  In 2018, NSF funded an effort to pilot a Cyberinfrastructure Center of
Excellence (CI CoE or Center) that would serve the cyberinfrastructure (CI)
needs of the NSF Major Facilities (MFs) and large projects with advanced CI
architectures. The goal of the CI CoE Pilot project (Pilot) effort was to
develop a model and a blueprint for such a CoE by engaging with the MFs,
understanding their CI needs, understanding the contributions the MFs are
making to the CI community, and exploring opportunities for building a broader
CI community. This document summarizes the results of community engagements
conducted during the first two years of the project and describes the
identified CI needs of the MFs. To better understand MFs' CI, the Pilot has
developed and validated a model of the MF data lifecycle that follows the data
generation and management within a facility and gained an understanding of how
this model captures the fundamental stages that the facilities' data passes
through from the scientific instruments to the principal investigators and
their teams, to the broader collaborations and the public. The Pilot also aimed
to understand what CI workforce development challenges the MFs face while
designing, constructing, and operating their CI and what solutions they are
exploring and adopting within their projects. Based on the needs of the MFs in
the data lifecycle and workforce development areas, this document outlines a
blueprint for a CI CoE that will learn about and share the CI solutions
designed, developed, and/or adopted by the MFs, provide expertise to the
largest NSF projects with advanced and complex CI architectures, and foster a
community of CI practitioners and researchers.
