The Virtual Grid Application Development Software (VGrADS) project explores novel methods for improving the programmability of computational grids (including efficiency and scalability).  Conceptually, we organize this research into three interconnected thrusts:

• The Virtual Grid Execution System (vgES) defines and implements a set of abstractions that comprise the Virtual Grid (VG). Among the components that vgES uses to accomplish this are the Virtual Grid Description Language (vgDL), mechanisms for Finding And Binding resources (vgFAB), a launcher (vgLaunch) and a monitor framework (Mortar).

• Programming tools support the creation of grid applications. Much of this work revolves around the requirements to map applications (usually represented as directed acyclic graphs) to VGs: methods for deriving VG descriptions from the application, methods for mapping the application onto a VG, and methods to schedule operations within a VG properly.

• The VGrADS driving applications provide challenging tests of grid execution. From these, we derive requirements for the execution system and programming tools. As those systems mature, their capabilities enable improved application performance.  As a result, some of the applications have generated interesting results in their own discipline, as well as led to grid computing research.

The links to the left provide more information for each area.