Welcome to Blue-Cloud

Core Service

Resource Catalogue and Registry

The Resource Catalogue and Registry operates as a centralised repository for scientific products and services, providing users with a powerful tool for resource discovery and integration.

Researchers can access the catalogue through the VRE, where they can search for and retrieve detailed descriptions of available resources. The catalogue employs standardised metadata formats and protocols to ensure interoperability and ease of integration with other systems.

Users can also publish their methods integrated into CCP, their notebooks developed with JupyterLab, or their R code developed in RStudio, enabling comprehensive and multidisciplinary analyses. This integrated setup streamlines the process of finding, accessing, and sharing scientific resources, making it easier for researchers to conduct their analyses and collaborate with peers within a secure and scalable infrastructure.

Core Service

AAI - Authentication and Authorization Infrastructure

AAI (Authentication and Authorization Infrastructure) supports OpenID Connect (OIDC) for authentication and User Managed Authorization (UMA 2) for authorisation flows. It ensures secure access control, allowing administrators to define and enforce access policies per VRE and VLabs based on user roles and permissions.

Single sign-on enables user authentication across services.

Core Service

Helpdesk

The Helpdesk service provides expert guidance and assistance to users, helping them maximise the potential of the platform's tools and resources.

This service is designed to support researchers and organisations in utilising the Node infrastructure capabilities for their specific needs, ensuring that they can achieve their research goals efficiently and effectively.

Core Service

Service Monitoring

Service Monitoring aligns with the IT Service Management standard (FitSM), ensuring that services are delivered consistently and meet agreed-upon quality levels.

This involves monitoring service performance, availability, and reliability to identify and address any issues promptly, maintaining a high level of service quality and user satisfaction.

Core Service

Service and Research Product Accounting

A secure and compliant environment for managing accounting data.

Users can access the service either through the Node VRE or via a specific VLab, where they can perform various accounting functions, such as bookkeeping, graphical reporting, and auditing. The platform supports advanced reporting and analytics, allowing users to generate detailed reports and perform in-depth analyses. Robust access controls and encryption measures ensure the security of accounting data.

At the same time, GDPR compliance guarantees that all personal data is handled in accordance with the highest standards of data protection. This integrated setup enables managers to manage their VLabs and Community data efficiently and securely, supporting high-quality research within a compliant and reliable infrastructure.

Core Service

Order Management

The service allows users to create and customise their own VLab. Researchers can select the tools and applications they need and configure their VLab to suit their specific requirements.

These environments are hosted on the D4Science infrastructure, which provides the necessary computational and storage resources. Users can collaborate within these environments, sharing data and tools seamlessly. The system also integrates with external data sources, enabling comprehensive data analysis.

This flexible and scalable approach ensures that researchers have the resources and tools they need to conduct their work efficiently and effectively.

Core Service

Configuration Management System

The services internally manages information on node capabilities, service constraints, dependencies, and service delivery. This is facilitated by the D4Science Service Registry, a shared space for storing information on Node capabilities and service delivery, ensuring consistent service delivery.

Core Service

User Space (Gateway)

The Gateway provides a centralised platform where researchers can access a wide range of Node Generic Capabilities and products and services specific to the Marine domain. Users can log into the gateway and navigate through various open-access services and resources tailored to their needs.

The system integrates multiple data sources and computational tools, allowing researchers to perform comprehensive analyses within a single platform. This centralised approach ensures that researchers have easy access to the resources they need, fostering collaboration and enhancing the overall research experience.

Core Service

Application Workflow Management

The service supports the creation and execution of analytical workflows. Blue-Cloud offers Virtual Laboratories (VLabs) within a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) to support researchers in designing, testing, and evaluating innovative computational analytical flows.

Core Service

Resource Provisioning

It provides the underlying infrastructure for computing, storage, and networking. The Blue-Cloud technical infrastructure offers e-infrastructure services such as computing, storage, analytics and single sign-on AAI.