Virtual Grid Communities (VGCs)

The grid, as an cyberinfrastructure, provides an effective and efficient platform for the empowerment of specific communities of researchers to innovate and eventually revolutionize what they do, how they do it, and who participates. Generic names for such cyberinfrastructure-enabled environments include collaboratory, colaboratory, grid community or network, virtual science community, and e-science community. [Source: Revolutionizing Science & Engineering Through Cyberinfrastructure Report of the NSF Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel on Cyberinfrastructure, February 2003] In the context of the NG, we use the term “virtual grid community” (VGC) for such a cyberinfrastructure-enabled environment.