The Cyber Science Infrastructure (CSI) project sees the National Institute of Informatics of Japan (NII) working closely with information infrastructure centers and similar organizations at seven universities. The CSI project has already delivered the science information network environments Super SINET and SINET. The focus now shifts to development of the next-generation science information network SINET3 based on the previous systems. SINET3 employs advanced communication technology and feature a wide range of services.
This project involves R&D into grid infrastructure software used in a large-scale, wide-area, dispersed computing environment for advanced research and education work known as the science grid environment. It represents one aspect of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) project National Research Grid Initiative (NAREGI), which was launched in FY2003. The NAREGI project outcomes provide the fundamental building blocks for the Cyber Science Infrastructure (CSI), particularly with respect to the characteristics and efficacy of the grid infrastructure and integration with the science information network infrastructure (Super SINET, SINET, and SINET3) and other elements such as authentication infrastructure.
Academic Content Service
Organization for Scientific Resources Operations and Coordination
Next-generation Academic Information Infrastructure is an important element of Cyber Science Infrastructure (CSI). It serves as an information platform that will secure Scholarly and Academic Information that is essential to the scholarly community while also ensuring its stable supply. At the same time, it collects and organizes the results of education and research that are produced at universities and research institutes, enhances their value, and disseminates them to society at large.
UPKI (Inter-University PKI) joint public key infrastructure for universities
Organization for Science Network Operations and Coordination
UPKI is a nationwide joint public key infrastructure designed to provide a safe and secure environment for inter-university collaboration through the Cyber Science Infrastructure (CSI). It involves the National Institute of Informatics (NII), the National Joint Information Infrastructure Center (a consortium of seven universities), and other universities throughout the country. UPKI is designed to improve the safety, security, and efficiency of university computer systems, networks, content, and information systems. It also facilitates joint research projects and other initiatives involving universities and private industry, both at home and abroad, as well as other segments of society. In this way, UPKI promotes cutting-edge academic research and encourages the development of skilled ICT professionals and the creation of new industries in the field.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT): Grant-in-aid for Special Education and Research, for the issue of "Construction of Joint Nationwide PKI Infrastructure for Inter-University Collaboration"
Informatics for future value creation
Cyber information infrastructure for the information-explosion era
The aim of this project is to develop core technologies for advanced IT infrastructure designed for the "information-explosion era." These core technologies are in areas such as the efficient, secure, and unbiased extraction of necessary information from exponentially expanding mounds of data; safe, secure, and sustainable system administration for massive information systems; and utilizing information through user-friendly dialog. The project also incorporates design of social systems to accommodate advanced IT services in wider society, through R&D into a range of advanced techniques in informatics and related fields and flexible combinations thereof.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT): Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research on Priority Area: Professor Kitsuregawa, University of Tokyo)
This project involves research into the physical implementation of electronic entanglement network technology and associated applications. Physical implementation refers to theoretical and practical validation of core technology elements - network creation, operation, storage, and observation. Theoretical research focuses on amplifying small non-linearities in order to manipulate the quantum state and facilitate observation, while experimental research encompasses quantum dot photon sources, photon detection using wavelength converters, EIT non-linear operators, and nuclear spin quantum memory. Meanwhile, applications under study include examination of fundamental theory, complete algorithms for future use, and simple protocols designed for immediate implementation.
R&D into grid middleware began in FY2006 under the Science Grid NAREGI Program, part of the project for advanced high-performance general-purpose super-computer development and utilization. In addition to the ongoing supply of grid middleware technology to CSI, the science grid project is developing the necessary software for a science grid environment consisting of multiple virtual organizations (VO) throughout the nation linked to a core facility with petascale computing power. Through joint initiatives involving industry, academic institutions, and government, the aim is to address some of the grand challenges of science, particularly in the nano-technology and life science fields, while pursuing new and undiscovered research fields.
SSS-PC is a next-generation operating system designed to serve as the base infrastructure of dependable computing systems. SSS-PC provides basic operating system functionality such as memory protection and multi-tasking, and is also equipped with Memory Based Communication Facility (MBCF) and Information Disclosure Mechanism (IDM). In addition, task migration functions and scheduling based on free-market principles allow uninterrupted access to systems and applications during maintenance on isolated nodes while enhancing system performance.
This project represents a joint initiative in strategic research undertaken by the public, private, and academic sectors in a bid to provide leadership in software technology on the international stage through the development of software designed to accommodate burgeoning demand and combat widespread problems caused by software flaws. The project revolves around discussion and information dissemination in two key areas. The first is analysis of current trends and the future outlook for software technology and research at the global level, as well as discussion of future software research strategies. The other key area is discussion of joint public-private-academic software research frameworks and consortiums researching practical software predicated on the concepts of safety, security, reliability, and ease of development.
TOP SE (Education Program for Top Software Engineers)
The Top SE Project is developing a structured software engineering course curriculum based on advanced, practical software development teaching materials put together by software engineering researchers from universities and research institutes in Japan and around the world and augmented by input from industry. The objective is to rectify the tendency of software engineering education and research courses at Japanese universities to pursue "toy problems" - that is, issues that are removed from reality and have little practical relevance. The software targeted in this project is mainly related to networked home appliances. The classes thus developed will be used as the basis for training and educational units equivalent to master's courses at university graduate schools, as part of a structured education program in advanced software engineering. The aim is to train "super-architect" professionals with the capability and adaptability to take on new problems and technological issues.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT): FY2004 Promotion and Adjustment Expenses, for the issue of "Creating Training Facilities for Advanced Software Engineers Integrating Industry and Academia"
Development of Dependable Network-on-Chip Platform
This project involves research and development into a bio portal for the latest findings in life science research. The aim is to encourage scientists to describe their research outcomes, such as genome analysis of closely related animals like humans and chimpanzees, in simple Japanese suitable for general audiences. To this end, the bio portal provides tools for expression of the underlying basic principles of life. The project involves preparation of translation conversions for specialist terminology, dictionaries, and descriptive explanations to clarify specialist terminology and concepts that are unique to the life sciences. These efforts are also made with the aim of conquering the English-Japanese language barrier. The project is also developing browsing and analysis functions for genome information that are suitable for researchers in a range of fields, as well as information about the location of information, systems of genome analysis tools, and literature searching tools.
Associative information access for spontaneous learning
This project aims to develop associative information access technology that imparts depth and security to the information space, in order to provide an overall structure for associative informatics. By creating a flexible combination of multiple information sources (where such sources are originally designed for differing purposes) in accordance with user-specified parameters, the technology stimulates new ideas and concepts. Similarly, associative computing of experiential information such as images, video, and three-dimensional objects in tandem with text data supports scholarly learning predicated on experience and experimentation.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT): Technology Infrastructure for Intellectual Assets Project for the issue of "Associative Information Access Technology Incorporating Self-Learning" http://www.cc-society.org/about/about02.html
Generic Engine for Transposable Association (GETA)
This project involves the development of a Generic Engine for Transposable Association (GETA) that is capable of identifying similarities in document information at high speed. GETA will be distributed in the form of open source code. The GETA-based library searching service Webcat Plus, for instance, provides associative searching of some nice million books. GETA is also used in a number of other information services such as Cultural Heritage Online, Shinsho Map (New Book Map), and Book Town JIMBOU.
Content integration and handling technology for digital archiving
This research project involves the search for infrastructure technology to enable utilization of the enormous cultural heritage generated by humankind in the education field. The project will develop technology for integrating and utilizing different forms of media content such as text and images, information integration frameworks for sharing autonomous and dispersed content and associated methodologies, and systems that assist scholars in utilizing content for knowledge discovery and learning. Techniques for sharing and utilizing digital content will be subjected to validation testing in conjunction with educational institutions.
Smartive technology generates content autonomously based on the needs of content providers and users, which are embedded in the form of policy. Prototype trials and validation tests on an application of Smartive technology involving the generation of teaching content for English conversation practice among students have shown the technology to be an effective new e-Learning system. It is hoped that Smartive technology will also revolutionize content utilization in fields other than education, such as music, video, and advertising.
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC): FY2002 Strategic Telecommunications Research and Development Promotion System, Joint Initiatives between the Private, Public and Academic Sectors, Advanced Technology Development (SCOPE), for the issue of "R&D into Agent Framework for Secure and Accessible Content Distribution"
With the growing popularity of wide-area networks and video distribution systems, sensory and cultural content is poised to develop into a core industry. Meanwhile, advances in digital video imaging, manipulation, expression, and distribution technology are making digital cinema a reality, both in cinemas and in the home. This development is creating new forms of video-based culture and an associated video cinema industry. This project is dedicated to creating new value chains in digital technology and developing common specifications and standards for metadata technology, from initial production through to the final viewing stages. The National Institute of Informatics (NII) is conducting research on copyright technology and other forms of distribution rights, particularly in relation to secondary and tertiary distribution of content, in order to confirm the validity and business potential of the same.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT: Science and Technology Promotion and Adjustment Expenses, Promoting Research to Address Key Issues, for the issue of "Research on Standards for Digital Cinema - R&D on DRM in relation to Digital Cinema Video Distribution"
Research Infrastructure for Evaluation and Performance Comparisons of Information Searching and Access Technology - NTCIR (NII-NACSIS Test Collection for IR Systems)
NTCIR has compiled a very large test data set for use in the evaluation of information access technologies used for searching, summarizing, and extracting information. At the same time, NTCIR is also pursuing research into evaluation techniques. From time to time NTCIR holds workshops in selected research fields, in which participating research groups in Japan and overseas test a common data set. The test results are then collated for use in generating correct data, conducting comparative evaluation and analysis of systems and algorithms, sharing resources, and engaging in general discussion of research concepts. In this way, research work in related areas contributes to overall progress in the field.
「Informatics for Environmental Issues」
The reduction of greenhouse gas, including CO2 emissions, is oneof the most important issues facing the global community today. Informatics is expected to have contributions to reduce the amount of CO2 in the earth. We study several approaches to do this. One of them is to reduce the amount of CO2 emitted from logistic trucks. We found interesting similarity between the routes of trucks and the control-flow of programs. We have constructed special programming language for specifying truck routes so that we make truck routes efficient by using code analysis and optimization techniques used in compiler and software verification. In fact, our approach can reduce the amount of CO2 emission from trucks and is useful to manage cooperative logistics. We propose a novel framework for supporting emissions trading with RFID technology. It is unique because it can user RFID tags, which are put on products, as a certificate of carbon credits attached to the products, trade carbon credits to others through exchanging the RFID tags corresponding to the credits to them, offset our emissions by just giving RFID tags Japan government free of charge.
The Cultural Heritage Online Initiative is a joint project involving the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) that aims to make available to the general public a wide range of information on tangible and intangible cultural heritage, both regional and national, via high-speed, high-capacity communication systems. Cultural Heritage Online is an internet portal site providing ready access to information on the diverse and valuable cultural heritage of Japan. At present, the portal provides cultural heritage information on around 4,000 items supplied by museums throughout the country. Development and ongoing operation of the portal is the responsibility of the National Institute of Informatics (NII).
Cultural Affairs and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC)http://bunka.nii.ac.jp/
IMAGINE ― Federated associative search for heterogeneous information resources
NetCommons is an information-sharing platform for e-Learning sites and virtual labs, designed to encourage the formation of virtual communities among universities and NPOs. The NetCommons 100 Project, a two-year validation trial launched in July 2003, evaluated the introduction, utilization, efficacy, and convenience of the platform. The trial involved some 90 groups including universities, other higher education institutions, and joint industry-university groupware initiatives, as well as virtual offices such as NPOs. Following the success of the trial, version 1.0.0 of the platform was released as open source code in August 2005 in a bid to promote the NetCommons approach throughout society.
The Digital Silk Roads Project fuses culture with cutting-edge information technology research. The aim of the project is to ensure the eternal preservation of cultural resources that have already been researched and/or collated, while also promoting access to and utilization of future cultural resources that are yet to appear. The project entails digitizing physical cultural resources and compiling digital archives, as well as providing network access to digitized cultural resources and attaching explanatory information and descriptions to digitized cultural resources.
Cultural resources covered in the project include the Toyo Bunko Rare Books collection, an iconographic history featuring priceless Silk Road narratives, and the historical legacy of the ancient city of Bam in Iran, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2003.
The advent of the ubiquitous society will lead to an explosive increase in the volume of information disseminated over networks. Users will need to be much more selective in plucking out the required information from the massive volume in circulation. The selection process depends on frameworks for evaluating information with respect to accuracy, reputation, ranking, and quality - frameworks that have yet to be developed. The aim of this project is to develop an information reliability evaluation system for implementation in wider society as a combination of (1) techniques for objective evaluation of rating and quality information; (2) subjective evaluation mechanisms for reputation and word of mouth information; and (3) analysis of how the reliability of information affects economic models with respect to informatics, engineering, law, and economics.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT): Social Science R&D Project, for the issue of "Governance in the Ubiquitous Society"
Integrated informatics
Determing the genomic infrastructure of evolution and diversity through comparative genome analysis
The Comparative Genome Project, a designated research field of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), seeks to describe biological evolution and diversity on earth through analysis of biological genomes that hold the vital key to the evolution of life over more than 3.5 billion years. The project studies the most important biological genomes in relation to evolution, namely animals such as choanoflagellates, silkworms, amphioxuses, cyprinodonts, chimpanzees, and humans, as well as plants such as moss and corn. The project is also involved with new approaches to genome research such as analysis of co-existence systems generated by plants and bacteria in the environment. Within the scope of objectives in this very wide field, the focus of research is on primate genomes and the factors that led to the evolution of primates into humans.
