INFORMATION SOCIETY > MOROCCO

A computer network for the scientic community

www.enpi-info.eu Nuclear medicine, radiotherapy, and radiology: the usage potential of the computation grid for Eumedgrid scientific research and of the Moroccan interface MaGrid is immeasurable. Thanks to this network, Moroccan scientists are connected to all the education and research centres across Europe. The concept is simple: everyone can share his or her data, and can benefit from collaborative research projects and their advances. The research into new applications for this valuable tool has only just started.
Text and photos by : Hicham Houdafa
n Students in the laboratory: their computers are connected to the European network

RABAT- Today, we are surrounded by thousands of computer networks. The one that the European Commission has made available to Moroccan researchers is a rather special network: it connects Moroccan scientists to all education and research centres across Europe. Eumedgrid the computation grid for scientific research is a powerful tool pioneered in the framework of the European project Eumedconnect. This initiative has produced a human network in the e-science sector. This publication does not represent the In practice, Eumedgrid enables researchers in Mediterranean countries to connect with each another. ocial view of the EC It encourages the development of national education and research networks in Mediterranean counor the EU institutions. tries, and ultimately accelerates the rate of development of the InThe EC accepts no ternet in the Mediterranean region. Eumedconnect is operational ENPI Info Centre Feature no. 49 responsibility or This is a series of features on liability whatsoever in all areas related to the processing and sharing of data in the sciprojects funded by the EUs with regard to its entific field, explains Professor Raja Cherkaoui El Moursli. Regional Programme, prepared by content. Analysing results in this field requires very fast connections be- journalists and photographers on tween the research laboratories. This led to the concept of a com- the ground or the ENPI Info Centre. ENPI Info Centre/EU 2011 putation grid to facilitate the sharing of materials. Furthermore, this

A computer network for the scientific community ENPI Info Centre - Feature no. 49

p.2

network allows us to use data in a rational and democratic way.

Morocco joins the Atlas collaboration

Professor Cherkaoui El Moursli is a corresponding member of the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology and a member of the ATLAS collaboration at the LHC, the worlds largest particle accelerator. She explains that Morocco was chosen as it is well suited to participating in this scientific experiment. It was a pioneer on a continental scale in several research disciplines and actively involved in cutting-edge projects. Since 1996 continues Cherkaoui Morocco has ocially been a member of the Atlas collaboration at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, which is one of the largest and most respected scientific laboratories in the world. Moroccos admission to this initiative, following a unanimous vote involving over 148 research centres from 33 countries, is the result of high level work undertaken by a number of Moroccan scientists prior to 1996. The skills gateway High Energy Physics Network (RUPHE) is the Moroccan organisation in charge of the Atlas programme. RUPHE is directly under the of the authority of the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, Professional Training and Scientific Research, as well as the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST), the institution which coordinates research in Morocco. Eumedconnect has provided this centre with a huge computer network with a bandwidth of 34 megabits. This figure will be revised upwards to reach 155 megabits. A team of software engineers at this centre is responsible for managing the network. The Moroccan grid MaGrid has been operational since 2006, following the launch of the first site at CNRST.

n Prof Cherkaoui together with Abdelkrim Bougouza, director of the Internet centre

Eumedconnect is operational in all areas related to the processing and sharing of data in the scientific field. Analysing results in this field requires very fast connections between the research laboratories

n Prof Cherkaoui

The concept of a computation grid to facilitate the sharing of materials. This network allows us to use data in a rational and democratic way

MaGrid, a Moroccan grid with multiple uses

The grid is available to universities and higher education and research institutions as a means to improving their computation resources and storage capacity. MaGrid is connected to the Euro-Mediterranean grid Eumedgrid and to the European grid EGEE. The computer cluster (consisting of several connected servers) at CNRST has been approved for the analysis of ATLAS data in the framework of a cooperation project between CSIC (Spain) and CNRST. MaGrid is also used by researchers in dierent fields, but mainly by two groups: high-energy physics and theoretical chemistry. Through this practice, Moroccan researchers gain internationally recognised certificates. Moroccan researchers working on the ATLAS project regularly use the computation grid, which gives them access to resources at leading computing centres in developed countries. Several other researchers and institutions will start using MaGrid in order to reduce investment and harmonise computation tools on a large scale. Today, we are trying to create a similar infrastructure to support medical physics applications, arms Professor El Moursli. In Rabat, we initially had a request from the National Institute of Oncology to provide a masters course in medical physics. Medical physicists

Among these students, there are some who choose to undertake high-level research. And this is where Eumedconnect can be an advantage

A computer network for the scientific community ENPI Info Centre - Feature no. 49

p.3

have been trained to work in hospitals, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy and radiology. Successful candidates are likely to be employed in a sector that suers from a huge lack of skills. Among these students, some choose to undertake high-level research. And this is where Eumedconnect can be an advantage, explains our researcher. It is clear that in the field of research, changes happen quickly. Thanks to Eumedconnect, Morocco can keep abreast of these developments. Today, dozens of doctoral students and academics use this network. And it will go further still. Next June, a training session will be run by CNRST in order to create small hubs in every university. Engineers will train researchers on using the grid. The search for new applications for Eumedconnect is closely linked to Moroccan scientific research.
n A Moroccan student, who works on the ATLAS project

EUMEDCONNECT2
www.eumedconnect2.net
EUMEDCONNECT2 is a partnership project between the scientific research communities of institutions in seven countries in the Mediterranean and a number of countries in North Africa. Through a network of circuits connecting the dierent institutions, the countries are able to share data, documents and experiments in all areas. EUMEDCONNECT2 allows approximately two million users in around 700 institutions across North Africa and the Middle East to collaborate with their peers at more than 4000 research and education establishments in Europe.
Participating countries Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Tunisia Timeframe 2008-2010 Budget 4 million euros Aims The project aims to strengthen and support the cooperation between Europe and the Mediterranean partner countries in the fields of research and education. Its goal is to ensure the long-term stability of the Internet infrastructure established by EUMEDCONNECT 1 in 2004. It also aims to establish a sustainable support network that will help to reduce the digital divide between the countries and further improve cooperation. Find out more A new high-capacity Internet network for research and education > http://www.enpi-info.eu/mainmed.php?id=21187&id_type=1&lang_id=450 Information society, news and features > http://www.enpi-info.eu/thememed.php?subject=7&lang_id=469

ENPI info centre info ce t e www.enpi-info.eu

www.enpi-info.eu p

The ENPI Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Information and Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. The project is managed by Action Global Communications.