Data Intensive Computing and Data Life Cycle
In addition to empiricism, theory, and simulation, the analysis of data has established itself as the fourth paradigm of scientific research. The ever-increasing amounts of data from experiments, simulations, sensors, or documents - often referred to as "Big Data" - require methods to manage them, to quickly recover them, and to access them. Additionally, an analysis of their storage, a description of computer architectures, and data processing algorithms are required to efficiently obtain information from which useful information can be extracted. In 2004, ZIH has coined the term "Center for Data Intensive Computing" in an HBFG request (Hochschulbauförderungsgesetz: Act on Furthering Construction in Higher Education) to procure a high performance computer and thus defined a focus of its research.
Research Topics
Research data are accumulated in almost every scientific disciplin. Data are generated, need to be saved and processed, are changed, are used by other researchers or need to be archived. Thus, Data Life Cycle Management (DLCM) is looking for strategies, methods and tools to deal with the data over their entire life cycle. ZIH is not only offering services for DLCM but is also developing new concetps, strategies and tools for DLCM.
Current research topics at ZIH are:
- Analysis of data and compute workflows
- Stratesgies and methods for data handling over their entire life cycle
- Metadata to manage and to recover data
- Tools and services for DLCM
Today, research is based on the collaboration of scientists across institutional, political, geographical and disciplinary borders. IT infrastructures supporting a collaborative and distributed management of the research data as well as the knowledge created from the data are required.
Current research topics at ZIH are:
- Mangement of data, metadata and knowledge
- Distributed infrastructures for (meta) data storage
- Data workflows
- Integration of data infrastrucutres into the users research environment
- Science gateways
The processing of large data sets requires efficient storage infrastructures. ZIH has started to build up expertise in this domain in 2004 with its application for a new High Performance Computer and Storage Complex (HRSK). The initial focus was on the development of analysis methods for parallel file systems. Currently, ZIH investigates methods and develops tools to analyse the behaviour of I/O intensive applications on high performance computers and to optimize storage infrastructures.
Current research topics at ZIH are:
- Analysis of storage infrastructures and applications
- Design of innovative storage architectures
- Operation of storage systems and user support
Current Projects
- AI4DI - Artificial Intelligence for Digitalizing Industry
- Cooperation with Indiana University
- DDtrust - Dresden Data Trust Center: Implementation of a data trust model for Saxon research at the TU Dresden
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National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI)
- FAIRmat
- German Human Genome-Phenome Archive (GHGA)
- NFDI4Chem
- NFDI4DataScience
- NFDI4Earth
- Text+
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KEEN: KI-Inkubator-Labore in der Prozessindustrie - AI for process industries
- ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig - Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence
- Service Center Research Data - Supporting researchers of the TU Dresden in research data management
- Information infrastructure for Collaborative Research Centers / Transregios
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SFB/TRR 205 "The Adrenal: Central Relay in Health and Disease" - Informationsinfrastrukturprojekt
- SFB/TRR 265: "Losing and Regaining Control over Drug Intake" - Informationsinfrastrukturprojekt
- SFB/TRR 280: „Konstruktionsstrategien für materialminimierte Carbonbetonstrukturen – Grundlagen für eine neue Art zu bauen“ - Informationsinfrastrukturprojekt
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Completed Projects
- ADA-FS - Advanced Data Placement via Ad-hoc File Systems at Extreme Scales
- 100Gbit/s Testbed Dresden-Freiberg
- Dataheap - Embeding external performance data in program traces
- D-Grid Integrationsprojekt 1
- D-Grid Integrationsprojekt 2
- EMI: European Middleware Initiative
- EMuDIG 4.0 - Efficiency boost in forgin through the development and integration of digital technologies in the engineering process of the entire value-added chain
- EXPLOIDS - Detection and disclosure of IT security incidents with a novel attack detection system
- GeoKur - Data Curation for the Environmental Sciences
- GeRDi - Generic Research Data Infrastructure
- LSDMA - Large-Scale Data Management and Analysis
- MASi - Metadata Management for Applied Sciences
- MoSGrid: Molecular Simulation Grid
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OpARA: Open Access Repository – Digital preservation and publication of research data
- Radieschen: Rahmenbedingungen einer disziplinübergreifenden Forschungsdateninfrastruktur
- SIOX: Scalable I/O for Extreme Performance
- Transatlantisches 10 Gbit/s Testbed Dresden-Indiana(USA)
- WisNetGrid: Wissensnetzwerke im Grid
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VAVID - Comparative Analysis of Engineering Measurements and Simulation Data
- ADA-FS - Advanced Data Placement via Ad-hoc File Systems at Extreme Scales
- 100Gbit/s Testbed Dresden-Freiberg
- Dataheap - Embeding external performance data in program traces
- D-Grid Integrationsprojekt 1
- D-Grid Integrationsprojekt 2
- EMI: European Middleware Initiative
- EMuDIG 4.0 - Efficiency boost in forgin through the development and integration of digital technologies in the engineering process of the entire value-added chain
- EXPLOIDS - Detection and disclosure of IT security incidents with a novel attack detection system
- GeRDi - Generic Research Data Infrastructure
- LSDMA - Large-Scale Data Management and Analysis
- MASi - Metadata Management for Applied Sciences
- MoSGrid: Molecular Simulation Grid
-
OpARA: Open Access Repository – Digital preservation and publication of research data
- Radieschen: Rahmenbedingungen einer disziplinübergreifenden Forschungsdateninfrastruktur
- SIOX: Scalable I/O for Extreme Performance
- Transatlantisches 10 Gbit/s Testbed Dresden-Indiana(USA)
- WisNetGrid: Wissensnetzwerke im Grid
-
VAVID - Comparative Analysis of Engineering Measurements and Simulation Data

Dr. Ralph Müller-Pfefferkorn
Head of Department VDR / Group leader Data Management
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Center for Information Services and High Performance Computing (ZIH)
Center for Information Services and High Performance Computing (ZIH)
Visiting address:
Willers-Bau, A-Flügel Zellescher Weg 12
01069 Dresden
Visitor Address:
Falkenbrunnen, Room 240 Chemnitzer Str. 46b
01187 Dresden