Blue-Cloud2026 D4.2 - VLabs implementation guidelines

Cabrera P, Assante M

VRE  EOSC  Virtual Labs  Data infrastructures  Big Data 

Blue-Cloud 2026 builds upon the pilot Blue-Cloud project that established a pilot cyber platform, providing researchers access to multi-disciplinary datasets from observations, analytical services, and computing facilities essential for blue science. The Blue-Cloud Open Science Platform developed a collaborative environment where different services are available. A Data Discovery and Access Service (DD&AS) was developed as an overarching service to facilitate federated queries & retrieval, and smart sharing of multi- disciplinary datasets with human and machine users. The Blue-Cloud Virtual Research Environment (VRE) orchestrates the computing and analytical services in specific integrated and managed applications exploiting federated Blue-Cloud data resources as well as external data resources. The Blue-Cloud innovation potential was explored and unlocked by five dedicated demonstrators as Virtual Labs (VLabs) co-designed with top-level marine researchers to demonstrate the power of the Blue-Cloud Open Science platform. In Blue-Cloud 2026, three of these VLabs are expanded and two new ones are created. The objective is to deploy a wide range of custom methods and technologies, such as software and algorithms, using cloud- based services in the Blue-Cloud VRE. This deliverable provides guidelines on how to implement the VLabs in the VRE. The VLabs technical requirements are assessed by CNR-ISTI, partner responsible for the Blue-Cloud VRE (WP5), to ensure they meet the platform requirements and further develop the services provided by Blue-Cloud. This deliverable is the outcome of discussions held during the VRE Hands-on workshop that took place in Heraklion, Greece in June 2023. First a summary of the activities of WP4 is presented, followed by an overview of the VRE services, as presented during the workshop. VRE services offer a comprehensive array of features, fostering collaboration, facilitating data analytics, enabling result dissemination, and ensuring seamless integration with external systems. In fact, the VRE caters to the entirety of the research lifecycle. The document is structured as follows: Section 1 briefly introduces the role of this deliverable for the development and delivery of the VLab implementations. Section 2 summarises the WP4 objectives and composition. Section 3 describes the VRE services by giving a detailed overview and focuses on the solution and technical requirements for each of the 5 VLabs. The last section concludes the report summarising the guidelines and the solutions provided.

Source: ISTI Project Report, Blue-Cloud2026, D4.2, 2023