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KnowARC: enabling Grid networks for the biomedical research community
Henning Müller1, Mikko Pitkanen, Xin Zhou
1Medical Informatics, University and Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland. henning.mueller@sim.hcuge.ch
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
|May 4, 2007
Summary
The KnowARC project offers a middleware solution for creating simple Grid networks using existing desktop PCs in hospitals. This approach enables automated processing of large medical datasets for improved patient care and biomedical research without expensive infrastructure investments.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Computational Biology
- Distributed Computing
Background:
- Digital patient data availability offers opportunities for medical informatics research.
- Many institutions lack dedicated research computing infrastructure and budget.
- Existing desktop PCs can be utilized for biomedical research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline requirements for computing Grids in large hospital environments.
- To present the KnowARC project's solutions for processing large medical datasets.
- To assess current Grid middleware for suitability in healthcare settings.
Main Methods:
- Reviewing requirements for hospital computing Grids.
- Analyzing the University Hospitals of Geneva's infrastructure as a case study.
- Evaluating existing Grid middleware against KnowARC's goals.
Main Results:
- A list of requirements for Grid middleware in challenging hospital environments was developed.
- KnowARC project solutions were detailed, with proof-of-concept implementations and test results.
- Grid networks show potential as a computational resource for biomedical research.
Conclusions:
- The KnowARC project aims to provide a middleware for accessible Grid networks in hospitals.
- Utilizing existing infrastructure can overcome budget limitations for data processing.
- Continuous feedback from the biomedical community is crucial for Grid middleware development.
