"Weather" forecasts for cloud computing

Over the past more than 30 years, information technology has made rapid progress. The successful application of information technology in meteorological industry has promoted the continuous improvement of meteorological service and scientific research work level. The modern meteorological service which takes information system as the basic characteristic has distinct characteristics of the times, the data information is very large, the User Service response time requirement is high, the rational degree of resource allocation structure is higher, and the high Performance computing resource demand is strong.

Informatization is the basic characteristic of our times. Since the 80 's, personal computers, databases, computer networks, the Internet, the World Wide Web, search engines and so on one after another new technology into our lives, changing the way we live and work. At the beginning of this century, a new way of working came into being: cloud computing.

So what is "cloud computing"? What are the characteristics of "cloud computing"? How will it be applied to meteorological data information? The reporter interviewed the National Meteorological Information Center is the research level senior engineer Shen Wenhai, together to discuss our side "that piece of cloud".

The natural product of information technology

Cloud computing is the delivery and usage pattern of IT resources, which means that the resources needed (hardware, platforms, software, services) are available on an as-needed, extensible basis over the network, and the network that provides resources is called the "cloud".

Shen Wenhai to reporters, "October 2010, the Development and Reform Commission Joint Ministry of Industry issued" on the implementation of cloud computing Services Innovation Pilot Demonstration work notice, in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuxi and other five cities first to carry out cloud computing innovation and Development pilot demonstration work, is an important starting step.

The reporter learned that the current standards of cloud computing has basically reached a consensus, that is: the user needs resources are not clients, but from the network, service capacity has a minute or even a second level of scalability, with more than 5 times times the traditional mode of cost-effective advantages.

"Cloud computing is a natural product of contemporary information technology that has developed to a certain height, using an effective combination of existing technologies to maximize the efficiency of infrastructure, platforms and software use, enrich and enhance the capabilities of the service side, and greatly weaken the client's environmental requirements," Shen Wenhai. ”

"Cloud computing has completely reduced the access threshold for information, making all the work related to it easier, more reasonable and more natural." Shen Wenhai says, "its connotation shows a fantastic vision of beauty: People can use computing, networking, storage, and software capabilities in a pay-as-you-go fashion, just like water and electricity resources." ”

The indissoluble bond with meteorology

One of the most direct results of "cloud computing" in the effective use of the meteorological Department should be to significantly reduce the end-user's work costs. By that time, the most remote business users of the meteorological Department had no need to configure a large number of servers and storage facilities locally for the completion of their operations, and to establish a computer room for the maintenance of those devices. Under sufficient bandwidth conditions, these users can complete all business, scientific research work data processing, analysis and product generation through the network in ' cloud '. And this ' cloud ' can be located in the provincial bureau of the data center, can also be located in the surrounding provinces, even in the national data Center. "Shen Wenhai said.

In data processing, the realization of "cloud computing" can complete the intensification of data resources, make the use of data resources more simple, improve the richness of service means. Shen Wenhai said that the use of cloud computing will enable ordinary users to basically get rid of the traditional mode of information work, significantly reduce the current people because of the high cost of information work must be paid to free people to buy information infrastructure assets in the form of heavy shackles, So that people's creative thinking can be realized in a more inexpensive and convenient way than at present.

"This mode of work can be applied at least to the County Meteorological Bureau, and may even apply to the municipal meteorological units, to mitigate or even eliminate the human resource pressures caused by it asset management." "Shen Wenhai said.

It is understood that some provincial and municipal information department technicians have begun to contact and try to use cloud computing technology, and has made a surprising initial results.

The informatization construction of Meteorological Department has entered the stage of deep integration of information technology and meteorological service; The main way to realize "good and fast" development mode is to improve the efficiency and efficiency of the "four ability", by advanced design concept, effective organization form and technical means.

Shen Wenhai said that the meteorological industry needs a long-term and stable application software research and development team. Similarly, the meteorological industry also needs to have a long-term stability, continuous improvement and rich unified standard application software research and development platform. Because the existence of this platform, will make the meteorological industry from now on to really get rid of the "everything from the basic module started" low-level duplication of work, so that all the new work is based on the results of the accumulated predecessors. "It is believed that in the near future, similar attempts and the development of a typical meteorological platform based on beneficial attempts will inevitably arise"

Shen Wenhai said that with the effective application of cloud computing in the Meteorological department, the business layout of the meteorological information system would be simpler, more reasonable and more efficient.

The road of the future--optimizing the adjustment of resources

"According to the September 2011 U.S. network data transmission company Pando NX released the ranking of the global Internet speed, South Korea, the world's fastest download rate in the global, the average network speeds up to 2202kb/seconds. China's mainland average speed is only 245kb/seconds, far below the 580kb/second global average, ranked 71st. Such bandwidth conditions are difficult to meet the basic needs of cloud computing for the network environment. This is one of the important factors restricting the development of cloud computing in the external environment condition. Shen Wenhai to the reporter to introduce.

The reporter learned that at present, the Ministry of Industry has launched a "broadband strategy" to speed up the development of 3G and fiber-optic broadband network. By the end of 2015, the domestic urban household Internet bandwidth reached more than 20Mbps.

"This will effectively mitigate network bandwidth constraints on the implementation of cloud computing." "Shen Wenhai said.

"The concept of cloud computing, methods in the appropriate introduction of meteorological departments and the effective popularization of the application, it will be possible to greatly simplify the basic meteorological units of the business work environment, and truly achieve the optimal combination of resources and professional division of Business work, complete the Meteorological department information System structure optimization and rational allocation, completely rid of the existence of the disorder, The negative phenomena of confusion and low-level duplication, greatly reducing the initial cost and process cost of creative work and daily informatization, thus releasing the valuable creativity and productivity suppressed by high cost. "This is tantamount to a" liberation "for the weather workers struggling to meet the growing demand for services," Shen Wenhai said. "

Shen Wenhai that "cloud computing" brings us the Enlightenment is that, in meeting the premise of business objectives, to maximize the potential value of all resources, to maximize the use of resources to improve the efficiency of the overall efficiency of information construction, to minimize the meteorological department in Business, scientific research, Management and other aspects of the cost of work to improve the working environment and greatly reduce the cost of work to promote the technical level of the Meteorological Department, the enhancement of business capabilities, management quality improvement.

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)