MMDA: Experimental Traffic Scheme in Katipunan to Continue

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During the news on TV (Channel 7, Unang Hirit) yesterday, August 13, 2008, a Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) official announced that the "Experimental" Traffic Scheme in Katipunan will continue.

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What is the Scientific Basis of MMDA's Traffic Scheme in Katipunan?

Figure Caption: A simplified diagram of traffic flow in the vicinity of Ateneo de Manila University in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.


Yesterday, the Philippine Inquirer Online published an article which states that soon there will only be one vehicle entrance to the Ateneo Campus. (See link: http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/08/update-on-katipunan-traffic-from.html).

This proposal was negated by an Ateneo official announcement. (See related blog entry: http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/08/ateneos-position-on-proposed-mmda.html).

As a concerned citizen, I would like to make a critique on the proposed traffic scheme of MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority):

1. In the current set-up there are three operational vehicle entrances to the Ateneo campus: Gates 1, 2, and 3; and there are two vehicle exits: Gates 2.5 and 3.5. (Note: Gate 1 is open only during morning rush hour).

2. During morning peak hours, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. the bulk of vehicles entering the Ateneo campus are those used by Grade School and High School students. These vehicles may use Gates 1 and 2 for the Grade School and Gates 2 and 3 for the High School.

3. In the proposed traffic scheme by MMDA, motorists may no longer use Gates 1 and 2 and only Gate 3 will be used to enter Ateneo. MMDA's reason (according to news report) is to prevent clogging near the Katipunan-Aurora flyover.

4. What is the effect of this proposed new traffic scheme? From the simplified diagram (shown above) we can see that if motorists will be allowed to enter only through Gate 3 and they will be allowed to exit through Gates 2, 2.5 and 3.5, there will still be clogging in the area between Gate 2 and Gate 3, and this will create a potential gridlock. In fact, there will be a bigger chance of accidents happening because vehicles exiting from Gate 2.5 (and Gate 2 if allowed) will be in conflict with vehicles trying to enter Ateneo through Gate 3.

5. The proposed MMDA scheme will not solve clogging of vehicles in Katipunan area (in the vicinity of Ateneo de Manila University). Instead of solving a traffic problem, it will spawn other traffic problems both inside and outside the Ateneo Campus.

6. The MMDA should have a public forum where the MMDA's proposal can be presented (so it can be discussed openly) BEFORE the scheme is implemented. The MMDA cannot arbitrarily impose on the public whatever scheme they want to do, especially if the scheme is without a scientific basis!


Raffy
(A victim of MMDA traffic mismanagement)
12 August 2008

( Note: Sometime in 2000 and 2001 my thesis student (Winfer Tabares) and I did a research project on modeling and simulation of traffic using cellular automata. However, the model needs to be updated considering the various traffic schemes that MMDA is implementing in the Katipunan area.)
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Ateneo's Position on the Proposed MMDA Traffic Scheme in Katipunan

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From the Ateneo Blueboard (12 August 2008):

TRAFFIC BULLETIN
(Tuesday, 12 August 2008)


MMDA has submitted a proposed traffic scheme in Katipunan that may require adjustments in the entrance and exit gates on campus. This is still only a proposal that will be considered and submitted to all units concerned for their feedback and comments.


In the meantime, there are no changes in the traffic scheme on campus. Should there be changes in the traffic flow on campus, announcements and notices will be posted ahead of time.
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An Update on Katipunan Traffic (from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

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Here's an update on the Katipunan traffic situation as published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view/20080811-153994/Ateneo-entrance-at-Gate-3-U-turn-slot-stays-closed--MMDA


Ateneo entrance at Gate 3; U-turn slot stays closed--MMDA

By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:14:00 08/11/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Starting this week, students and teachers on board vehicles will be allowed to enter Ateneo de Manila University only through the campus’ Gate 3 to prevent queuing of cars and the clogging of traffic on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, officials said.

Following talks with school officials on Monday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said the entry point of the Loyola campus of Ateneo would be moved from Gate 2 to Gate 3.

But the U-turn slot shall remain closed to motorists, said MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno.

MMDA Traffic Operations Center Director Angelito Vergel de Dios said the decision was reached because of observations that the vehicle pileup often occurred in front of Gate 2 due to its proximity to the Aurora flyover.

On the other hand, those leaving the campus shall be allowed to use the Gate 2 exit, Vergel de Dios said, although he was not sure if they could still use the Gate 3 exit.

He said the new scheme would be implemented most likely on Wednesday after the parents and students had been notified.


Nacianceno said they observed that traffic on Katipunan Avenue Monday eased at about 7: 30 a.m., which was earlier than usual.


He said the closing of the U-turn slot did not affect traffic that much despite complaints, and it was the queuing at Gate 2 that caused much of the problem.


Robert Esquivel, chief of the MMDA's traffic enforcement unit, said he hoped the new scheme would ease traffic even more.


Noting the relatively smooth traffic Monday, Esquivel said there might not be any more need to reopen the U-turn slot again, especially if the new scheme worked.


Motorists, most of them parents of students, have assailed the MMDA for the rerouting scheme, which they claimed had made the area a cause for road rage because of traffic gridlocks.
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COMMENT:

I don't know what the MMDA meant by "relatively smooth traffic." Yesterday (Monday, 11 August 2008) I had to leave my car in Shakey's parking lot (near McDonald's) due to heavy traffic and walk (via the footbridge near National Bookstore) to the Ateneo campus so that I won't be late for my class.

How many vehicles enter Ateneo campus during rush hours? If there will only be one entrance to the campus, there will still be clogging in Katipunan, and if there is clogging in one part of Katipunan, there will always be a possibility of another gridlock occurring.

I think there is only one option for me now: to leave my car at home and walk... But I am a person with impaired mobility ):

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Videos: Project Demonstration -- ICT For Development (Human Dynamics and the Next Billion Network) by Dr. Luis Sarmenta

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Click links below to see video clips taken during the talk of Dr. Luis Sarmenta on "Human Dynamics and the Next Billion Network," 11 August 2008, 4:30 p.m., SEC Bldg. A Room 303, Ateneo de Manila University.


http://booleanlogic.multiply.com/video/item/24/Video_1_Talk_of_Dr._Luis_Sarmenta_Ateneo_11_Aug_08

http://booleanlogic.multiply.com/video/item/25/Video_2_Talk_of_Dr._Luis_Sarmenta_Ateneo_11_August_08
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Photos: Talk on ICT for Development -- Human Dynamics and the Next Billion Network

(1) Dr. Rafael Saldaña with Dr. Luis Sarmenta. (2) Dr. Luis Sarmenta

Photos taken during the special lecture on "Human Dynamics and the Next Billion Network" given by Dr. Luis Sarmenta, Research Scientist, Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA) on 11 August 2008 at Ateneo de Manila University.

Related Link: http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/08/talk-of-dr-luis-sarmenta-on-human.html

See link below to see more photos:

http://booleanlogic.multiply.com/photos/album/144

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Talk of Dr. Luis Sarmenta on "Human Dynamics and the Next Billion Network"

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*************
INVITATION
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You are cordially invited to attend a special lecture on

HUMAN DYNAMICS AND THE NEXT BILLION NETWORK

Luis F. G. Sarmenta, Ph.D
Research Scientist
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
and Faculty, DISCS, Ateneo de Manila University

When: 11 August 2008, Monday
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Venue: SEC A Rm. 303, Ateneo de Manila University


ABSTRACT:

Dr. Sarmenta is a Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. He was also formerly Chair of the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (DISCS) at Ateneo de Manila University, and founder of the Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center (AJWCC), which eventually spun-off BlueBlade Technologies, Inc.

He will talk about two of his current research interests and activities at the MIT Media Lab: Human Dynamics, and a new initiative at MIT called the Next Billion Network.

Human Dynamics research at MIT focuses on using automatically collected measurements of real-world human interactions in order to discover useful patterns and phenomena in human social behavior. Luis will give a brief overview of the topic and present some examples of projects being done at the MIT Media Lab, and discuss potential benefits to Philippine industry and society of this area of research.

The Next Billion Network is a new initiative at MIT, which seeks to encourage and enable the invention of new technologies that will empower the exploding number of people, particularly in developing countries, who are becoming connected to a whole new world of information and opportunity thanks to mobile phones and other ICT. This effort does not aim to be an ivory tower think-tank, but instead emphasizes the necessity of grounding all research efforts on the real-world by working closely with real-world partner organizations in the local target communities. Luis will share about his experiences helping to start this initiative at MIT (including co-teaching a class this past Spring semester, which produced 8 real-world projects in 7 countries), and will also discuss possible opportunities for Filipinos to take part in this effort.
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More Traffic Woes in Katipunan

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Photo captions: The worsening traffic condition in Katipunan. Photos and map courtesy of the Ateneo Traffic Bulletin.

Note: There seems to be no end in sight to the traffic mayhem in Katipunan, in the vicinity of Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College, and University of the Philippines-Diliman. And 'traffic management' is turning to be an 'oxymoron' for MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) people!

To avoid the traffic gridlock under the Katipunan flyover, I now take the following route: from Xavierville avenue I turn left to Abada St., then turn right to the road leading to Katipunan (near McDonald's and Shakey's), then turn right to Katipunan and take the Katipunan flyover until the Katipunan-Santolan u-turn slot! Then head back to Ateneo, avoiding Gate 2 (which is always clogged with vehicles) and enter Ateneo via Gate 3.

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This is an additional 10 kilometers (approximately) added to my normal route in going to Ateneo.

Read below for more Katipunan traffic woes:

Source: http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=26&aid=5563

KATIPUNAN TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK
8 August 2008

Ateneo Campus security reported that the northbound traffic in Katipunan had slowed down at 6:45 a.m. They noted that vehicles making a U-turn (see map above) in front of Miriam College after the footbridge had occupied all southbound lanes, blocking ALL southbound vehicles.

The U-turn above is the 3rd from the U-turn under the flyover. Yesterday MMDA closed the U-turn to the south of flyover (left arrow). Only the U-turn to the north was left open.

6:50 a.m.: Northbound vehicles, including those from Ateneo, slowed down.
6:51 a.m.: Note unidentified dark colored Pajero that went against the flow of traffic to join vehicles making a U-turn towards UP.
6:52 a.m.: Unidentified men in white t-shirts moving the concrete barriers in the U-turn area.
6:59 a.m.: Unidentified men trying to adjust concrete barrier that fell on its side.
7:07 a.m.: Southbound lane still blocked at the U-turn area. No MMDA traffic enforcer was around to direct traffic.

Northbound vehicles (going to UP on the right lane) decided to go south, adding to the gridlock.

More vehicles followed and make the U-turn adding to the grid lock.

Still no MMDA traffic enforcers to direct traffic.

Northbound lane before the C.P. Garcia U-turn is full of vehicles not moving.

Vehicles trying to make a U-turn at C.P. Garcia are at a standstill. Passengers started walking to UP and to Miriam College.

A UP secondary student running to UP with vehicles in the background.

MMDA and Quezon City traffic enforcers start arriving at the area around 7:15 a.m. They could not go through the vehicles caught in the gridlock.

The gridlock in Katipunan started at 7:00 a.m. and lasted till 8:44 a.m. Many Grade School and High School students were late this morning. All motorists caught in the gridlocks have their respective complaints against MMDA’s traffic management efforts.
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I Was a Victim of the MMDA 'Traffic Experiment'

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Note: This morning (5 August 2008) I left my condominium unit at 11:00 a.m. My first class on a Tuesday schedule is at 12:00 noon. Normally, it takes me only 10 minutes (by car) to go from my place to my class in Ateneo de Manila University. But today, it took me 1 hour and 30 minutes before I reached my class.

I blame the Metro Manila Development Authority (MDDA) officials for their irresponsible action. Much time, energy and resources could have been saved had the MMDA made proper warning and notices before they implemented their "traffic experiment."

I would like to call the attention of Mr. Bayani Fernando, MMDA Chairman, to look into this matter. Mr. Fernando has no business running for President of the Philippines if his agency, the MMDA, continue to have no regard for motorists and ordinary citizens like me.


Raffy
A victim of MMDA traffic mismanagement

From the Ateneo Blueboard:

Traffic Bulletin 05 August 2008

date posted: 2008-08-05 13:16:02

MMDA implemented changes in the traffic flow on Katipunan without notice at 10:55 this morning. This caused heavy traffic along Katipunan and on campus. Changes implemented by MMDA were:

1. Closed U-turn 1 (in front of National Bookstore) and U-turn 2 (between Ateneo’s Gate 3.5 and Miriam College’s Gate 1).
2. Relocated U-turn 1 to the U-turn under flyover.
3. Relocated U-turn 2 to the corner of Katipunan and B. Gonzales Street.

U-turn 1 being closed by MMDA. Vehicles must now take U-turn under the flyover

Original U-turn 2 blocked with orange barrier and new U-turn at the corner of Katipunan and B. Gonzales with concrete barriers

According to an unofficial MMDA source, this new scheme is experimental. In the meantime, the community is advised to note this new traffic scheme in Katipunan.

Ateneo motorists are requested to refrain from making a U-turn immediately after Gate 3.5 during rush hour. Moving towards the U-turn slot from Gate 3.5 would cut across the path of northbound vehicles and risk being hit by a speeding vehicle and also blocking vehicles entering Miriam College’s Gate 1.

Traffic may be heavier than usual at Gate 2 tomorrow morning as motorists adjust to the new traffic scheme. It is advisable to come earlier than usual.
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Talk on 'Breast Cancer Ontology' by Andrei Coronel

Photo Caption: Mr. Andrei Coronel, faculty member of the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science, Ateneo de Manila University, and Ph.D. Computer Science student of Dr. Rafael Saldaña gives a special talk on "Breast Cancer Ontology."

WHAT: Talk on the Multi-media Medical Web Project (MMedWeb) in Singapore and Breast Cancer Ontology

WHEN: Thursday, August 7, 2008

TIME: 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

VENUE: Room SEC 303A, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City

SPEAKER: MR. ANDREI CORONEL


About the Speaker:

ANDREI CORONEL is a faculty member of the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (DISCS) of Ateneo de Manila University. He holds a Master's degree in computer science and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in Computer Science under the mentorship of Dr. Rafael Saldaña. Andrei has recently arrived from Singapore where he did research work for three months at the National University of Singapore under the auspices of the ONCO-MEDIA (http://www.onco-media.com) Project.

ABSTRACT:

Andrei's talk will have two parts. The first part will focus on Andrei's involvement in the Multi-Media Medical Web (MMedWeb) Project of the National University of Singapore.

The second part will focus on his Ph.D. research proposal (in progress) and the ideas that he gathered while in Singapore on the subject of breast cancer ontology.

PART 1:

OVERVIEW OF COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE-MEDICAL RESEARCH IN SINGAPORE

In this first part, the efforts of I2R (Institute for Infocomm Technology) together with the NUH (National University Hospital) , both institutions within NUS (National University of Singapore) for developing systems to improve health-care in general will be discussed.
Among the numerous efforts of these institutions, the MMedWeb Project will be given focus. This is one of their several projects; however the focus is directed specifically towards the medical diagnosis and academic research of breast cancer. Both the basics of the hardware and software platform will be discussed.

PART 2: (PhD proposal in progress): Modification Techniques for Breast Cancer Ontology
(tentative title)

An ontology in the context of computer science refers to a complete representation of a body of knowledge. It is usually composed of concepts and the relationships between concepts. There are several ways of representing an ontology for computer programs to interpret and for users to visualize, such as the OWL and RDF formats. In these representations, an ontology may be represented as a hierarchical graph or tree. The augmentation of an ontology by adding concepts and relationships from external ontologies may be then interpreted as a problem of fusing graphs. This research attempts to create techniques for fusing external graphs together to augment a main graph that would work in the context of ontology modification. This would include computational tasks such as checking for conflicts, redundancies, the selection criteria for which concepts and relationships to add, and validation of the fused ontology. For this research, the chosen ontology is cancer ontology, with focus on breast cancer specifically.
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Rafael Saldaña: The Artist

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"Noontide Dreaming"


"Tasmanian Landscape with Blue Wrens"



"Tasmanian Dreaming"



"The Importance of Water"



"Australia is an Old Garden"

Caption: Some of the artwork of Rafael Saldaña -- the Spanish-born artist based in Australia.

No, this blog entry is not about me but it is about my namesake, Rafael Saldaña -- the Spanish-born artist based in Australia.

While I was living in Melbourne, Australia (several years ago) I saw some greeting cards bearing the work of the artist Rafael Saldaña. The themes of his paintings are nature and the Australian landscape. I'm glad that I bought some of those cards.

Shown above are some of Rafael Saldaña's paintings.

It's nice to know that I have a namesake who is an accomplished artist :)

Related Link:

http://www.artpublishing.com.au/new_releases.html

Cheers,

Raffy
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Kaya Natin! -- Movement for Ethical Leadership and Good Governance

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From Harvey Keh (harveykeh@gmail.com):

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Last July 30,2008, on the eve of the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government formally launched Kaya Natin! A Movement for Genuine Change and Ethical Leadership at the Ateneo deManila University campus in Quezon City. Kaya Natin's founding members include inspiring local government leaders of our country such as Mayor Jesse Robredo of Naga City, Governor Grace Padaca of Isabela, Governor Ed Panlilio of Pampanga and Mayor Sonia Lorenzo of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija.

To read more about Kaya Natin! Please refer to the links below from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star and the Manila Bulletin:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080731-151768/Islands-of-hope-to-go-on-campus-tourhttp://philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20080730143http://www.mb.com.ph/MTNN20080731131222.html

Kaya Natin! is currently looking for volunteers that will help in workingand pushing for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership in our country. KayaNatin! believes that there is much Hope in our country if Filipinos can work together and contribute in his or her own small way in building a better Philippines. To know more about or volunteer for Kaya Natin, please feel free to get in touch with Kai Pastores at (02) 426-5657 or you can send an email to kayanatin@yahoo.com .

Kaya Natin! will be going on a campus tour starting this August, among the schools that it will visit are Ateneo de Manila University, Far Eastern University, Philippine Normal University and Miriam College.

Help us bring Hope to every Filipino by sharing this email with your friends.
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Notes on My Recent Trip to France, Part 1: The Last ONCO-MEDIA Meeting in Paris

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Note: Below is part 1 of a series of notes on my recent trip to France.



THE LAST ONCO-MEDIA MEETING IN PARIS



A report by

Rafael P. Saldana, Ph.D.

Co-Principal Investigator

ONCO-MEDIA Project

(http://www.onco-media.com/)



Introduction





ONCO-MEDIA Meeting, Day 1

ONCO-MEDIA - The last meeting in Paris

Date: July 11-12, 2008

Location: LIP6, 5th floor, Room 549
104 avenue du President Kennedy, 75016 Paris

Time Schedule:

Friday, July 11

10h Welcome

10h30 Appraisal on the project
History and life of the project
Daniel RACOCEANU

11h30 Coffee break

12h Contribution of each partner: I
Toshiharu NAKAI

13h Lunch

14h Contribution of each partner: II
Henning MULLER
Rafael SALDANA
Sorina CAMARASU
Jean-Romain DALLE
Patrick Brézillon

17h Coffee break

17h30 Contribution of each partner: III

Heng-Shuen CHEN

19h Eiffel Tower by foot (sponsor by Onco-Media France)

Saturday, July 12

10h Plan for the last three months for concluding the
project
1. Writing of the last report (outline,
individual contribution)

2. Proposal for a special issue or a book
Plan for the future

1. ICT-Asia

2. Other proposals (SinFra, SEACOOP, ... )

3. Prototyping (I3S et AIST/CGG)?

4. Student exchanges?

13h End of the meeting and lunch together in a restaurant

How to reach the place:

http://www.lip6.fr/fr/informations/comment.php#

RER line C station "Avenue du President Kennedy -
Maison de la Radio"

NB: look carefully at the signs
on the platform.

Metro: line 6; station Passy

by bike:
http://www.en.velib.paris.fr/comment_ca_marche/faq__1

Contact Person:

Patrick BREZILLON,
LIP6, Box 169, University Paris VI,
104,ave. du Pdt Kennedy, 75016 PARIS, France
Phone: +33 1 44 27 70 08 - Fax: +33 1 44 27 70 00
Mobile.: +33 6 10 63 76 96
Web: http://www-sysdef.lip6.fr/~brezil

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Update on Cloud Computing: More Giant Companies Join the Search for the Future of Computing Services

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Yesterday (7/31/08) I received a news update from HPCwire about a recent joint venture of Yahoo, HP, and Intel to create a new open test bed for "the advancement of cloud computing research and education."

According to the writer, John E. West:


"The announcement of the Cloud Computing Test Bed is broader -- in scope and scale -- than the previous IBM-Google announcement establishing the Cluster Exploratory (CluE), and all this competition is definitely a good thing for the academics who will have several years of work on these resources. If the research efforts bear fruit, they may also help shape the future of HPC as well.

The physical dimensions of the test bed span six centers on three continents, with hardware at the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Steinbuch Centre for Computing of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, HP Labs, Intel Research and Yahoo. Each center will have HP/Intel hardware -- the companies only refer to "infrastructure," so it's unclear whether there will be one large cluster at each site or a farm of machines -- ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 cores that will be used to support cloud software research."

Read more ...


Links:

http://www.hpcwire.com/features/Competition_in_the_Cloud_Yahoo_HP_and_Intel_Join_the_Search_for_the_Future_of_Computing_Services.html

http://raffysaldana.blogspot.com/2008/06/invitation-special-lecture-on-grid.html

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