© 2008 James R. Bottum, James F. Davis, Peter M. Siegel, Brad Wheeler, and Diana G. Oblinger. The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 43, no. 4 (July/August 2008)

Cyberinfrastructure: In Tune for the Future

James R. Bottum, James F. Davis, Peter M. Siegel,
Brad Wheeler, and Diana G. Oblinger

Rapid advances in the speed, power, and ubiquity of computers, computing networks, and related technologies continuously redefine what is possible today.

Aiding significantly in that redefinition is cyberinfrastructure (CI), also known as e-research, e-science, and e-infrastructure. Cyberinfrastructure connects institutions, researchers, educators, and students with high-performance computing, remote sensors, large data sets, middleware, and sophisticated applications such as visualization tools and virtual environments. Allowing the sharing not only of tools and data but also of expertise, cyberinfrastructure merges technology, data, and human resources into a seamless whole.

The Evolution of Cyberinfrastructure

The idea of cyberinfrastructure and the word itself moved more widely into use after the 2003 publication of the report by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Blue-Ribbon Advisory Panel on Cyberinfrastructure. Revolutionizing Science and Engineering through Cyberinfrastructure stated: “The term infrastructure has been used since the 1920s to refer collectively to the roads, power grids, telephone systems, bridges, rail lines, and similar public works that are required for an industrial economy to function. Although good infrastructure is often taken for granted and noticed only when it stops functioning, it is among the most complex and expensive thing[s] that society creates. The newer term cyberinfrastructure refers to infrastructure based upon distributed computer, information and communication technology. If infrastructure is required for an industrial economy, then we could say that cyberinfrastructure is required for a knowledge economy.”¹

Since that time, the concept of cyberinfrastructure has expanded beyond the report’s focus on science and engineering to include areas such as economics, social sciences, and the arts and humanities.² The evolution has been driven by several overlapping forces:

• Research challenges.A wide range of disciplines need more sophisticated, cyberinfrastructure-enabled research approaches.
• Institutional competitiveness.Cyberinfrastructure is emerging as a competitive element among institutions, with colleges and universities that possess effective cyberinfrastructure outcompeting others for external research funding as well as for highly sought-after faculty and students.
• Education and learning. Cyberinfrastructure can enhance learning by allowing students to learn-by-doing rather than learn-by-listening.

Likewise, although the initial definition of cyberinfrastructure emphasized high-performance computing, the term now encompasses additional tools and applications. Beginning in 2005, for example, NSF created multidisciplinary teams and categorized the major components of cyberinfrastructure into four overlapping and complementary areas:

• High Performance Computing
• Data, Data Analysis, and Visualization
• Cyber Services and Virtual Organizations
• Learning and Workforce