PSC will be participating in SC22 in Dallas, Texas from November 14-18, 2022.
Since 1988, the Supercomputing conference has hosted international experts in the fields of high performance computing, networking, storage, and analysis in an effort to facilitate the sharing of ideas and view the exciting new projects and accomplishments of their peers. PSC has attended almost every year, and this month marks our 33rd year of participation.
PSC’s booth will showcase our work and contributions in these specialized areas. One exhibit will be an interactive experience with Bridges-2, which supports a data-intensive project led by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA) to track and predict effects of climate change. Utilizing a computer interface, users can modify the variables of a map of the Louisiana coastline to view the projected outcomes of different, critical environmental events over a specified amount of time. Variables include land change, vegetation type, flood depth, and damage. The purpose of this project is to simulate the effect certain storm surges will have on the coastline’s human developments and surrounding ecosystem. This information will then be used to create proactive disaster management and safety plans, innovative infrastructure plans, and overall risk reduction strategies for the region. For example, Morganza to the Gulf is a levee project emphasizing structural risk reduction in coastal communities that has already projected lowering flood levels by more than 10 feet. Another project, Marsh Island Barrier Marsh Creation, aims to build and maintain a marsh along the side of Marsh Island that faces the gulf, creating a protective barrier. Marsh Island is a crucial ecosystem for many animals in the area and is highly susceptible to storm surges, which destroy the habitats of bird, fish, and other water dwelling species. Further discussion on map details and user guidance will be provided by PSC’s experts. Visitors also have the option to do a self-guided tour provided by the interface.
Another demo will feature an affiliated Bridges-2 project that focuses on creating a storm surge forecasting map for The Water Institute of the Gulf – a nonprofit organization using advanced research to proactively solve environmental issues. Our PSC experts have been working on this project with the Renaissance Computing Institute at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, who provided the backend computing infrastructure, to produce short- and long-term hurricane flooding projections for the state of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast at large.
“In the short term, we’ve configured Bridges-2 to allow researchers to run hurricane forecasting models in real time. The data from these forecasts are already being used by decision-makers in Louisiana. Our staff is developing software that will allow officials to view the forecasts and plan the state’s response in their hurricane command center,” said PSC Systems Software Engineer Matt Yoder. The long-term goals are to use Bridges-2 to accurately forecast hurricane events over the next 50 years so the state can have mitigation and safety plans in place before disaster strikes.
PSC’s booth will also feature a HuBMAP demonstration for conference participants. HuBMAP stands for the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program, which is a Common Fund project supported by the NIH. The mission of this collaborative is to create an open-source map of the human body at the cellular level to understand the connection between cell function and tissue organization. While the entire human body will not be mapped with this current project, the openness of the research ensures future scientists can access the data and use it to advance their own similar research. PSC’s contribution to this project is the development and maintenance of the cyberinfrastructure, data ingestion and management, data coordination among consortia members, and internal and external communications strategies for the overall project. The SC22 demonstration will have two components; a computer setup with access to the HuBMAP Data Portal. Users can explore the portal at their own pace and test out the special tools created for this project. There will also be diagrams of the hybrid infrastructure and data workflows PSC maintains that highlight our expertise in these fields.
Finally, PSC will host a few yard games for those who want to stop by and have a good time!