About PNNL
Contact: Media Relations, (509) 375-3776
Release date: March 2004
Information technology that makes a difference
by Earl Heister
Director, Information Sciences and Engineering Division
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
There's no doubt about it, we live in an information world. And the amount of information-the sheer quantity of data being collected, analyzed and distributed all around us—is growing exponentially.
At the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, we conduct scientific research and develop tools that use information technology to solve problems. With capabilities that range from fundamental computational science to software engineering and software deployment, our solutions are making an impact in defending the nation, protecting the environment, and advancing energy technologies. Our efforts in these areas are growing, which also helps bring high-tech professionals to the Tri-Cities.
Meeting national needs
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Taking this to heart, PNNL's visual analytics tools automatically display massive quantities of data in visual formats. The graphical representations easily can be explored to identify themes, trends and relationships that otherwise might remain buried in mountains of text, video or audio files. These tools can be valuable to anyone looking to learn something from large data collections, whether for biology and medicine, homeland security, law enforcement, or business competitiveness.
Unfortunately in today's world, we also need to protect our data to ensure that it can't be accessed or manipulated by competitors, hackers or terrorists. PNNL is inventing next-generation technologies to ensure the integrity and security of information, computer-based systems and networks. Our Critical Infrastructure Protection Analysis Laboratory provides a completely isolated network for simulating network attacks. Researchers, engineers and those responsible for critical infrastructure protection can use this safe "test-bed" to evaluate technology, conduct research and development, and complete independent verification and validation of cyber systems.
Another product developed at the Laboratory, EMAdvantage, supports emergency planning and response by ensuring that accurate and timely information is available to those responsible for making decisions that could save lives and property. The software allows emergency operations centers to share information in real time with incident command centers, shelters, schools, hospitals and joint information centers.
Supporting scientific discovery
With the help of high-speed computers, high-tech instrumentation and new equipment, scientific research depends upon the collection and analysis of more data than ever before. PNNL operates a massively parallel supercomputer that ranked fifth fastest in the world in November.
This computer and other high-performance computers at PNNL are leading-edge resources for scientists from around the world who are tackling computationally intensive research such as chemical transformations, nanomaterials and cellular biology. In addition, we have dedicated employees who help ensure the productivity of our researchers by supporting our state-of-the art computing and network infrastructure.
PNNL supports international research efforts, such as DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, which focuses on obtaining measurements from remotely deployed sensors with the goal of improving the performance of climate prediction models. To support the program's data management, our information technology professionals are responsible for the end-to-end engineering processes used to develop and deploy distributed computer systems, instrument systems, and science-related processing algorithms for sites around the world.
Closer to home
PNNL is helping the region plan for the future and protect people and the environment. For example, EMAdvantage, the emergency management tool described earlier, was derived from the Federal Emergency Management Information System that we created to safeguard communities near chemical weapons depots, including the Umatilla Chemical Depot in Hermiston, Ore.
We also developed the Tank Waste Information Network System, or TWINS, which provides access to Hanford databases, text documents, spreadsheets, photos, diagrams and maps related to 177 high-level waste storage tanks. As the official source of Hanford tank waste characterization data, TWINS is used by contractors, regulators, and other organizations across the country to support analysis, design work and reporting. TWINS also provides software tools to automate complex reporting and analytical tasks for the tank farm operations and retrieval contractor.
In another project, PNNL is assisting the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, which includes Seattle, in developing a computational modeling system that predicts the potential impacts of urban activities on area watersheds, lakes and estuaries. The resulting Integrated Water Resource Modeling System will integrate numerous data sets and computational models into a single system that allows the county to better understand how development actions might affect natural resources and the environment.
Looking to the future
For years to come, information technology and computational science will make a difference in our lives. PNNL's computational models of fuel cells could influence the design of tomorrow's vehicles. Our technological tools are increasing business productivity and competitiveness while protecting the most valuable information assets. And we are exploring the human information discourse, which is changing how we perceive information and the way we interact with it and with each other.
We look forward to helping pioneer the future. Regardless of the specific challenge at hand, we will build upon our relationships with government and industry clients to meet their needs—from science to solutions.