As a scientific computing centre, the URZ is continually testing and developing new technologies and services for research and teaching. This innovative work takes place in the context of projects, which are sometimes conducted in cooperation with other facilities and research partners.
Ongoing projects
bwFDM-Info II supports and informs researchers on the topic of research data and research data management. The project develops and maintains various tools and information offers. In the current Phase II, one of its main tasks is to establish and secure the sustainable operation of these services.
bwHPC-C5 facilitates access to the high-performance computers available statewide for researchers in Baden-Württemberg. The project aims to establish a federal support and training programme that bridges the gap between the technology and the end user. Additionally, it evaluates new high-performance computing technologies.
Visualising complex data has become exceedingly important for the advancement of scientific knowledge. However, the needed computing resources are generally associated with high costs. Establishing the bwVisu service will allow researchers to implement numerical simulations with different visualisation methods using a powerful central computing architecture.
Community-specific Publication of Research Data
In this project, Heidelberg University's Competence Centre for Research Data builds generic data publication platforms that can then be customised to suit the specific requirements of certain research disciplines. These are constructed in cooperation with other e-science projects at the university and in Baden-Württemberg.
It is possible to significantly reduce the power consumption of high-performance computers by optimising the numerical methods used. This project sets benchmarks for the power consumption and run time of numerical algorithms. New, energy-efficient methods are then developed on the basis of these reference levels.
With heiMAP, a virtual map table for collaborative research on (historical) maps and geodata is being created. The service will be integrated into a web portal with modular tools and services for project, quality and data management. It aims to help resolve several pressing problems in spatial humanities research.
Completed Projects
Researchers seldom have the time and the resources to properly prepare their data and sustainably make it accessible to others. This problem was recognised by the Baden-Württemberg state project bwFDM-Communities, which has identified and instituted the best available solutions.
The regional grid infrastructure bwGRiD, which has been operational since 2008, was constructed in this project. In Heidelberg and Mannheim the bwGRiD infrastructure has meanwhile been replaced by the jointly operated bwForCluster MLS&WISO and the Karlsruhe-based bwUniCluster.
SFB933 Material Text Cultures - INF subproject
The special research area "Material Text Cultures" explores the connections between texts and text-bearing objects, as well as the spaces surrounding them and the actions performed on them. The URZ supports the SFB mainly in virtualisation, the publication of research data and sustainable archiving.
