The Australian Access Federation is helping researchers access the tools and services they need. Find out more about some of the services already available through the Federation for researchers.

The AAF is used to access ARCS Research Collaboration Services

The Australian Research Collaboration Service (ARCS) has integrated its new website with the Australian Access Federation (AAF) for easier access to its services and even stronger security protocols. The site now conveniently allows users to access ARCS services with their identity provider credentials.

• ARCS Data Fabric
  • A central data storage system for simplified and enhanced data collaboration
  • Share data securely only with authorised parties
  • National system with storage facilities across Australia
  • Free limited storage for researchers to get started easily
• ARCS Compute Cloud and Grid Services
  • Provides researchers with easy-to-use access to high performance computing (HPC).
  • The Grid provides a standard interface to numerous HPC systems – each of which is different and quite complex.
  • Grisu is the flexible Grid submission system developed by ARCS.
  • Compute services formerly required a separate enrolment and manual identification process to obtain a certificate for each system, each one taking up to two weeks and having to be renewed annually. Now trusted users from AAF member organisations are automatically issued with certificates to enable them to start using compute grid services straight away.

The AAF is used to access the ANDS Publish My Data Service

ANDS Publish My Data self-service allows Australian researchers and research organisations to publicise the existence of research collections via the internet. Publish My Data is an ANDS online service that allows individuals to enter collection description information and to obtain a persistent identifier for the collection. This information will be stored in the ANDS Collections Registry and will be discoverable through Research Data Australia.

Examples of how others are using the AAF

• Australian Synchrotron Virtual Beamline (VBL): allows researchers using the following Beamlines – macromolecular crystallography, micro crystallography and powder diffraction – to see experiments on these Beamlines from a location remote to the synchrotron. Researchers can view instruments and the work areas associated with the Beamlines. Researchers using the VBL can collaborate using an advanced high-quality video conferencing system and shared applications. They are able to manipulate samples via motor controls, through a secure, remote desktop and an interface to the controls. They can also acquire data from the experiments.
   
• The Australian Integrated Marine Observation System (IMOS) is a set of equipment and data-information services that contribute to marine climate research. IMOS has developed equipment for measuring various aspects of open oceans and coastal areas surrounding Australia. Its data is available to researchers through the electronic Marine Information Infrastructure (eMII), which is responsible for developing, deploying and supporting IMOS’ data delivery system. The ARCS Data Fabric has solved complex data storage and maintenance issues for IMOS and eMII by providing a flexible, unified online system to share data. Authorised people are identified and authenticated through the Australian Access Federation (AAF), which enables IMOS to easily coordinate access privileges for users from many institutions.
   
• AuScope Virtual Rock Laboratory Portal: AuScope Limited facilitates the implementation of a world-class research infrastructure for earth science through the delivery of a range of technologies and capabilities in data acquisition, management, modelling and simulation across the geospatial and geoscience spectrum. A project of AuScope Grid was
  to build an easy to use Web-based interface to its Virtual Rock Laboratory. Using the AAF and ARCS services, Virtual Rock Laboratory users are no longer required to have technical expertise in downloading authentication certificates, and they can now use the Grid with ease.
   
• Labshare: The Labshare project is a national initiative being coordinated by UTS, that uses remote labs to support the sharing of engineering teaching laboratories between institutions. The Labshare project’s mission is to create a nationally shared network of remote laboratories that will result in higher quality labs that support greater student flexibility and improved educational outcomes, improved financial sustainability, enhanced scalability in terms of coping with student loads, and are developed and run by those with the best expertise. Labshare will use the AAF to assist in the identification and authorisation of the students, researchers, academic administrators and Laboratory managers from different organisations who will interact with the Labshare system in different ways and with different levels of access.