[Live-demo] [Ica-osgeo-labs] Ideas/inputs for having a cloud service that runs the OSGeo-Live VM

Wed Nov 11 17:18:06 PST 2015

This is not feasible on OSGeo hardware. The system, bandwidth, staff
requirements are all well beyond what we have. Something like this would
need to be outsourced to a cloud service provider. I'm not convinced
this really works in general for any desktop applications without quite
a lot more than average bandwidth. I don't even get great desktop
performance between machines on my own campus over 1 GB networks. Not
that I don't use remote desktops, but I don't try to do gui GIS or
graphics software for more than minor things.

I would recommend several universities that are part of the network and
want to try this method, put forward a proposal that could be grant
funded (FYI Amazon has such a program for prototyping on it's cloud by
providing credits).

What OSGeo SAC can offer is official accounts on various services for
maintenance of official OSGeo-Live images for cloning by end users. End
user pay-as-you-go is the only financially reasonable method for wide
deployment. Obviously various workshop hosters can work out who actually
pays for what.

I would also consider that in addition to hosting full OSGeo-Live
instances, we should create a system around something like Docker to
allow people to deploy subsets for specific workshops (e.g. a web
workshop with geoserver, postgis, and openlayers). Non-desktop
applications would perform fine over distant connections using standard
ports 22/80/443.

These recipes, combined with official images in the popular services
should make it easier for people to deploy classrooms worth of VMs for
their needs.

Thanks,
Alex
OSGeo Sys Admin Chair

On 11/11/2015 10:28 AM, Angelos Tzotsos wrote:
> Hi Suchith,
> 
> Thanks for following up on this issue.
> I propose we organize a joint OSGeo-Live, SAC meeting on IRC.
> How about:
> http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meetingdetails.html?year=2015&month=11&day=13&hour=21&min=0&sec=0&p1=26&p2=179&p3=240&p4=137&p5=37
> 
> 
> Best,
> Angelos
> 
> On 11/10/2015 01:20 PM, Suchith Anand wrote:
>> Hi Angelos,
>>
>> May i suggest that you goahead and explore the option 1 that you
>> suggested. As you are knowledgeable and have the expertise on this,
>> please lead this  and contact SAC to explore ideas/options to move
>> these ideas forward.
>>
>> Thank you again for coming forward and volunteering your time and
>> efforts for this. I believe this will be a big benefit for our
>> education efforts and also the wider community in the future. Esp .for
>> universities and education globally , there is definitely help in 
>> easily organising the practical/tutorial sessions  . This will also
>> help in our aim to get more universities start teaching using OSGeo
>> software. Also it will be useful  for those running OSGeo
>> workshops/training at events (not just FOSS4G events)  etc can make
>> use of this service.
>>
>> Best wishes,
>>
>> Suchith
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: ica-osgeo-labs [ica-osgeo-labs-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] on
>> behalf of Suchith Anand [Suchith.Anand at nottingham.ac.uk]
>> Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2015 2:41 PM
>> To: OSGeo Discussions; live-demo; ica-osgeo-labs at lists.osgeo.org
>> Subject: Re: [Ica-osgeo-labs] Ideas/inputs for having a cloud service
>> that runs the OSGeo-Live VM
>>
>> Thanks Cameron, Angelos, Giuseppe , Peter and everyone who contributed
>> to these discussions. I am ccing this to discuss list so that the
>> wider community and users who want a cloud service can let their 
>> views known and  how they would use and benefit from an OSGeo-Live
>> cloud service.
>>
>> That way, we will get better idea if  there is need/demand and a
>> sustaining community who will step up to keep the project maintained
>> with each OSGeo-Live release.
>>
>> All - please look though the ideas/inputs below that Cameron
>> summarised for OSGeo-Live sustainable cloud service based discussions
>> we had so far in education and live lists. If you are able to
>> contribute to this , please let us all know. Thanks.
>>
>> Suchith
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: ica-osgeo-labs [ica-osgeo-labs-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] on
>> behalf of Angelos Tzotsos [gcpp.kalxas at gmail.com]
>> Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2015 12:01 PM
>> To: live-demo; ica-osgeo-labs at lists.osgeo.org
>> Subject: Re: [Ica-osgeo-labs] Ideas/inputs for having a cloud service
>> that runs the OSGeo-Live VM
>>
>> I realize that my previous e-mail was not received by the list so I
>> summarize:
>>
>> 1. OSGeo-Live is already cloud-ready on Synnefo stack
>> http://www.synnefo.org/
>> So basically we could deploy synnefo + geneti on OSGeo infrastructure
>> and have a Free Software solution.
>> Alternatively we could deploy an OpenStack instance.
>> https://www.openstack.org/software/
>> We should ask SAC if the above options are feasible.
>>
>> 2. In case we want to deploy OSGeo-Live on AWS, it seems straightforward:
>> http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/VMImportPrerequisites.html
>>
>> https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/vm-import/
>>
>> Any other options in mind?
>>
>> Best,
>> Angelos
>>
>>
>> On 10/18/2015 01:32 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:
>> Bringing a few different email threads back to one, and answering
>> Suchith's "next steps" question:
>>
>> On 16/10/2015 12:43 am, Suchith Anand wrote:
>> Cameron - from your experiences with OSGeo live community, what do you
>> think is the best way now forward ? Can you please summarise all
>> discussions so far and reply to the public lists.Thanks.
>>
>> Suchith
>> If we are to be successful at setting up an OSGeo-Live sustainable
>> cloud service, I suggest we consider:
>>
>> 1. Would a cloud service be used? By who?
>> I'd suggest that people who want a cloud service speak up, say how you
>> would use an OSGeo-Live cloud service. We are looking here to
>> determine if there is a sustaining community who will step up to keep
>> the project maintained with each OSGeo-Live release.
>>
>> 2. What are the steps technically required to set up the cloud
>> service? Hopefully someone will step up to do the research on what is
>> required, and will set up a Proof-of-Concept.
>>
>> 3. What will hosting a cloud service cost? Would it be a
>> pay-as-you-use model? Would we be asking the OSGeo Foundation to
>> sponsor? Would we be asking workshop providers to pay for the service?
>> I suspect that we could ask the OSGeo Foundation for base funding to
>> prove a Proof of Concept (by paying for a cloud service for 1 year or
>> so), but ask workshop providers and other users to pay for the service
>> in moving forward.
>> This is something that can be decided once costs are understood.
>>
>> 4. But the bottom line is that the best chance of success will occur
>> if someone stands up and champions its development.  Do we have
>> someone interested to do the hard work of making it happen? (Speak up
>> if interested). It certainly would be a valuable contribution to the
>> OSGeo community.
>>
>>
>> Warm regards, Cameron
>>
>>
>> On 14/10/2015 7:59 pm, Peter Baumann wrote:
>>>   1.Do you think it is important to have a cloud service that runs
>>> the OSGeo-Live VM
>> not necessarily a cloud, as the whole OSGeo Live is not prepared.
>> But definitely hosting it on a VM (for easy cloning + move) is an
>> asset - any
>> demo just needs to show a URL then.
>>
>>
>>>   2.What are the steps that we need to take to make this possible
>> find a caretaker with a machine.
>> Jacobs University can do that, for example, in tight collaboration
>> with Angelos
>> on technical level.
>>
>> -Peter
>>
>>
>>
>> On 15/10/2015 2:53 am, Giuseppe Amatulli wrote:
>> Hi,
>> under the http://www.spatial-ecology.net/ initiative we  use the the
>> OSGeo-Llive for courses and intensive training in Geo Computation.
>>
>> In this line we have been used also Amazon Web Service to teach remote
>> connection and scripting routines in the cloud. For this I was
>> customize a Ubuntu Instance very similar to the  OSGeo-Llive.
>>
>> Nonetheless, would be grate  to have the OSGeo-Llive directly hosted
>> in AWS to allow teach but also to provide to the course participants 
>> something that they can use after the course.
>>
>> The AWS Educate
>> <https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/><https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/>
>> provide grants for education so maybe an official cooperation
>> OSGeo&AWS can be a solution to host for free a OSGeo-Llive Instance
>>
>> Best Regards
>> Giuseppe
>>
>> On 10/13/2015 05:57 PM, Suchith Anand wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>>
>>> Myself, Maria and Peter are now at ESA event and had a chance to
>>> catch up on ideas for future to expand education globally.
>>>
>>>
>>> I also remembered that few months back, we had an initial discussion
>>> on  the importance of having a cloud service that runs the OSGeo-Live
>>> VM to help running workshops at conferences, training events etc.
>>> Venka made this idea in one of the Geo4All AB discussions on
>>> workshops at FOSS4G Bonn that i copy below
>>>
>>>
>>> "Instead of buying 80-100 computers, it could be a worth considering
>>> to pay for a cloud service that runs the OSGeo-Live VM. Maybe one of
>>> our sponsoring companies could be approached to deploy such OSGeo
>>> Software as a Service solution.Such service could be made available
>>> to any event/institution wishing to run their own workshops anywhere
>>> place on earth with a good internet connection and thin client. For
>>> subsequent events or users could be charged to  cover cost of cloud
>>> hosting and paying for some developers to maintain the system.If the
>>> experiment is successful, we can think of replicating it in our
>>> globally through our local chapters."
>>>
>>>
>>> Me, Maria and Peter in our discussions today, thought it is good time
>>> to start doing something about this and have this for scaling up our
>>> education and training needs globally. So it will be good to get
>>> ideas from key people, so i request you all to give your thoughts/ideas.
>>>
>>>
>>> 1.Do you think it is important to have a cloud service that runs the
>>> OSGeo-Live VM.
>>>
>>> 2.What are the steps that we need to take to make this possible
>>>
>>> Looking forward to your inputs.
>>>
>>> Suchith
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Angelos Tzotsos, PhD
>> OSGeo Charter Member
>> http://users.ntua.gr/tzotsos
>>
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