the rapid change in technologies, there has been no real agreement on when (or if) administrators and designers should take the plunge and build IPv6 capable networks. One of the often stated barriers to development was that there was no infrastructure to connect to or an application using it, but this has now changed.

KAREN was built as both an IPv4 and IPv6 network and it is possible to peer directly via IPv6 and hence use it for end to end data transport. Microsoft’s latest release, Vista defaults to IPv6 and will try to find “6” services before IPv4 even though they may not be local to your network. The consensus was that although there may be no overriding reason to move to IPv6 right at this moment a new ‘killer app” could change the status quo very quickly. KAREN allows you to dip your toes into the IPv6 the sandpit (so to speak). I urge you to give it a go.

APNIC

APNIC held a seminar on Wednesday; the main issues touched on were IPv4 address conservation and the APNIC fee structure which is coming up for a vote at the forthcoming APNIC 23 conference. If you are a member you should get involved in the process as the current fee structure disadvantages small to medium sized members of which New Zealand has many.

Connection Update

New connections during January

Crop & Food

Anticipated connections during current month

University of Otago
University of Waikato

FP7 Global Information Day

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +1300

FP7 Global Information Day - 6 March 2007

FP7 (the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development) is an EU fund available to research communities in New Zealand.

Organised via Isabel (a multipoint group collaboration tool running on PCs), the Global Information Day aims to raise awareness among the non EU community on the upcoming call for proposals to this fund and to increase participation in future projects.

This Information Day will focus on the FP7 e-Infrastructure topic of the 'Capacities' programme which aims to optimise the use and development of research infrastructures.

For further information on the fund and how to participate in the Information Day visit http://cordis.europa.eu/ist/rn/ri-cnd/fp7global-infoday.htm

AARNet high definition video session

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +1300

AARNet High Definition (HD) Video Conferencing session

AARNet will hold an Ozeconference/information session on High Definition Video Conferencing at 2.00pm AEDST on Tuesday 13 February 2007. An invitation to KAREN members to also participate has been kindly extended by James Sankar, AARNet's Director of Applications and Services.

Will MacDonald, General Manager of Codian in the US will set the record straight on the term (HD). He will explain why and how it’s different and will profile Codian’s latest technology – the 4500 MCU. He will discuss what’s in the box and how it compares.

The first 40 minutes will be hosted on AARNet’s MCU and the last 20 minutes will be an opportunity to connect on to the Codian 4500. Connection details will be provided during the Ozeconf.

What’s in it for KAREN members?

Organisations are beginning to recognise the advantages that high definition brings to video conferencing. In the absence of professional lighting, makeup and camera crews, users are turning to technology to provide that true to life experience. The cost of the network and equipment required to support high definition will force a gradual migration. This session will explain how to make a smooth journey to true HD and how you can avoid unforeseen potholes.

How to attend?

If you are interested in participating, please provide the following details; your name, Institution, email, Telephone (during conference) and IP Addres, to

realtimecomms@aarnet.edu.au

or call + 61 02 6222 3555.

Capability build roadmap discussion document

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +1300

The KAREN Capability Build Advisory Panel has kick started the process of developing a New Zealand Roadmap for professional skill development and technical capability to outline capability building activities that should be pursued over the next three to four years. The goal of this programme is to improve the outcomes for NZ education and research sectors using KAREN and developing related e-research infrastructure and services.

Sam Searle, E-Research Coordinator at Victoria University Wellington, is running the research project. You can contact her by emailing Sam.searle@mcs.vuw.ac.nz. The deadline for feedback is Friday, 23 February 2007.

A copy of the discussion document KAREN Capability Development; A Roadmap for Activities 2007-2009

APAN23 Manila Trip Report

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 12:00:00 +1300

Trip Report: APAN23 Manila, January 2003

Donald Clark and Julie Watson from REANNZ and Paul Bonnington from University of Auckland attended the 23rd Asia Pacific Advanced Networks meeting in Manila. The meeting offered a chance to:

absorb the latest applications and technical development on NRENs internationally
renew and make fresh connections with people in other countries that will be valuable to KAREN's development and the success of our members
refine our plans for a series of July workshops and our hosting of APAN26 in August 2008.

The full trip report is available to the community.

It provides a succint summary of the important sessions, side meetings and general APAN protocols. It contains a number of actions and suggestions of New Zealand collaboration that we will be following up on - but Members are encouraged to be pro-active!

The report is a valuable resource for future New Zealand attendees at APAN meetings.

KAREN website phase 2

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 12:00:00 +1300

Development work on Phase 2 of the KAREN website is underway. The key development is the creation of community specific 'sub- sites' providing KAREN communities with their own online space. You will also see some changes to the main site, including the redesign of the homepage and the addition of a photo gallery.

The creation of these sub sites will provide a centralised interactive space for communities to share and discuss their ideas and experiences in advanced networking. Features will include email listservs, a calendar of events and booking facility, news area and discussion fora.

Communities will be able to own and manage their site through the roles of community administrators (membership and content administration) and community moderators (content moderation).

Contact Vicki Lindsay (vicki.lindsay (at) reannz.co.nz) if you are interested in establishing a community and / or becoming a community moderator or administrator.

Virtual seminar

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +1300

Virtual seminar on "Ancestral networks, and the curse of the unfaithful grandparents"

This seminar is a special 'Virtual' seminar that is being simultaneously presented at University of Auckland and University of Canterbury over Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN) using 'portable' AccessGRID technology.

The presenter is Prof Mike Steel from the University of Canterbury. The session will take place at 2pm, Monday, 5 Feb 2007 in Room 222 Maths (University of Auckland) and HitLab (University of Canterbury).

Seminar Synopsis:
Directed graphs provide the basic mathematical framework for representing ancestry in biology. Applications range across many scales: from trees and networks that describe how species have evolved from a common ancestor, to graphs that describe the more detailed relationship between individuals according to their parentage ('pedigrees'). In this talk Prof Steel will provide a brief overview of this topic, and then describe some recent results where mathematics (particularly probability theory and combinatorics) has led to new insights. He concludes with some of his recent work motivated by the question: how far into the past is it possible to reconstruct the detailed history of a given population?

BeSTGRID-HITLab-NZIMA 'Virtual' Seminar:
The BeSTGRID project (www.bestgrid.org) and HIT-Lab (www.hitlabnz.org) in conjunction with the New Zealand Institute of Mathematics & its Applications (NZIMA www.nzima.org) are pleased to demonstrate a facility where it is possible to present a typical research seminar to a local audience in one location on the KAREN network, and for that to be simultaneously projected to an audience at another. Furthermore, video communication is two-way (to facilitate discussions), with multiple cameras and a shared whiteboard.

It is based on portable AccessGRID technology being demonstrated in New Zealand by BeSTGRID and HITLab (flash video introduction to AccessGRID: http://www.agsc.ja.net/training/ag-agsc-intropt1.swf)

This seminar will be the first in New Zealand to utilise the 'portable' BeSTGRID and HITLab AccessGRID technology on the KAREN network.

Technical Requirements:
Any Access node can participate in the seminar.

Connect to the venue server:
https://agvenue.karen.canterbury.ac.nz:9000/Venues/default
using version 2.4 of AccessGRID
OR

https://agvenue.karen.canterbury.ac.nz:8000/Venues/default
using version 3.02 of AccessGRID

Choose the NZ Institutions lobby
and then the "BeSTGRID" Room
(Video and Audio IP 233.36.216.14 Video Port Multicast 59002 Audio Port
59004)

In order to view the seminar whiteboard, you will be required to install the "Shared Desktop" package in AccessGRID, together with RealVNC

http://www.westgrid.ca/collabvis/research-agshareddesktop.php

For further information, please contact: Paul Bonnington <p.bonnington@auckland.ac.nz> (BeSTGRID) or Nathan Gardiner <nathan.gardiner@canterbury.ac.nz> (HitLab-NZ)

HIT Lab Next Generation Collaboration

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +1300

The HIT Lab NZ is holding an invitation only workshop on Next Generation Collaboration on February 8th.
The workshop will focus on key video conferencing methods, collaboration and applications that are available now in New Zealand over high speed IP networks. With the launch of KAREN (Kiwi Advanced Research & Education Network) late last year bringing Gigabit bandwidth speeds to Universities and Research Institutions in New Zealand, next generation collaboration can now be achieved at a higher quality and larger scales.

Attendees will have a chance to learn and experience video and audio hardware equipment that is currently setup on the KAREN network here at HIT Lab NZ as well as exploring future developments in video conferencing. They will see research and commercially available systems such as Access Grid, Conference XP and LifeSize, get a good overview of the fundamentals of collaborative technology and explore some of the current hot topics for future research.

Presenters include Don Clark, CEO of REANNZ (http://www.reannz.co.nz/), Professor Tom Furness, Dr Michael Haller, and HIT Lab NZ staff and students.

The workshop is free and will be for a full day at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch.

To register please contact Daniela Achatz or Donna Salaiau on 03-364-2349 or via email, info@hitlabnz.org telling them you would like to register for the Next Generation Collaboration workshop. Note that spaces are limited and will be filled on a first come first served basis.

For more information about the event and to confirm an invitation please contact Nathan Gardiner at nathan.gardiner@hitlabnz.org

Virtual World Music

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +1300

HITLabNZ took part in an international music collaboration using KAREN on 17 January involving University of Canterbury, Western Australia University, Manchester University, Sheffield University, Bristol University, Lancaster University and a couple other sites in UK. A musician was stationed at each site and together they brought a new meaning to the term "World Music" by playing as an ensemble, despite being separated by thousands of miles.

"It was a starting workshop to look into the ability of creating a musical orchestra over Access Grid comprising of musician from each site. It was great fun.", Nathan Gardiner, HITLabNZ

The low latency provided by KAREN and the other NRENs being used in the workshop make such real-time applications possible. The workshop used Access Grids to provide flexible video conferencing.

2006 Trip Reports

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +1300

REANNZ staff were fortunate to undertake two international trips during 2006.

Mark Cordy and Donald Clark visited NRENs (national R&E networks), metro networks and government agencies in October in Canada, UK, and Singapore - Download Trip Report
Julie Watson and Charles Jarvie visited NRENs and metro networks in the UK and attended the Internet2 conference in the USA - Download Trip Report

Both trips were very valuable in gathering the latest international best practice on NREN applications, governance, and usage. We were also able to spread the word that New Zealand was now a part of the international NREN community. Many contacts were made. Everyone we met was delighted KAREN was now a reality and was keen to connect on both a technical and application level.

The reports contain interesting observations on both schools / education connectivity issues and regional access, particularly with reference to the different models employed across the UK.

Nextspace

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +1300

KAREN is designed to support innovative partnerships like the new Auckland-based graphical communications technology incubator, Nextspace.

Right Hemisphere®, the leading provider of Product Graphics Management (PGM) software, has appointed Kiwi virtual reality expert Dr. Roy Davies to manage, Nextspace. An extensively published and world-renowned expert on the subject of virtual reality, Dr. Davies returns home to New Zealand from Sweden where he established a research-focused virtual reality centre from the ground up at the University of Lund.

Nextspace is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Right Hemisphere and not-for profit organisation slated to open for business later in the year. Nextspace will conduct research and development but will also have a more commercial dimension, bringing together technologies to create commercial applications and potential new 3D graphic communication products and solutions. The company will seek to establish close links with both New Zealand universities and other research organisations.

"Nextspace aims to make graphical communications technology a major industry and export for New Zealand," said Dr. Davies.

Nextspace has already established a relationship with the New Zealand Supercomputer Centre (NZSC) to access the supercomputing resources necessary to support its programme. Dr. Davies said Nextspace's collaboration with the NZSC would allow its users to gain easy access to processing capabilities for important calculations, simulations or time-critical solutions.

The opportunities provided by KAREN partnering with Nextspace for international collaboration on research and commercial applications are very much in line with the vision of this highspeed research and education network's contribution to an innovative New Zealand.

More information can be found at http://www10.mcadcafe.com/nbc/articles/view_article.php?articleid=342625&page_no=1

TECH Blog 1

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

TECH Blog1

Hi all, as you know KAREN is now live. We terminated the first connections on 17^th December and now have seven Active members peering via IPv4, and one who is also peering via IPv6. Currently connected members are:

SCION
Auckland University
Canterbury University
REANNZ office
AUT
Massey University
Victoria University Wellington

There is still work to do on IP6, routes and peering, but national and international IP4 unicast and multicast routes are available to members. We should still expect the occasional issue however as KAREN routing policies are tuned. If you are experiencing reachability or stability issues we ask you to please log a call with the KAREN helpdesk on 0508 466466 rather than communicate with engineers directly. This will assist us to track problems.

Domain name services

Currently there are no DNS services within KAREN, until they go live it is suggested that R&E network names be resolved from Caltech’s DNS, ns1.ultralight.org 192.84.86.88

APNIC prop-032 32bit AS Numbers

If you are applying to APNIC for a new AS number in order to be able to connect to KAREN please note that from 1^st January 2007 APNIC will be assigning 32 bit ASN’s (AS numbers in the range 65,536 – 4,294,967,295) by default, this range is as yet untested within KAREN and may cause issues with specific vendors BGP implementations. To avoid these issues we advise you to specifically request a 16 bit ASN which are still available.

The future of the Tech Section on the website

As time goes by we will be adding further functionality, tools and documents to the technical section of the website. The first phase will include white papers on REANNZ experience of setting up a KAREN connection, sample configurations, various on net tools and additional network Weathermap functions http://erg.wand.net.nz/weathermap/weathermap.php

KAREN is live

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +1300

MEDIA RELEASE

KAREN goes live New Zealand’s high speed research, education and innovation network is up and running

The Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network, or KAREN, is now live. This 10Gb/s network is immediately available to all KAREN’s foundation members: New Zealand’s eight Universities, nine Crown Research Institutes and the National Library. The network is dedicated to fostering collaboration in teaching, learning, research and innovation by seamlessly connecting members with researchers, educators, data and internet resources anywhere in the world at any time.

“Initially the advantages for members connected to KAREN will be vastly increased speeds accessing data and better quality and more reliable video conferencing platforms,” says Donald Clark Chief Executive, KAREN. “Very quickly our members will develop their capabilities to use this 21st century enabling technology to transform their teaching and research practices. In the longer term as schools, museums and libraries are connected, along with private sector innovation partners, KAREN will become an essential piece of infrastructure an innovative New Zealand.”

“TelstraClear has worked consistently with the KAREN team to provide the live backbone of KAREN, which we intend to continue to develop and operate in a flexible way to meet the needs of the R & E Community,” says Dr Allan Freeth, Chief Executive, TelstraClear. “This is a significant milestone for research and education in New Zealand and TelstraClear is committed to enabling this capability to continue.”

Several members have been using the network on a pilot basis since August 2006. Immediate uses include real-time access to data sets and resources nationally and internationally, high quality video conferencing and increased computational power through GRID computing.

Researchers in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Auckland University are actively participating in earthquake simulation experiments at the US based Network Earthquake Engineering Simulation. KAREN gives the engineers in Auckland the ability to carry out remote experiments through the use of advanced telepresence technologies. Where once they were solely observers of international earthquake experimentation, they now participate on an equal footing with their international collaborators.

The Human Interface Technology Lab (HITLab) has developed AccessGrid venue servers to enable people to log in and link up with others on the network nationally or internationally. KAREN has enabled the HITLab to push forward the boundaries of high definition virtual reality from its New Zealand base.

SCION, a recognized leader in biomaterials science, is an early adopter of this technology sharing large data sets with their Australian joint venture research counterparts. KAREN will underpin the communications of this trans-Tasman organization.

Auckland and Oxford Universities held the first of their videoconferencing sessions using Auckland University’s BeSTGRID Portable AccessGRID. Five Maths Educationists, three in New Zealand and two in Oxford, were able to discuss new possibilities for collaboration provided to them as if they were in the same room, particularly joint viewing of numerical and video data (from research projects) and discussions in real time.

Media contact: Julie Watson, Communities Manager, REANNZ Phone +64 4 913 1095, +64 21 674 954

Dark fibre for internal networks

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:00:00 +1300

For those of you not on Bill St Arnaud's mailing list, here is a link to a GEM of an article originally posted on enterprisenetworksandservers.com. It highlights the cost-effective potential for deploying fibre within your organisation beyond the core.

http://lists.canarie.ca/pipermail/news/2006/000359.html

As we saw in the KAREN proof-of-concept, internal networks can be a bottleneck to delivering KAREN speeds reliably to key groups of users. And upgrading an entire infrastructure may not be an option! Some of the options outlined in the article may be of interest to members thinking through how best to promulgate their KAREN connection internally.

KAREN Working Group and Development Fund

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +1300

The 2006 KAREN Working Group and Development Fund application round closes at 4pm next Friday, 24 November 2006. This fund is part of an overall Capability Build Fund operated by REANNZ and administered by the Royal Society (http://www.rsnz.org/funding/karen/). The CBF is available to build awareness of the potential of KAREN though producing success stories and facilitating New Zealand access to international funding.

There is a strong need to enable effective use of KAREN through developing a culture among educators and researchers that includes elements of awareness and ability in advanced networking techniques. Effective use of KAREN will involve new collaborations across disciplines and organisations and will be fostered within a community ethos of sharing knowledge and technology development

Inuk IPTV on JANET

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +1300

IPTV trials on JANET go mainstream

UK Company Inuk has been trialing an IPTV multicast service over the UK's advanced network, JANET, for the last year.

http://www.inuknetworks.com/janet.html

The trials have been successful and the company now plans to scale up its offering into a full commercial service. It is appears to be pursuing a wholesale model where it will work with ISPs and LLU providers to deliver service to retail customers.

Inuk met recently with Bill St Arnaud in Canada, a global thought leader on R&E networks, and indicated the service may shortly be made available to all the R&E networks around the world.

Earthquake Engineering Simulation

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 12:00:00 +1300

The New Zealand Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NZNEES) now have a website http://www.nznees.auckland.ac.nz It is still very much a work in progress and probably a couple weeks behind of where we are actually at.

There have been quite a few exciting developments at our place over the last few weeks. Quincy Ma is currently in Taiwan where the University of Auckland has been invited to join ANCER, the Asia pacific network for earthquake engineering http://mceer.buffalo.edu/research/International_Research/ANCER/ He will soon be looking to start working on collaborative projects with new South and North Asian partners.

Also in Taiwan, Quincy met with one of the principle investigators for UKNEES, (a joint project from Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol). http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/ViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/D080088/1

NZNEES group are planning a collaborative project on “Real Time Distributed Testing”, where parties from UK and NZ, test parts of a large civil engineering structure (perhaps NZ in the field, UK in a laboratory), and then linking the experimental data together in real time using a high speed network to simulate something much bigger.

Quincy hopes KAREN will be expanding in these regions to keep them going!

The NZNEES group have recently conducted a “rocking wall” test, U.S. participants did the numerical modelling and observed the testing in real time, unfortunately not through KAREN.

Quincy Ma, Lecturer, Dept.of Civil and Environmental Engineering

University of Auckland, New Zealand q.ma@auckland.ac.nz

Science, technology and bandwidth

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 12:00:00 +1300

From Royal Society Alert No 144

The latest edition of eJournal USA focuses on science as an international undertaking through a growing array of collaborative efforts, technical journals, conferences, the Internet, and dedicated high-bandwidth data networks for research and education.

The eJournal has many examples of US participation. For example, Scott Horowitz of NASA describes how the world's spacefaring nations are collaborating. Three health researchers talk about work with Thailand, Central and Eastern Europe, and Peru. NASA tells of a rare total solar eclipse observed in Libya's southern desert. Norbert Holtkamp, who will lead the construction of the world's largest fusion experiment, explains how it could become a clean energy source for a growing world demand. See http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/1006/ijge/ijge1006.htm for more.

CBF first round opens

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 12:00:00 +1200

REANNZ's Capability Build Advisory Panel identifies opportunities to facilitate and fund training and pilot activities. The fund is now open for its first round of applications

Capability build fund activities will enhance the skills of people working with KAREN and support functional delivery opportunities, to build usage of the Research and Education Network.

For successful applications to the fund, it will be necessary as a minimum to meet the Panel's criteria. The Royal Society is hosting the application process at http://www.rsnz.org/funding/karen/

More information about the Capability Build Fund can be found at http://www.karen.net.nz/capability-build-fund/

Annual Tertiary IT Conference 2006

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +1200

Annual Tertiary IT Conference, 12-14 September 2006, Christchurch, NZ

I attended the first day of the Annual Tertiary IT Conference (http://www.tertiaryitconference.co.nz/). It was well attended with about 70 delegates; a mix of vendors and IT staff from the Tertiary Education Institutes (TEIs), most of the Universities and some Industry Training Oganisations. John Buckler, conference host, had organised a good mix of speakers, breakout sessions, roundtables and plenary sessions over the 3 days. I gave an overview presentation on KAREN, the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network.

It was pleasing to hear Roger Field, Vice Chancellor of Lincoln University, talk about the fruition of New Zealand’s own research and education network, KAREN, in his opening address. He emphasized how important KAREN is for New Zealand’s research and education communities.

I had a good conversation with Larry Podmore, Canterbury Development Corporation, around their Broadband Challenge win (http://www.digitalstrategy.govt.nz) and projects on the go to get local access. This project will be an interesting one to watch.

General discussions with people from polytechs and TEIs centred on the best commercial and access models to encourage connection. One way to do this in the TEI / ITP / Schools sector may be to leverage existing clusters / groups of institutions.

Other feedback included REANNZ providing more info on our website on local access connection options and on our Network Access Policy and Acceptable Use Policy.

For any further information on connection issues email us at techinfo@reannz.co.nz or log on to this BLOG for regular general updates.

High Performing Computing Workshop

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:00:00 +1200

A High Performing Computing (HPC) Workshop is being organised by the Royal Society to share information about current HPC projects, existing facilities, grid middleware tools and networks.

The workshop also aims to reach a preliminary position on the desired state for HPC resources and to identify areas of coordinated activity. The outcome is to design a path forward and allocate tasks to achieve this.

The meeting will be chaired by Professor Ian Town, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Canterbury.

The meeting, initially planned to be held in Wellington, has had a change of venue to fit in with the Australasian High Energy Physics and Medical Physics Conference (http://www2.phys.canterbury.ac.nz/~jcw83/conf/index.php). It will now be held at the Great Hall, The Chateau-on-the-Park, Christchurch at 2pm ~5pm on Thursday, 19 October. The HPC workshop has been designed to fit in with the Australasian High Energy Physics and Medical Physics Conference programme.

To register, please e-mail Jez.Weston@rsnz.org before Tuesday 10 October. For further agenda information email Charles.jarvie@reannz.co.nz

KAREN Launch Release

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +1200

MEDIA RELEASE

KAREN lives after a successful launch on 31 August by the Rt Hon Helen Clark.

The event took place in the University of Auckland's Access Grid Suite, allowing live presentations from the Human Interface Technology Lab in Canterbury and the NEES@auckland office. In attendance were representatives from New Zealand's Universities and Crown Research Institutes, telecommunications and technology experts and others who had played a part in getting the network project to this point.

It was also webcast and watched around the world. You can find about more about the work taking place at the HITLab and Auckland University through the case studies. The media release and backgrounder provide more information. REANNZ staff would like to thank everyone for making it a successful occasion.

KAREN Launch

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +1200

KAREN goes live 6:30pm 31 August 2006

The Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN) is being launched by the Rt Hon Helen Clark, today, Thursday 31 August in Auckland at 6:30pm in the ACCESS GRID SUITE of the Human Sciences Building, Auckland University, New Zealand. For those of you who are unable to make it, we have a live webcast of the launch at the following URL http://www.r2.co.nz/20060831 (The link will be live from around 6:00pm).

We know for some of you the time zone difference is not convenient so we will look to keep some edited highlights for subsequent streaming, along with copies of the speeches and media releases. This is an exciting new development for e-research and education in New Zealand which we'd like to share with you.

International partnerships

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +1200

REANNZ has signed its first two international partnership agreements with National Lambda Rail (http://www.nlr.net/) and Internet2 (http://www.internet2.edu/) in the USA. These memoranda of understanding (MoU) will enable New Zealand researchers and educators on these networks to interact and collaboarate seamlessly.

These MoU provide for KAREN, National Lambda Rail and Internet2 networks to interconnect, opening up a huge number of potential North American partners for Kiwi institutions.

The full text of these MoU is available in the resource library.

Proof of Concept update

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +1200

Testing of the network during the important proof of concept phase is progressing well. TelstraClear and Verizon Business, working with a dedicated team from University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, Scion in Rotorua, and REANNZ staff, have succeeded in:

lighting up the fibre connection nationally across the backbone between Auckland and Canterbury and internationally through to North America and Australia
running Access Grid sessions from multiple locations
streaming high definition video over IPv4 multicast
checking network protocols
testing JumboFrame handling.

We are gaining valuable experience and uncovering some of the practicalities of connecting to and using KAREN. The learnings gained will be shared with the community through refined policies, connection support documents and workshops.

The Proof of Concept will end on 1 September following its support of the public launch event on 31 August.

Proof of Concept begins

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 12:00:00 +1200

MEDIA RELEASE

The Government’s super-fast research and education network began its proof of concept phase this week, with the “lighting up” of the first fibre optic-based link between Auckland and Canterbury.

Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand (REANNZ), the company set up by the Government to build and operate the network, said today that the equipment on the network successfully exchanged data between Internet Protocol addresses.

The advanced network is a fibre optic telecommunications network that runs from Auckland to Dunedin. That “backbone” will carry data at 10Gbit per second – which is 40,000 times faster than domestic broadband (Using 256kbps as a basic broadband speed) – and aims to deliver high speed data connectivity to users’ desktops at up to 100Mbit per second.

The users will be academics and researchers at New Zealand’s educational institutions, Crown Research Institutes and their partners. The network is needed to share resources and analytical tools on a secure, stable dedicated network, and exchange very large amounts of data nationally and internationally, at data throughput speeds not achievable over the standard internet.

That means that 10Gbytes of data used for research such as building movement dynamics, or plant and animal genetic analysis, could theoretically be delivered in 8 seconds, rather than the 22 hours it might currently take on a 1Mbit per second link (10Gbytes = 80Gbits, which at 10Gbits/s is 8 secs. 22 hours is approx 80,000 secs, implying a 1Mpbs link, for comparison).

The government has put $43 million into developing the network in partnership with 17 founding member institutions, including all New Zealand’s universities, Crown research institutes and the National Library.

REANNZ Development Manager Charles Jarvie said the network had been built over the past few months. It comprises dedicated fibre optic capacity provided by TelstraClear, REANNZ owned switches and routers at regional points of presence plus international connectivity to the USA and Australia. It supports both Ethernet and Internet Protocol providing flexibility in the ways computers and networks can ‘talk’ to each other.

The proof of concept phase that started this week will “test and stress” various functions and configurations of the network to confirm expected performance.

“For instance, we’ll be testing its ability to support the multi-cast protocol, where the network preserves access bandwidth by replicating large data streams – such as occur with high quality video links. This allows the sender to deliver to several different locations using a single stream, instead of generating multiple streams which would quickly congest slower local access arrangements.

“We’ll also use ‘jumbo frames’, which improves the ability of the network to send large data files. Essentially they’re linked into a train, rather than sent as separate ‘cars’. Again, that reduces the overhead placed on the sending and receiving systems managing the data flows and thus speeds up the process,” he said. This week, the network was lit up between Canterbury and Auckland Universities. However Mr Jarvie said by the end of November the network will be live to Dunedin, with the ability to connect between “nodes” to several parts of the country, including Waikato, Rotorua, Palmerston North, Havelock North, Nelson and the Hutt Valley.

“Initially it is universities, the National Library and Crown research institutes that will connect, but there is huge potential for schools, polytechnics, private research organisations and relevant government departments to come on board,” said Charles Jarvie.

At least forty other countries currently have one or more advanced networks, all of which are reachable from each other. REANNZ’s network will allow New Zealand to catch up with, and connect to, its international research and education partners.

“We are now about two-thirds of the way to delivering to New Zealand’s researchers and educators a fantastically valuable new tool. But it will be their relationships, skill and imagination which will unlock the huge potential, ,” Mr Jarvie said.