CC* Regional Networking: Connecting Colorado's Western Slope Small Institutions of Higher Education to the Front Range GigaPoP Regional R&E Infrastructure

高速、可靠的网络基础设施对于组织在当今快速发展的科学和技术环境中蓬勃发展的能力至关重要。这种网络连接对于商业、科学调查、通信、全球协作、教育和外展的成功至关重要。科罗拉多州西部在网络连接方面面临地理上的挑战，有广阔的农村地区，人口密度低，以及山脉和多岩石地形的自然障碍。科罗拉多州的“前沿范围”得益于更大、更密集的人口，那里的高速网络连接很普遍，而且相对负担得起。与大陆分水岭以西的社区“西坡”相比，一个“大陆”数字鸿沟将前线地区可用的研究与教育(R&A；E；E)网络接入水平分开。该项目将前线范围GigaPoP(FRGP‘s)研究与教育网络连接扩展到两所大学(科罗拉多州梅萨大学和西科罗拉多大学)以及科罗拉多州西坡的落基山生物实验室。该项目与一家成熟的地区性非营利性中程网络提供商合作，创建一个虚拟路由和转发网络覆盖网络，以提供R&A；E服务。这将与其合作伙伴创建一个区域聚合点，并使用10 Gbps租用光纤线路连接各机构。汇聚点取代了商业、低带宽的互联网服务。该项目为西坡的R&A；E组织提供了聚合其网络流量并全面参与FRGP的基础设施。这种模式可以复制，将更多的社区连接到研发基础设施，从而优化合作伙伴关系和现有网络基础设施投资的价值。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

High-speed, reliable, networking infrastructure is vital to an organization’s ability to thrive and flourish in today’s rapidly evolving scientific and technical environments. Such network connectivity is essential for success in business, scientific investigation, communication, global collaboration, education, and outreach. Western Colorado is geographically challenged for network connectivity, with expansive rural areas, low population density, and natural impediments of mountains and rocky terrain. Colorado’s “Front Range” benefits from larger, denser populations where high-speed network connectivity is prevalent and relatively affordable. A “continental” digital divide separates the level of Research and Education (R&E) network access available to the Front Range compared to the communities west of the Continental Divide, the “Western Slope.”The project extends the Front Range GigaPoP’s (FRGP's) R&E network connectivity to two universities (Colorado Mesa University and Western Colorado University) and to the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory on the Colorado’s Western Slopes. This project partners with an established regional non-profit middle mile network provider to create a Virtual Routing and Forwarding network overlay to deliver R&E services. This creates a regional aggregation point with its partners and connects the institutions using 10 Gbps leased fiber circuits. The aggregation point replaces commercial, low-bandwidth internet services. This project provides R&E organizations on the Western Slope the infrastructure to aggregate their network traffic and fully participate in the FRGP. This model can be replicated to connect additional communities to the R&E infrastructure, which optimizes the value of partnerships and existing network infrastructure investments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.