The Open Cloud Consortium (OCC) is a not for profit that manages and operates cloud computing infrastructure to support scientific, medical, health care and environmental research. OCC members span the globe and include over 10 universities, over 15 companies, and over 5 government agencies and national laboratories.
To better understand our role, it is helpful to divide projects in these areas into three groups:
- Individual researchers and small projects typically do not need much computing infrastructure and can either operate their own or use a public cloud service provider such as Amazon.
- The OCC is designed to serve medium to large size research projects by managing and operating a cloud computing infrastructure that can be shared across these projects.
- Very large research projects, such as the LHC, the LSST, and the OOI, typically develop their own dedicated computing infrastructure.
The term community based science is sometimes used for the shared infrastructure that groups and organizations like the OCC provide. In the jargon of cloud computing, you can think of the OCC as providing Science as a Service or more accurately the infrastructure, platform and services to support science as a service.
The Open Cloud Consortium is organized into different working groups, which manage and operate the infrastructure and services that we provide.
The OCC provides shared community infrastructure to medium to large size research projects.
The OCC provides shared community infrastructure to medium to large size research projects.
If you are interested in joining the OCC, please send email to info@opencloudconsorium.org. Currently, we do not have a mechanism for individuals to join the OCC. Current members include research groups and organizations that can benefit from cloud computing and developers and providers of cloud computing products, services, and infrastructure.
We are primarily supported by the products, services and infrastructure of our members and by donations from foundations. We also have some support from the U.S. National Science Foundation. You can learn more about our sponsors here. Of course, we are always interested in donations and support. If you would like to support the OCC, please email us at info@opencloudconsorium.org.
The Open Cloud Consortium is a consortium managed by the Center for Computational Science Research, Inc., which is an Illinois based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation.