Examples of HPC use in Wales

How the brain works: Bangor University

Bangor has a world renowned academic, Professor Fergus Lowe, who studies the way children think about healthy eating, eating fruit and vegetables and so on. He has a 20 year programme where he has proven empirically that the behaviour of children who are exposed to health eating techniques can be changed. Obviously, obesity is a great problem for the Western World. It can cause huge costs in terms of health in later life and the knock-on impact on our health service. Bangor has a team of experts who have been able to measure what happens in the brain. Bangor has the scanners, the people and huge data sets of material. HPC will allow us to process the vast quantities of brain data which have been accumulated on this subject.

Ceri the Clam: Bangor University

When scientists from Bangor University were selected to present their research at the upcoming prestigious Royal Society's annual Summer Science Exhibition, they knew they needed to develop some eye-catching interactive displays to present their work to the public. They turned to Griffilms, a multi-award winning media provider specialising in animation for a global audience. This collaboration resulted in the creation of the virtual character "Ceri the Clam" who will lead visitors through the science of unlocking climate records from seashells. The fascinating thing about clam shells, some of which are 400 years old, is that they can be used rather like the rings on trees. They can help us understand climate change and what has happened over the last 500 years. Clam shells also give us the perspective from the sea rather than from the land. They help us understand what's been happening in the sea on subject like climate change. Bangor's scientists have built up massive data sets which will need a project like HPC to get the very best information we can from all that data.

Weblink: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/bangortv/cericlam.php.en

Major trauma injuries: Bangor University

The prestigious Wolfson Centre for Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience is based at Bangor. The centre has been studying traumatic injuries and building up vast quantities of brain scan data. Studies of the data could have a major impact on how we treat pain in major trauma cases. The HPC computer structure will allow extensive analysis of this brain scan data.

Dementia and Parkinson's Disease: Bangor University

Bangor's scientists have been studying many different aspects on the brain in relation to Dementia and Parkinson's Disease. Bangor has teams working on different brain images, working to understand pain and dementia and how to protect against further deteriorations in the brain. The university has vast amounts of data ready for analysis and HPC Wales will help advance this work.

Healthcare Delivery Modelling: Swansea University

Working with industrial partners large and small, researchers at Swansea University are using datasets to explore trends in the efficacy of treatments. This provides a unique perspective of the healthcare system, allowing enterprises large and small; to identify opportunities for new products and services, and to develop and validate them before taking them to market. However, these opportunities are often limited by the absorptive capacity of SMEs to make use of such resources.

Furnace Combustion Modelling: University of Glamorgan

Researchers at University of Glamorgan currently work with industrial and academic collaborators to optimise the design and operation of combustion systems. This allows companies to maximise productivity and hence competitiveness and profitability.

Optimisation of such applications also has environmental benefits, reducing emissions such as CO2. Such modelling techniques and the required technology are often limited to academic and high end users, and within the University of Glamorgan its wider impact is limited by the available resources. HPC Wales would widen the accessibility of such applications, with specific focus amongst the SME community.

Virtual Creature Modelling: Bangor University

Working in partnership with a number of industrial partners, this activity at Bangor

University demonstrates the potential of high performance computing in developing

applications for sectors ranging from video games and movies to tourism. Such activity is restricted though by certain weaknesses within their respective sectors. For example, the video games sector is dependent upon the availability of appropriate skills and smaller enterprises constrained by the availability of infrastructure and resources.

Environmental Modelling: Aberystwyth University

Working in partnership with an SME in Aberystwyth and regional government scientists in our Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University has developed computer software applications that analyse satellite image data to evaluate and monitor environmental impact and change. Imaging datasets are extremely large and current computing capacity can sometime take months to analyse data. HPC Wales will significantly speed up the process and deliver outputs that would benefit environmental initiatives and businesses.

Swansea Animation Days (SAND): Swansea Metropolitan University

Swansea Metropolitan University provides a focus for digital visualisation across the creative media sector, including animation, video games and film. Combining the computational skills development and infrastructure capabilities of HPC Wales, together with the creative expertise and industrial engagement of SAND, this will provide a regional infrastructure that will greatly support the growth of a key WAG priority sector across Convergence Wales. SAND is a highly prestigious annual international computer graphic imagery (CGI) event that continues to be a vital landmark on the digital media calendar, attracting companies, researchers and journalists from around the world.

SAND is organised by Swansea Metropolitan University's School of Digital Media, an awarding-winning department with an international reputation for the quality of its undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes in 3D computer animation, creative computer games design, multimedia and interactive digital media. The event has been held with the support of the Welsh Government. Dubbed '3D heaven' by a leading CGI publication, SAND is unique in Wales and probably world-wide as it deals solely in CGI and shows work from companies in seemingly diverse sectors such as film, commercials, computer games development and scientific research.

One of the main objectives of SAND is to encourage cross-sector and international collaboration to invigorate our domestic market and encourage Welsh companies to make a considerable contribution to the global development in visualisation and the GDP. From humble beginnings in 1999, SAND has transformed itself into one of the world's most prestigious CGI events, regularly attracting over 2000 delegates from around the world. The conference is split into five days focusing on different aspects of the CGI industry. These include science and research, games, commercials, film and TV. The growth of media-based and creative IP businesses in Wales has increased tremendously in the last decade and is in many instances world class. In recognition of this innovative and vital industry, SAND also hosts a day dedicated to creative industry businesses, exploring Intellectual Property Rights issues, funding, marketing strategies and business incubation opportunities.

Alongside the conference talks there are a range of professional workshops, led by the industry's major practitioners, high-profile screenings of both small independent and big budget films and recruitment panels led by the world's big name companies.

High profile companies who have consistently supported SAND include DreamWorks, Pixar, Aardman Animation, The Moving Picture Company, Double Negative, The Mill, Rhythm and Hues, EA Games, Sony Computer Entertainment plus many more local, national and international names. The conference takes a break this year, 2010, but will return in future years.

Prosthetic and Medical Implant Modelling: University of Wales Institute Cardiff

The National Centre for Product Design and Development (PDR) at UWIC has a strong track record of industrial engagement, supporting innovation across a broad range of sectors.

Supporting enterprises in activities ranging from product development and marketing through to design for production, PDR is a leader in academic-industrial collaboration. HPC Wales would support PDR in undertaking more complex challenges and further enhance the support it can provide to industry. Through access to computational tools, the Centre would be able to expand its activities in key areas aligned

Computational Models for laser-tissue interaction: Swansea Metropolitan University

Professor Kelvin Donne is Dean of the Faculty of Applied Design and Engineering at Swansea Metropolitan University, a University of Wales Alliance institution. Over a 20-year period, he has developed Computational Models for laser-tissue interaction. These models are used in the medical laser industry and have recently been licensed by two companies (SMEs) in the Swansea area. These models will benefit greatly by the provision of the new and enhanced HPC facility. Work in this area, undertaken in 2007, led to a prestigious National Agency for Finite Element Methods and Standards (NAFEMS) World Congress award for Most Innovative Use of Simulation Technology and has formed the basis of a Case Study by Microsoft. Early in 2010, Professor Donne became the first recipient of a University of Wales sponsored Alliance Research Chair, which is further enhancing the University's work. Through the support of the Research Chair, he has appointed a Senior Research Fellow to assist in the further development of HPC-enabled computational models.

Professor Donne has also developed computational models for automotive glass fracture which are used extensively by Belron, the world's largest vehicle glass repair and replacement company. These models were presented at Belron's International Conference in Paris this June. Belron are an inward investor into Convergence Wales, with companies in the south-west Wales region providing services to the company and with Swansea Met becoming one of the key research partners for their worldwide research programme. As a result, in 2009 Belron created a new Research Manager post, based in Swansea, which covers the pan–European area.

In addition, staff and students at Swansea Met's Faculty of Applied Design and Engineering undertake a broad range of work with industry across Convergence Wales including commercial computer animation contract work. The provision of a HPC facility that can produce high-speed rendering using industry standard software will greatly enhance the Faculty's support for existing enterprises in the regional cluster and for new animation and games graduates who aspire to establish their own companies but lack the infrastructure to compete in the professional marketplace.

Driving Chemistry on an Industrial Scale, Cardiff University

Researchers at Cardiff University are involved in a "Grand Challenge" collaboration with the University of Nottingham and the University of York to use light from the sun. Included in this effort will be the transformation of atmospheric carbon dioxide into usable liquid fuels and commodity chemicals, with solar radiation providing the energy source. The project covers everything from basic chemistry and physics to engineering, and involves the need for computer simulation at every stage. Industrial collaborators include Eastman Kodak and Hoffmann la Roche.

Structural problems in solid state and materials sciences, Cardiff University

Researchers at Cardiff University are advancing fundamentals of the direct-space strategy for structure solution from powder X-ray diffraction data, and applying this new methodology to tackle structural problems in a range of areas of solid state and materials sciences, including pharmaceuticals, pigments, reactive crystalline solids, electroluminescent materials, and materials of interest in structural biology. Their current computational approach is based on the use of genetic algorithm search techniques, with extensive computation required in order to apply this methodology. Industrial collaborators include Ciba Pigments, Accelrys, Glaxo Smith Kline, Wyeth, Proctor & Gamble, Astra Zeneca and Purdue Pharma.

Designing new catalytic materials, Cardiff University

Working in partnership with industrial collaborators in Dow Chemicals, Exxon Mobil, Johnson Matthey and SASOL (South Africa), researchers in the School of Chemistry at Cardiff University are looking to reduce the experimental effort used in producing the next generation of cleaner, and energy efficient catalytic materials. By using simulation to design new materials with particular structure and so reactivity, they would like to make more direct impact from simulation at the design stage rather than post rationalising the operation of current materials. An extension of Initial work in microporous materials that has already shown how chemical synthesis can be guided by simulation is looking to integrate this approach with the computationally intensive quantum chemical tools.

Improving Hydrocarbon Exploration, Cardiff University

Working in collaboration with industrial partners at Shell, Researchers in the school of Earth and Ocean Sciences at Cardiff University are combining seismic tomography, plate motion history, Earth mantle circulation modelling and lithosphere modelling to better understand plate motion history and the role of the Earth's mantle. Earth scientists have started to generate models of the history of the motion of plates on Earth's surface over the recent past. These models are quite robust, back to say 80 million years, due to the significant record of ocean spreading that is retained in the deep ocean floor. Plate models though have been developed much further back in time, and there is less agreement between these models. Knowing which plate motion history is correct will be of great benefit to Earth sciences. It is only by using facilities of the type to be delivered by HPC Wales that realistic models can be undertaken.

3D Modelling of Porous Media, Cardiff University

The Geo-environmental Research Centre (GRC) at Cardiff University currently utilises HPC techniques and resources to undertake fully coupled thermo-hydraulic-chemical-mechanical 3D modelling of porous media. One key problem is the assessment of the performance of geological nuclear waste disposal repositories, which itself leads to a number of distinct projects, including (i) ground remediation design and (ii) carbon dioxide sequestration schemes, and large scale aquifer modelling. The GRC are involved in a large number of projects with direct industrial links at both a regional level (the Geoenvironmental Research Park involves a large number of SME's), national level (e.g. Arup, Waterman Environmental) and at an international level (e.g. SKB)

Modelling Turbulence Structures in Surface Water Flows, Cardiff University

Researchers in the School of Engineering at Cardiff University are developing numerical models for predicting the hydrodynamic and water quality models for river, estuarine and coastal waters. Current research is focused on the three-dimensional modelling of turbulence structures in surface water flows based on the method of large eddy simulations. Working in partnership with industrial and academic partners - Arup, Halcrow and HR Wallingford; Environmental Agency - the refined model will be able to predict the generation, growth and transport of these flow structures in 3D. These large scale simulations will require the full computational resources to be provided through HPC Wales.

Computational Simulations in the Areas of Medical Technology, Bio-engineering and Healthcare, Cardiff University

Researchers in the School of Dentistry are involved in a wide area of multidisciplinary research such as biomechanics, cell mechanics, orthopaedics, dental mechanics, soft tissue models, medical imaging including clinical simulation procedures. The prediction and simulation of laws that enable the dynamic behaviour of human structure and function to be predicted are indeed difficult however HPC will allow the tools required to proceed in establishing such breakthroughs. Collaborators include the National Physics Laboratory, Arup (Consulting Engineers) and SimpleWare (Software House Imaging), with many links through <www.meditech.cf.ac.uk>. Market opportunities range across much of the healthcare sector from medical device design to applications in cell mechanics.

Macroeconomic modelling and forecasting with rational expectations, Cardiff University

The Business School at Cardiff University has a number of groups that currently use large data computing and sophisticated 'number crunching' programmes. The School is involved in a number of commercial partnerships, including that with the Julian Hodge Bank for the production of macroeconomic forecasts. Other projects that might be expected to capitalise on the resources to be made available though HPC Wales include "Bootstrap estimation using non-parametric methods", "Uncertain reasoning and soft computing in business situations", and "Multi-level modelling and matching with very large data sets".

Linking with business: Swansea University

The ITWales project is part of the School of Physical Sciences at Swansea University.

ITWales believes that the HPC project will open up huge opportunities for businesses that require the highest level of support in terms of leading edge computing resources.

Professor Min Chen said: "With ITWales already engaging with Welsh SMEs from a wide range of sectors it could stimulate business awareness of this unique facility.

"ITWales has played a significant role in putting Swansea University and our Computer Science Department on the business map. It has been an integral project that has linked academia with business and this HPC will provide excellent opportunities for some of those businesses to utilise the HPC technology to advance knowledge economy in Wales.

"ITWales has proved so successful that the University has recently secured European funding for a new project, Software Alliance Wales, which will further enhance the links with the ICT sector across Wales."

ITWales is the industrial liaison unit of the Department of Computer Science, Swansea University. The Department is one of the most distinguished in the UK, with a growing reputation in research both nationally and internationally.

ITWales provides practical, accessible support to business in Wales, enabling them to embrace ICT development. ITWales identifies what businesses are likely to need from Information Technology and exploits its unique links with academia to help business to remain competitive, innovative and ahead of the game.

ITWales services include:

• Student and graduate IT placements - ITWales has been successfully placing IT students with companies in Wales since 1993.
• The ITWales Business Club - bringing the latest IT information to business in Wales through seminars and workshops.
• Research and Development Partnerships - free assistance can be offered to companies that wish to develop IT products and processes.
• itwales.com - a free online IT magazine for business in Wales, bringing the latest news, features, interviews and more to your desktop.

Healthcare Delivery Modelling: Swansea University

David Ford is the University Director of Health Informatics Research Laboratories at Swansea University. The Research Labs have been created through a collaboration between Centre for Health Information, Research and Evaluation (CHIRAL), School of Medicine, Swansea University and Informing Healthcare, the national programme for NHS IT for Wales and provide a state-of-the-art facility to design, prototype, test and evaluate innovative new information technologies for use in improving health and healthcare.

Working with industrial partners large and small, researchers at Swansea University are using datasets to explore trends in the efficacy of treatments.

This provides a unique perspective of the healthcare system, allowing enterprises large and small; to identify opportunities for new products and services, and to develop and validate them before taking them to market. However, these opportunities are often limited by the absorptive capacity of SMEs to make use of such resources.

The accurate and safe management and analysis of vast and complex medical datasets required very high performance computer systems. Only an initiative as large and innovative as HPC Wales can deliver the massively powerful computer platform to deliver the benefits of this work for health and economic benefit.

HPC will provide a unique coupling of massive data systems and high performance parallel processing capacity in one well managed architecture.

Researchers, health organisations, and businesses across Wales will be able to gain access to unique health data and powerful analytical resources. The new powerful data management and analytical environment provided by HPC will lead to a range of new data analytical services and research activities that span every sector and every business domain.

Studying tidewater glaciers: Swansea University

In February 2010, student Sue Cook from Swansea University Glaciology Group visited CSC, a supercomputing facility in Finland to collaborate with Dr. Thomas Zwinger, an expert in glaciological modelling.

The project used the supercomputing facilities at CSC to model Columbia Glacier, a temperate tidewater glacier in Alaska, which has undergone a significant retreat since the 1980s.

The team used the open source, finite-element software Elmer, developed at CSC to produce a 2D flowline model of the glacier. The model solves the Navier-Stokes equation to predict velocity and stress within the ice, which can be used to predict the depth of surface crevasses.

The aim of this project is to validate a model which relates crevasse depth to rate of mass loss through calving of icebergs. Such a model will be of great importance in predicting future contributions to sea level rise from marine terminating ice masses.

The work was supported by funding Sue Cook successfully raised from the HPC-Europa2 programme and access to data provided by the U.S. Geological Survey. Sue's PhD is funded by Swansea University. Sue has a 1st Class MPhys from Oxford and is currently in her 2nd year of PhD study. Sue will return to Finland in August 2010 on a second longer visit when she will further develop the model and continue using the supercomputer facilities. This type of resource will be available in house when HPC Wales comes on line.