D4Science supports the integration of community-developed tools and applications, fostering innovation and promoting a collaborative approach to scientific software development.
They want to make this tool widely available to the research community and conservation organisations. The team initially considered deploying their application on a commercial cloud platform. Still, they quickly realised that this approach would require significant financial resources, limit their control over the application's functionality, and potentially restrict collaborative exploitation of the resources.
D4Science presents an alternative that aligns perfectly with the team's goals of fostering open science and collaborative research while enabling them to leverage the power of cloud computing without the constraints of commercial platforms.
- Recognizing that their application is not a stand-alone tool but relies on a broader ecosystem of data and services, the team decides to integrate their algorithm into the D4Science infrastructure, specifically within a dedicated VRE for marine biodiversity research. They can utilise the various integration patterns offered by D4Science.
- The D4Science CCP (Cloud Computing Platform) allows the team to encapsulate their algorithm as an executable web service. They can specify the required inputs, outputs, and execution environment, ensuring that the service runs smoothly and reliably on the D4Science distributed computing infrastructure. This approach makes their tool readily accessible to other researchers through a user-friendly interface within the VRE.
- D4Science’s co-creation approach ensures that the VRE evolves to meet the needs of its designated communities. The team can work with the D4Science team and other community members to enhance the VRE by integrating additional data sets, analytical tools, and visualisation capabilities. For example, they could link their species distribution model to oceanographic data from the Copernicus Marine Service, which is already integrated into D4Science.
- The team can use the D4Science Catalogue to publish their algorithm, making it discoverable by other researchers and potential users. They can also use the VRE’s social networking features to engage with the marine biodiversity research community, solicit feedback on their tool, and foster collaborations.
