Words by: Rita Meneses (Trust-IT), Gideon van den Berg (ESADE), Maciej Brzezniak (PSNC) and Jakub Moscicki (CERN)
Researchers often need to access and interact with data stored in different clouds, crossing institutional and national boundaries. This requires using different tools, interfaces, and authentication methods and it stands in the way of efficient data-based collaboration. Fragmentation of research does not encourage efficient data re-use. Lack of interoperability impacts the user experiences and productivity.
The Science Mesh, from the CS3MESH4EOSC project, is a federation of distributed data storage and sharing services, known as Enterprise File Sync and Share (EFSS) services, where cloud platforms from different providers, known “as nodes”, are interconnected. Science Mesh users can easily share and manage data through the familiar interfaces of their institutional services and collaborate with colleagues from other organisations.
The Science Mesh services are not specific to any particular research discipline: they address the needs of a wide array of users (including academia and research industries) who are interested in scientific collaboration. They aim to serve not only well-organised user communities within existing Research infrastructures such as European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs), National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) and other official clusters, but also individual researchers and smaller research groups. The Mesh aims to integrate into EOSC, allowing further expansion where EOSC users can access and produce FAIR data as well as utilise other research products provided through EOSC, all while using their own home EFSS service.
The differentiation in the Science Mesh value proposition compared to what currently exists can create a new market space and demand. Users are given the guarantee that they retain control over their remote or domestic datasets, while at the same time being supported in the transition to being FAIR-compliant.
Furthermore, the Science Mesh is an open platform with several tools distributed into 4 main groups of data services:
- Data Science Environments: access remote execution environments that provide collaborative workflows on Jupyter Notebooks in federated distributed cloud.
- Open Data Systems: organise work-data via tagging and metadata assignment and support users in depositing data into open and institutional repositories.
- On-demand data transfers: high-speed transfer of datasets from remote locations to local sites across different countries.
- Collaborative Documents: co-edit documents of various types, namely text, markdown, spreadsheets, and diagrams.
Within each category, the user has at their fingertips several technologies that are integrated within the Mesh. More tools can be added to the Mesh by the technology providers themselves, enabling them a global reach and exposure to a limitless user base.
Say goodbye to problems with inefficient data sharing and access and “Mesh” yourself!
Join the Science Mesh as a researcher, developer, or service provider
- See how your cloud platform can become a Science Mesh node: io/#persona-service-provider
- See how you can become a user of the Science Mesh: io/#persona-researcher
- See how to add your tool into the Science Mesh: io/#persona-developer
Visit the website to access tutorials & resources you need to get started https://sciencemesh.io
Watch our Science Mesh video on how different users get benefits from the tool
For further information about CS3MESH4EOSC, visit cs3mesh4eosc.eu
And join the Science Mesh session at TNC23 in Tirana (Albania) on 9 June 2023 (09:00 – 12:30 CEST). Register & save your seat now! cs3mesh4eosc.eu/node/328
Please note: This is a TNC23 side meeting. In order to attend, you will need to register to the side meeting and to purchase a side meeting pass, in addition to your regular TNC pass.
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