OCC is Democratizing Scientific Research on Google Cloud
The Open Commons Consortium (OCC) is a 501(c)(3) not-forprofit that manages and operates cloud computing, data commons, and data ecosystems to advance scientific, medical, health care, and environmental research for human and societal impact.
As the beginning of the pandemic struck, OCC worked together with university researchers, healthcare providers and commercial partners in the Chicagoland area to make available to researchers COVID-related data for analysis to improve health outcomes, provide a foundation for decision making, and understand COVID related health disparities. While the path looked bumpy, the goal was crystal clear: build a data platform so that the research community could access and analyze the critical data needed about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the health of those infected with COVID-19 disease. What OCC, Burwood, and Google Cloud accomplished together was the result of hard work that made it easy for first time users, students and researchers to access data for continuous research.
Social Impact Matters Most
Many scientific researchers lack the necessary resources, computing power, and access to enough data to achieve all they believe is possible. The dream held by OCC is to provide researchers with the data and resources they need to find the answers to the most formidable problems they seek to solve.
This dream became a reality when OCC, Burwood, and Google Cloud implemented Gen3 Workspaces on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This accelerated the adoption and use of Gen3 data platform, used by researchers internally to accelerate and democratize the process of scientific discovery, especially over large or complex datasets.
Streamlining Access to Data and High-Powered Computing
OCC wanted to leverage GCP's capabilities to enable the use of Gen3 Workspaces through a scalable, supportable and replaceable process to aid multiple scientific communities seeking access to agile resources and large datasets for continuous research of Covid19, Cancer and other types of diseases. One key design element is the built-in shared credit and billing capabilities of Google Cloud, making it easy for authorized users to sign into Gen3 Workspaces and use their allocated GCP credits and pay-as-you-go model thereafter. This design choice streamlines processes and allows researchers to easily connect to the platform, use the credits they were granted, access the data they need, and leverage the tools and other resources provided.
Additional benefits include:
Terraform scripts converted to Helm charts ensures the broadest use of the platform
The architecture’s design aligns with FedRAMP and FISMA requirements
““Working with Google Cloud and Burwood group on this project was like an easy walk in the park. The teams took an extra mile to accommodate our technical needs and also made sure to make a design which can accommodate the future needs””
Collaboration, Creativity, and Fortitude
Google Cloud’s involvement in the program started well before the program was fully fleshed out and before the pandemic hit in early 2020, making this an even more important project to complete. So, Google Cloud and OCC’s solution partner, Burwood Group, jumped in to help make it happen. Together, the three teams accelerated the program using a scalable architecture enabled by intelligent automation.
The program was completed successfully, and the platform was well-received throughout the research community. This success aligns with OCC’s original and lasting dream of doing good things for society through democratizing data-driven scientific research.
Growing the Community for Long-Term Social Impact
““Partnerships like these move the needle when it matters most. The expertise, creativity and support we received from Burwood Group and Google Cloud truly supported our mission.””
The program began with an update to Gen3 Workspaces which run vast amounts of data sets on various platforms. The solution is much more than pushing a platform out to one community. It’s about providing multiple research communities with streamlined on-demand access to large datasets and high-powered resources explicitly architected to meet scientific researchers requirements.
One of the most significant achievements of the program is its design for long-term resiliency, scalability, and security. The architecture and automation implemented on GCP provide a force multiplier effect. The result is that OCC’s vision to replicate and scale the program to other research communities is brought to life in a previously impossible timeline.
Burwood Group Expertise
About OCC
Founded in 2008
501(c)(3) not-for-profit
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois
Division of the Center for Computational Science Research Inc. (CCSR)
Develops innovative software platforms for analyzing and sharing data
Provides a governance framework for data commons and data ecosystems
Participates in working groups that develop and operate several data platforms
Learn more about the regional Covid19 research community
““Burwood Group made it easy, and Google Cloud made it possible – together, they accelerated scalability and repeatability. It was a great experience working with both teams, getting the support we needed during a time of complexity and uncertainty.””
