Category: Visits

The role of FaaS in mixed-technology cloud and scientific computing applications

by Josef Spillner

The computer science department of AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków has produced substantial analytical research contributions to assess the suitability of cloud functions as a basis for scientific workflows and computing platforms. Therefore, representing our similar research interests in the Service Prototyping Lab at Zurich University of Applied Sciences, we arranged an intensive two-day exchange including a research seminar, some live experiments and many inspiring discussions. This blog post summarises the talks and experimental results and provides an overview about evident trends and possibilities for future research in this area.

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Visitors from Itaipu Technology Park

by Josef Spillner

Following up on the previous visit from Service Prototyping Lab (SPLab) at Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland to Itaipu Technology Park (PTI) in Paraguay, two young investigators from PTI’s Centre of Information and Communication Technology (CTIC) with support from CONACYT are now visiting us at the SPLab and more generally in Switzerland.

Yessica Bogado and Walter Benítez will spend some weeks to get to know the local research and development situation, get information about our ongoing research initiatives, dive into solving some hard questions, and discuss ideas for future collaboration. Furthermore, they will explore novel research methods and prototypes specifically in emerging technology areas such as cloud-native applications and serverless applications, as well as upcoming hybrid container/cloud function applications.

Walter Benítez, Yessica Bogado and the host Josef Spillner

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Guest Researchers from Mozambique

by Josef Spillner

In the final days of October, the Service Prototyping Lab at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) hosted two doctoral candidates who take part in the structured doctoral programme Information Technology and Systems at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. The candidates Martina Barros and Ambrósio Vumo arrived from Germany, as they spent a significant part of their research time at Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) as part of the DAAD-funded joint programme Welcome to Africa. The realisation of this programme also involves the Service Prototyping Lab as competence centre for research and innovation on cloud applications and new services for digital economies. This article describes how innovation transfer was conducted during the stay.

Martina Barros, Ambrósio Vumo and the host Josef Spillner

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Paraguayan Perspective on Cloud Applications

by Josef Spillner

The Itaipu Technology Park (PTI) in Paraguay, founded in 2009, is involved with scientific and technological development which contributes positively to regional development. Several of its centres with a total number of 90 engineers and researchers put emphasis on ICT integration and the challenges connected with it. Among them are diverse plans to use cloud applications. In this context, the Service Prototyping Lab of Zurich University of Applied Sciences (SPLab) in Switzerland is conducting a two-week guest lecturing and research exchange presenting its research initiatives and outputs on the PTI premises in close proximity to Ciudad del Este.

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Carlo Vallati visits ICCLab

Carlo Vallati visited the lab in Aug/Sept 2015 – here is a short note he wrote on his time here.

I had the pleasure of visiting ICCLab during Aug/Sept 2015 to work on a research proposal. By way of background, I am a postdoctoral researcher with Computer Networking Group (CNG) at the University of Pisa. My research interest focuses on the Internet of Things and Machine-to-Machine applications.

I visited the ICCLab for a month to write a proposal for the prestigious EU Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship scheme. The proposal focuses on providing cloud support for the execution of Machine-to-Machine applications – applications that rely on direct interactions with objects such as sensors and actuators – with low latency interaction requirements. In particular, the project will work on extending the current cloud computing architecture through the integration of cloud nodes close to physical devices, e.g. Fog nodes or Local Data Centers. Should the proposal be successful, it will provide funding to enable me to work on this topic with ICCLab and an industry partner (the proposal includes a secondment to a specific industry partner). Continue reading