The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is developing a Science DMZ, a computer network capable of operating at 100 Gigabits per second that connects scientists to external partners and allows research data and equipment to be accessed locally regardless of actual location. Capitalizing on the existing UNH LAN design and 750 miles of UNH leased dark fiber cyberinfrastructure in New Hampshire, this Science DMZ creates a 100-fold increase in bandwidth available to UNH researchers for exchanging research data with worldwide collaborators over Internet2. Data-intensive research areas participating in the initial UNH Science DMZ deployment include Atmospheric & Geospace Research, Civil Engineering & Structural Health Monitoring, Experimental Fluid Dynamics & Flow Physics, Genomics, Ocean Mapping & Visualization, and research into high performance networking itself.
UNH's Science DMZ offers researchers the ability to move data from generating instruments to storage repositories in high-availability data centers across the campus, ensuring that data security, management, and accessibility are maintained for both local and remote research teams. Real-time remote equipment management and data transfers from sensor networks and satellite feeds are enabled by the UNH research network upgrades and offer greater opportunities for collaboration by researchers.
This project will spawn new methods of data sharing and collaboration, offering NH researchers the means to participate in solving the grand challenges facing science today - complex problems requiring multidisciplinary, large-scale approaches. The Science DMZ will be a model for expansion of "big-data" scientific data stores and real-time collaboration for all levels of student education and scientific research.
