Fundamental Cyberinfrastructure for Productive Science and Engineering: Identification of Barriers to and Enablers of Successful Projects

本研究确定了科学驱动因素、必要的基础设施、所需的教育以及实施网络资源和吸引将使用它们的研究人群的当前障碍和使能因素。科学和工程研究的数字组成部分继续增加，为各种研究社区开发和支持网络基础设施存在相当大的压力。一些网络基础设施项目从根本上改变了科学开展的方式，而另一些项目则没有，目前尚不清楚哪些问题或社区应该获得这些资源。为了帮助为网络基础设施投资决策提供信息，本项目确定了科学和工程问题的类型以及可以从网络基础设施工具的开发和可用性中获益最多的社区类型。本研究使用大规模焦点小组进行深入的网络基础设施需求分析，确定潜在的科学或工程改进和发现领域，并列举网络基础设施工具成功必须解决的非技术方面。该研究解决了一个重要的理论和实践问题：如何识别和支持科学和工程协作团队，其中一些团队可能是预先出现的，或者目前可能没有使用网络基础设施。研究结果将展示网络基础设施如何促进研究合作，从而在其他科学和工程领域实现转型。调查潜在的、新生的和现有的合作的科学驱动因素是识别、培养和支持团队的关键一步，这些团队将是未来科学和工程进步的核心。研究结果将有助于优先考虑网络基础设施工具开发和部署的资金决策，以提高可持续性，最大化科学影响，并使代表性不足的群体和少数族裔机构的参与者能够参与科学和工程合作。

This research identifies the science drivers, necessary infrastructure, required education, and current barriers and enablers to implementing cyber-resources and engaging the research populations who would use them. The digital component of science and engineering research continues to increase and there is considerable pressure to develop and support cyberinfrastructure for various research communities. Some cyberinfrastructure projects fundamentally change the way science is conducted while others do not and it is not clear which problems or communities should receive these resources. To help inform cyberinfrastructure investment decisions, this project identifies the types of scientific and engineering problems and the types of communities that can most benefit from the development and availability of cyberinfrastructure tools. This research uses large-scale focus groups to perform an in-depth cyberinfrastructure needs analysis, identify areas of potential scientific or engineering improvement and discovery, and enumerate non-technological facets that must be addressed for cyberinfrastructure tools to be successful. The research addresses a significant theoretical and practical problem: how to identify and support scientific and engineering collaborative teams, some of which may be pre-emergent or may not currently be using cyberinfrastructure. The results will show how cyberinfrastructure can catalyze research collaborations enabling a transformation in additional scientific and engineering fields.Investigating the science drivers of potential, nascent and existing collaborations is a crucial step in identifying, nurturing, and supporting the teams that will be central to future advances in science and engineering. Results will help prioritize funding decisions about cyberinfrastructure tool development and deployment to enhance sustainability, maximize scientific impact, and enable participants from under-represented groups and minority institutions to participate in scientific and engineering collaborations.