November 3, 2006
Kyoto University Joins the Global Lambda Visualization Facility
CHICAGO, Ill. and IWATE, Japan – University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) ElectronicVisualization Laboratory (EVL) director Jason Leigh formally welcomed Kyoto University tothe Global Lambda Visualization Facility (GLVF) community of high-performance networkingand visualization researchers during his presentation on Friday, October 27, 2006, at the JGN2Workshop#8inIwate,

Japan.

Japan’s

National InstituteofInformation

andCommunications Technology (NICT) and Iwate Prefecture University sponsored theworkshop.
Leigh’s presentation, “The SAGE System over JGN 2 and StarLight,” given via two-way
teleconferencing between Chicago and Kyoto, and then multicast to Iwate and several otherlocations throughout Japan, focused on how Kyoto University will work with EVL and other
GLVF participants on scientific visualization and collaboration technology development using
the Japanese Advanced Testbed Network for Research and Development, or the JGN 2network, including an international component from Tokyo to Chicago’s StarLight.
Leigh is the primary organizer of the GLVF, a group of computer-graphics experts, social
scientists, and network engineers from approximately 20 institutions worldwide who work on
complementary distributed visualization and collaboration tools and technologies to benefit
large-scale science. Prior to the iGrid 2005 Workshop last year, these experts self-organized tomake their tools interoperable and to develop a common platform for advanced, real-time,interactive visualization and distance collaboration.
GLVF sites are equipped with a wide range of visualization technologies and are connected tohigh-speed international networks that are part of a worldwide network fabric called theGlobal Lambda Integrated Facility (GLIF). One of the key collaboration technologies being
used by the GLVF community is EVL’s Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment (SAGE).
SAGE

isspecialized

middlewarethatenablesreal-timestreamingof

extremely

high-resolution graphics and high-definition (HD) video from remote HD cameras anddistributed rendering and storage clusters to scalable display walls over high-speed networks.
Kyoto University researchers already have SAGE installed on their tiled display and aredeveloping

SAGE-enabled

high-definition-video-streamingandpoint-based

rendering

applications for the GLVF community. Kyoto University is connected to Japan’s JGN 2 optical
network testbed, which is funded by NICT, a participant in GLIF.

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Leigh is pleased to work with Kyoto researcher Kukimoto Nobuyuki, whom he hascollaborated with for over 10 years. “GLVF welcomes Kyoto University for its expertise and its
desire to share technologies and best practices,” said Leigh. “GLVF is focused on the fusionof advanced digital technology into a unique end-to-end persistent infrastructure. Its
participants have opportunities to work with computer scientists and domain scientists
worldwide to harden, deploy and evaluate tools and techniques, tighten the feedback
loop, integrate new ideas from many different cultures and backgrounds, and leverageinternational networking testbeds to create persistent environments. Everyone benefits.”
In August 2004, JGN 2 connected a 10Gbps transpacific link between Tokyo and StarLight, aNational Science Foundation-funded advanced Internet switching facility located atNorthwestern University's (NU) downtown Chicago campus and managed by UIC, NU andArgonne National Laboratory. Last July, NICT signed a memorandum of understanding
with UIC, formalizing a collaboration with Japanese research and education organizations
including universities and institutions, and recognizing Chicago as a major hub for
ultra-high-speed advanced optical network research and development exchanges.
###About Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment (SAGE) <www.evl.uic.edu/ cavern/sage>
The Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment (SAGE) is an integrated system used tosimultaneously display multiple networked applications on high-resolution tiled displays. The
SAGE architecture uses distributed rendering clusters connected by high-bandwidth
networks to stream multiple applications to a class of scalable tiled displaysthat are fast becoming a standard for scientific distance collaboration. Using SAGE, several
applications—including high-resolution 2D imagery, 3D computer graphics and highdefinition video—can be streamed and viewed simultaneously. SAGE is being developedby the Electronic Visualization Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago as part of
the NSF-funded OptIPuter project.
Related Links:
UIC Electronic Visualization Laboratory <www.evl.uic.edu>
Kyoto University <www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/index-e.html>
Global Lambda Visualization Facility <www.evl.uic.edu/cavern/glvf>
Global Lambda Integrated Facility <www.glif.is>
StarLight <www.startap.net/starlight>
JGN 2 <http://www.jgn.nict.go.jp/e/>2Contact:
Laura Wolf, laura @ uic.edu__This message came via the stars@startap.net mailing list. Any opinions,findings, conclusions or recommendations are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect the views of STAR TAP/StarLight or the US National
Science Foundation. Mailing list related requests should be sent toMajordomo@startap.net.

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