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NASA Brings Earth Science ‘Big Data’ to the Cloud with Amazon Web Services

NASA has announced that it is making a large collection of NASA climate and Earth science satellite data available to the public via the Amazon cloud.

  • NASA Brings Earth Science ‘Big Data’ to the Cloud with Amazon Web Services, by Ruth Marlaire, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. RELEASE 13-307 (Nov. 12, 2013).

    By using the cloud, research and application users worldwide gain access to an integrated Earth science computational and data management system they can use on their own.

    The service encompasses selected NASA satellite and global change data sets — including temperature, precipitation, and forest cover — and data processing tools from the NASA Earth Exchange (NEX), a research platform of the NASA Advanced Supercomputer Facility at the agency’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

  • NASA NEX, Amazon.

    Three NASA NEX datasets are now available, including climate projections and satellite images of Earth.

    More information here.

DoD Cloud Computing Strategy

DOD Releases Cloud Computing Strategy; Designates DISA as the Enterprise Cloud Service Broker

The Department of Defense announced today the release of a cloud computing strategy that will move the department’s current network applications from a duplicative, cumbersome, and costly set of application silos to an end state designed to create a more agile, secure, and cost effective service environment that can rapidly respond to changing mission needs. In addition, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has been named as the enterprise cloud service broker to help maintain mission assurance and information interoperability within this new strategy.

For further information:

Of related interest:

Information Technology Reform: Progress Made but Future Cloud Computing Efforts Should be Better Planned. GAO-12-756, July 11.

GAO was asked to (1) assess the progress selected agencies have made in implementing OMB’s “Cloud First” policy and (2) identify challenges they are facing in implementing the policy. To do so, GAO (1) selected seven agencies, analyzed agency documentation, and interviewed agency and OMB officials; and (2) identified, assessed, and categorized common challenges. The agencies were the departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, State, and the Treasury; the General Services Administration; and the Small Business Administration.

GAO recommended should these agencies direct their respective chief information officer (CIOs) to establish estimated costs, performance goals, and plans to retire associated legacy systems for each cloud-based service discussed in this report, as applicable.

Two Volumes on Cloud Computing from NIST

The National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) has release a two volume report on “cloud computing.”

Hat tip to Sabrina I. Pacifici!

NIST Goes Public with Cloud Computing Tech Road Map

Via INFOdocket.com

From GCN:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released for public comment a draft “road map” designed to foster federal agencies’ adoption of cloud computing.

The road map also will support private-sector cloud efforts, improve the information available to decision-makers, and facilitate the continued development of the cloud computing model, NIST officials said.

“U.S. Government Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap, Release 1.0” (NIST Special Publication 500-293) is designed to support the secure and effective adoption of the cloud computing model by federal agencies. The public comment period is open through Dec. 2.

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The draft publication defines high-priority requirements for standards, official guidance and technology developments that need to be met for agencies to accelerate their migration of existing IT systems to the cloud computing model.

Read the Complete GCN Article

See Also: NIST Releases Draft Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap for Comments (via NIST)

See Also: Final Version of NIST Cloud Computing Definition Published (October 25, 2011)

See Also: NIST Cloud Computing Program

Direct to Documents:

“U.S. Government Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap, Release 1.0” (NIST Special Publication 500-293)

The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing (NIST Special Publication 800-145).

List of government services moving to The Cloud

Agencies identify 78 services for cloud transition, By Joseph Marks, NextGov (05/26/2011).

Federal agencies have identified 78 computer systems they plan to migrate to the cloud within a year, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

…Computer clouds essentially are large banks of computer servers that can operate much closer to full capacity than standard servers by rapidly repacking data as one customer surges in usage and another one dips. Data storage in the cloud is operated like electricity grids or other utilities, with customers paying only for what they use.

A handful of low-risk government services, such as websites that don’t take in sensitive public information, are already in privately owned cloud space.

Agencies Have Identified 78 Systems Migrating to the Cloud Within One Year (10 page PDF listing and describing services by agency).

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