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1.4 Future directions 1.4.1 Technical Developments

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The other chapters in this book, described above, confirm that e-Research has moved on from an early focus on grid computing to encompass a very diverse set of tools, some of which are enhancements of previous software and others that are entirely new. A factor that suggests that this diversity will persist and even grow is the lack of central co-ordination and oversight. In the UK, the national e-Science Centre, which was the hub for the core programme, ceased operating in 2011, as did the NCeSS Hub in 2010. Other national centres still exist, for example the New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (www.nesi.org.nz), as do several international initiatives, such as the Open Grid Forum (www.ogf.org) and the European Grid Infrastructure (www.egi.eu). The emphases of these centres and programmes, however, are largely high performance computing, providing cloud services and codifying grid standards; areas of limited relevance to the social sciences. Outside these programmes, technical developments are either mostly modest refinements to existing tools, updates to commercial packages driven by competition for market share, or the adoption and adaptation of whatever generic or specialized tools and services researchers find can smooth the path of their own research. The future path of technical developments is therefore impossible to predict, though the drive to harness computing power to enable better research is unlikely to abate.

Innovations in Digital Research Methods

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