Blue Waters computational resources available through 2020

NCSA, Illinois, and the National Geospatial Agency (NGA) have entered into the first phase of what is expected to be a long-term strategic relationship to produce geospatial data products.

This initial phase will provide $11.1 million in funding which is anticipated to keep the Blue Waters supercomputer running through the end of 2020. The project’s funding from the National Science Foundation is scheduled to expire at the end of this year; this new funding extends the project another year.

Under the agreement, NGA will use 90 percent of the machine for EarthDEM to create digital elevation maps of the world, making Blue Waters the most powerful geospatial system in the world. These maps will be available to the public, making them an invaluable resource to researchers in a variety of domains.

The remaining 10 percent of Blue Waters will be allocated for Illinois researchers, a one percent increase over the compute time currently available to campus.

A call for proposals from campus researchers is now underway. New and current Blue Waters users are encouraged to apply for time on Blue Waters to advance their research. The deadline to apply for a Blue Waters allocation is Sept. 15.

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