In this bumper March newsletter, I am pleased to announce the recent delivery of DAFNI version 2.0, the details of which are included in this edition.
You will also see that our series of DAFNI roadshow events continues apace, and we are pleased to share the outputs through the links provided.
The number of researchers joining the DAFNI platform continues to grow and as a result, the number of models and datasets within the platform is expanding.
An important next step for the platform is to provide a range of visualisation outputs for researchers and I am pleased to share with you a video preview of just one of these options.
I would also like to make you aware of a date for your diaries! We are officially launching the DAFNI platform on the 5th July 2021 and would welcome your attendance at this virtual event. Reserve your place using the Eventbrite link below.
Dr Brian Matthews, DAFNI Project Lead
Contents
- Digital Twin on DAFNI
- DAFNI official launch: 5th July
- Recent roadshows
- Recent DAFNI enhancements: DAFNI version 2.0
- Latest insight blogs and demos
- Our pick of funding & training calls
Digital Twin on DAFNI
On the 26th February 2021, Professor Daniel Coca and Dr Cristian Genes gave an overview of their digital twin research at the University of Sheffield, and illustrated the DAFNI-powered Digital Twin of Sheffield Traffic.
Speakers included:
- Peter El Hajj, Head of Delivery for the National Digital Twin programme, The Centre for Digital Built Britain
- Professor Daniel Coca, University of Sheffield, giving an introduction to Digital Twins
- Dr Cristian Genes, University of Sheffield, presenting the Sheffield’s traffic Digital Twin
- Dr Brian Matthews, DAFNI Project Lead, giving an overview of DAFNI
- Rose Dickinson, DAFNI Technical Team, DAFNI’s capability around data, workflows and models
- Dr Andy R Mills, University of Sheffield, presenting how Rolls Royce is using Digital Twins
- Professor Martin Mayfield, University of Sheffield, giving an overview of Digital Twins for infrastructure systems
The outputs of the event can be accessed on the DAFNI website and are also available on the DAFNI YouTube channel.
Reserve your place!
DAFNI official launch:
5th July – Click here
DAFNI’s Academic Use cases and hands-on training sessions – Thursday, 8th July 2021
Reserve your place by clicking here.
DAFNI meets Cranfield researchers
On the 4th February, DAFNI met researchers at the University of Cranfield who shared information on potential use cases for DAFNI to start to work with researchers across many departments at Cranfield.
Speakers included:
- Professor Stephen Hallett, University of Cranfield, giving an overview of DAFNI’s role in researcher.
- Dr Simon Jude, University of Cranfield and DAFNI Champion, illustrating use cases for DAFNI and how it is integrating data from UKCRIC Urban Observatories.
- Dr Brian Matthews of DAFNI, giving an overview of DAFNI.
- Dr Bethan Perkins and Tom Gowland of DAFNI, presenting DAFNI capability around data, workflows and models.
The outputs of the event can be accessed through the DAFNI website and are also available on the DAFNI YouTube channel.
DAFNI meets Southampton researchers
On the 8th February, DAFNI, hosted by Adrian Hickford, DAFNI Champion, along with UKCRIC leaders, met researchers at the University of Southampton and learned about the potential use cases for DAFNI and began to work with researchers from many departments at Southampton.
Speakers included:
- Professor William Powrie (UKCRIC Convener), giving an overview of UKCRIC and how the UKCRIC facilities of which DAFNI are providing future research capabilities.
- Professor David Richards, on the National Infrastructure Lab and associated research.
- Adrian Hickford, University of Southampton and DAFNI Champion, illustrating transport use cases.
- Dr Brian Matthews of DAFNI, giving an overview of DAFNI
- Dr Bethan Perkins and Tom Gowland of DAFNI, presenting DAFNI capability around data, workflows and models.
The outputs of the event can be accessed through the DAFNI website and are also available on the DAFNI YouTube channel.
Recent DAFNI enhancements
This week marks the release of DAFNI Version 2.0
This significant occasion celebrates the many improvements and new features added to the platform since the launch of DAFNI 1.0 in summer 2019.
Front End enhancements available in Version 2.0 include:
- Model upload available to users
- New DAFNI Data Store (NID) pages and interface
- Adoption of DCAT V2 for dataset metadata
- User Groups to allow sharing of datasets and models
- Separate user documentation site
- Versioning of datasets and models
- Supporting deletion of datasets, models and workflows
- Allow use of datasets in workflows (Dataslots)
- Accessibility enhancements to the frontend
Back End improvements which are hugely significant for the capability we offer DAFNI users:
- Creation of DAFNI Docker registry to support model upload
- Development of internal messaging service “autoqueue”
- Integration of ElasticSearch into the platform, for Search and Discovery
- Performance and security improvements to most of the platform codebase
- Integration of Harbor into the platform, for user image registry.
- Enhancements to the DAFNI Security Service to ensure that users’ data remains as secure as possible, and easy to manage and inspect by the DAFNI team
- Notification service to alert DAFNI administrators of pending actions
Brian Matthews, DAFNI Project Lead, explains,
“The team has worked tirelessly since 2019 to make these changes, along with major new versions of the NID and NIMS, and hundreds of smaller, more subtle improvements that contribute to a large body of work and significantly improved user experience and platform capability since the initial release of the platform.
“Given this milestone, we have decided to upgrade the platform release number by a major increment, and move to DAFNI Version 2.0.
“With many more great pieces of functionality in the pipeline, we’re ready to deliver a unique and vital service for the National Infrastructure Research community and others in this exciting new chapter for the DAFNI platform.”
Latest DAFNI Insight blogs and demos
NISMOD on DAFNI
NISMOD is the world’s first national infrastructure system-of-systems model, created in the Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC) programme led by University of Oxford. NISMOD has been used to analyse long-term investment strategies as well as risk and vulnerability in infrastructure networks nationally and globally. In previous newsletters we have highlighted the importance of this model and how it has moved to the DAFNI platform.
Early adopter of DAFNI
Dr Fergus McClean, Research Associate at the University of Newcastle has been an earlier adopter of the DAFNI technology and was recently interviewed to ask about his research and his experiences of using the DAFNI platform.
Click to read the full article.
Visualisation capability on DAFNI
In the next phase of the DAFNI’s development, the team are working on bringing on a new visualisation option to the DAFNI platform.
To provide a preview of this new capability, Tom Gowland, DAFNI Technical Lead has created a video to share the details of the drag and drop tool which was first developed by Martin Summers, University of Oxford and is hoped will provide an easy way for our researchers to create a range of visualisations from model outputs.
To learn more watch the video.
Funding & training calls
- Expression of interest: transforming UK food systems for health and environment
Deadline: 22 April 16:00 UK
Apply for funding to support interdisciplinary research aiming to transform the UK food system for healthy people and a healthy environment. Your project can be led by an eligible UK-based researcher in any discipline and must collaborate with at least one stakeholder organisation. - Farming innovation pathways (FIP): feasibility studies
Deadline: 28 April 2021 11:00 UK time
UK registered businesses and research organisations can apply to carry out feasibility studies.
Projects will address these farming challenges:- Productivity
- Sustainability
- Net zero emissions.
- Access to high performance computing
Deadline: 30 April 2021 16:00 UK time
Apply for access to high performance computing (HPC) services to support any research in EPSRC’s remit.
The services are tier 1 (ARCHER2) and tier 2.
You must live in the UK and be from one of these UK organisations:- Higher education institution
- Research council institute
- UKRI-independent research organisation
- NHS body with research capacity.
- Pre-announcement: NERC scientific support and facilities
Deadline: 22 June 2021 16:00 UK time
Tell us what you need from the next generation of NERC’s scientific support and facilities (S&F).
We want to hear about S&F ideas that are essential to the delivery of environmental science over the next five to 10 years.
This is not a funding opportunity. We will use your ideas to design future funding opportunities
Funding & training calls cont…
Deadline: 9 November 2021 16:00 UK time
This funding opportunity supports innovative, large-scale and complex research tackling big science questions. You can apply for funding between £1.2 million and £3.7 million (at 100% full economic cost) for projects lasting up to five years. We will fund 80% of your project’s full economic cost.
- EPSRC standard research grant
Deadline: Proposals are welcome at any time.
You can apply for standard research grants at any time in any area funded by EPSRC: chemistry, engineering, information and communications technologies, materials, mathematical sciences and physics.
- EPSRC programme grant
Deadline: Proposals are welcome at any time.
You can apply for large and strategic programme grants at any time in any area funded by EPSRC: chemistry, engineering, information and communications technologies, materials, mathematical sciences and physics. - EPSRC network grant
Deadline: Proposals are welcome at any time.
You can apply for network grants to build new interdisciplinary research communities and topics at any time in any area funded by EPSRC: chemistry, engineering, information and communications technologies, materials, mathematical sciences and physics. - Strategic equipment grant
Deadline: Proposals are welcome at any time.
You can apply for funding for cutting-edge equipment that improves your ability to carry out research in any area funded by EPSRC: chemistry, engineering, information and communications technologies, materials, mathematical sciences and physics.
- EPSRC discipline-hopping in ICT
Deadline: Proposals are welcome at any time.
You can apply for support to use your ICT skills in a new discipline or learn ICT research skills to apply them in your own discipline. - EPSRC new investigator award
Deadline: Proposals are welcome at any time.
You can apply for this award at any time in any area funded by EPSRC if you are an academic and have not previously led a research group or received a significant grant.
Further funding opportunities available through: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/
Further opportunities available through: www.raeng.org.uk/grants-prizes