Annual Report 2017

eRSA T +61 7228 6210E enquiries@ersa.edu.auW www.ersa.edu.au@eResearchSA

Building 14, Hedge HouseLittle Queen StreetThebarton, SA, 5031ABN: 95-602-771-844

Photography Andrew Beveridge

Contents

About eRSA 4

Our Services 8

CEO’s Report 10

Say hello to TANGO 12

Innovation Sympoisum 14

Our Impact 16

eRSA Board 18

Financial Report 20

For eRSA, incorporation has created opportunities for

organisational growth while still providing the same powerful

eResearch tools and services that support cutting-edge research

development in South Australia.

In 2016, eResearch SA Ltd registered eRSA as a business

name, which we now use.

eRSA is the leading provider of computing technology expertise, services and

facilities to the research, government and business sectors in

South Australia.

eRSA enables researchers to explore new and innovative research opportunities by

providing access to a suite of advanced, reliable, secure and user-friendly tools and

services, including high-performance computing, data management, data storage,

cloud computing, software development and consultancy.

Established in 2007 to coordinate South Australia’s implementation of the

national and state eResearch strategies, eRSA is a collaborative joint venture

between the University of Adelaide, Flinders University and the University of

South Australia.

eRSA was incorporated late in 2014 as a Not-for-Profit Company Limited

by Guarantee. Our founding members are the three SA Universities and

the activities formerly conducted as an unincorporated Joint Venture were

transferred to eRSA. In 2016, we evolved our brand and logo. We also simplified

our name from eResearch SA Ltd to eRSA.

About eRSA

Dr Andrew McGrath Airborne Research AustraliaFlinders University

“Not only do we now have a means to help promote visual understanding of 19th century cottages, we now have a practical example of how we can use digital technologies to bring to life items in our collection – it’s been a great outcome.”

Associate Professor Christine Garnaut Planning and Architectural History,University of South Australia

By providing access to a suite of advanced ICT tools and services that are reliable, easy to use and secure, we enable our users to explore new and innovative research opportunities that would not otherwise be accessible.

RESEARCH DATA MANAGEMENT

As South Australia’s leading provider

of storage solutions for very large

research data sets, we provide a

range of data management services,

in line with best-practices and funding

guidelines. We have a long history of

working with researchers in South

Australia and have built a reputation as

the leading provider of sophisticated

storage. We provide data management

planning, metadata creation and

publication, and data repository

services.

CLOUD COMPUTING SERVICES

Scalable, convenient, accessible and

collaborative, Cloud computing allows

users to host databases, applications,

and other online resources without the

burden of maintaining their own server

infrastructure. Discipline specific Virtual

Labs and eResearch Tools allows easy

access to the cloud with web-based

interfaces.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING

We provide world-class HPC facilities

and expert user support, enabling

SA’s research community to conduct

advanced research and development

locally, and to collaborate in national

partnerships. We maintain extensive

supercomputing facilities, giving

SA researchers access to shared

infrastructure, enabling researchers

to tackle demanding scientific and

technical problems with ease.

Our Services

TRAINING AND SUPPORT

We offer technical training programs for

all of our products and services, and run

regular workshops for HPC, Cloud and

Storage. We also provide User Guides,

FAQs and Service Desk support. Our

interactive workshops teach general

skills to users, and the tools used are

applicable to many types of analysis

across all disciplines. In addition to our

regular schedule of training workshops,

we can also provide personalised,

dedicated training for your bespoke

technical solution.

CONSULTANCY AND BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Our consultancy and business analysis

services can minimise research budget

spend on computing and data storage,

accelerating research outcomes.

As well as designing customised IT

solutions for specific research and

business requirements, we consult with

research groups and organisations to

advise them on how IT and eResearch

services could best be used to meet

their requirements and improve work

practices.

RESEARCH DATA STORAGE

We provide world-class storage and

access services for datasets of all

sizes. Using our services, you can store,

access, transfer, and backup your data,

and share it with your collaborators. We

also provide support and assistance in

the use of our data storage facilities.

Several models of storage are provided,

including funded, merit-allocated

storage, collection development and

general purpose storage.

I’m pleased to report on our key achievements during the 2016/2017 financial year. The eRSA team has gone above and beyond to support the SA research community with accessible, secure and reliable eResearch technologies. Our key achievements include:

• Released ‘TANGO’, our new

premium HPC and Cloud platform

on the latest generation of

innovation infrastructure, enabling

easy access to powerful compute,

cloud and storage.

• Implemented grant funds for

dedicated big memory nodes in

the TANGO HPC queue, providing

Centre for Cancer Biology (CCB)

with priority access, which allows

others to make use of the memory

resources when not being utilised

by CCB. It also allows CCB to utilise

additional memory resources

within the TANGO HPC queue,

during high workload periods. The

new hardware has seen a twofold

processing improvement from

their previous implementation,

significantly enhancing

their service capability. Also

implemented a new slide scanner

onto the eRSA network combined

with laboratory workflow

sequencing and instrumentation

management system, which

is hosted on an eRSA virtual

machine.

• Released our new ownCloud

service - a file sync and share

platform that makes it easier

for researchers to access their

storage.

• Deployed our brand new User

Support Site with a new and

improved knowledge base,

including an easy to use and sleek

user experience.

• Released our new User Portal,

which is designed to give our users

more control over their research

projects and easy access to

eRSA services and support, in an

efficient, streamlined interface.

CEO’s Report

Mary Hobson

Chief Executive Officer,

eRSA

• To make way for TANGO, Tizard

HPC was retired, having been in

service since October 2012 to bring

High Performance Computing to

South Australian researchers and

their collaborators.

• Spearheaded the national Cultures

and Communities project which

builds communities of practice and

provides research data services

for Humanities and Social Sciences

researchers.

• Delivered another successful

Innovation Symposium, headlined

by this year’s theme of “AI Beyond

the Myths”, which featured

prominent thought leaders from

from SA Government, University

of Adelaide, Australian Centre for

Visual Technologies, Connected

Intelligence Centre and eRSA.

• Launched ‘Reportal’, a self-serve

invoice reconciliation for Fee for

Service which offers our external

stakeholders the reporting

capability to inform an evidence-

based model of decision-making.

• Streamlined our internal

Information Management systems

using Microsoft’s Office 365

including SharePoint and CRM

which enables us to service our

clients better than ever.

• Introduced a new model of

engagement with researchers,

bringing together a team of diverse

specialists to provide targeted

services to researchers within

three domains.

• Appointment of Sarah Nisbet to

Chief Operating Officer, who will

oversee eRSA’s ongoing operations

and lead our national engagement.

• Implemented our new Cadetship

program, hiring two talented and

enthusiastic graduates within our

operations and marketing teams.

• Successfully engaged our first

commercial client, ElectraNet, who

is a critical part of the electricity

supply chain. Their transmission

network transports electricity over

long distances to metropolitan,

regional and remote areas.

In 2018, eRSA will continue to expand

our capability, while continuing to

support the SA research community

with accessible, secure and reliable

eResearch technologies.

As always, I would like to thank our

partners Hitachi and Dell for their

commitment to providing excellent

and reliable hardware. This year’s

achievements have seen us build a

stronger and more flexible technology

foundation that will support SA’s

researchers well into the future.

I would also like to thank the research

community of SA for their continued

support.

Finally, I would like to thank the eRSA

staff for their remarkable work in a

very successful 2017.

Regards,

Mary Hobson

This year, in partnership with Dell EMC, we delivered TANGO, our new premium HPC and Cloud infrastructure, built to enable collaboration and innovation among researchers across SA. TANGO replaced Tizard, our previous HPC.

TANGO introduces a level of flexibility

not seen before in Australian high-

performance computing. Built using

leading edge infrastructure from

Dell EMC and VMware, it provides

users with an unprecedented level of

freedom in the Research and Innovation

Sandbox, a service where they can

experiment with different combinations

of technology. The Sandbox eliminates

risk of technological experimentation,

offering an avenue to test the best

ways of processing analytics, big data

processing, complex modelling and

forecasting.

eRSA’s Infrastructure Manager, Paul

Bartczak, says that Big Data and

complex data analytics are increasingly

becoming a part of the research and

innovation landscape.

“In order to keep up with modern

research demands, having a powerful

HPC and Cloud platform is a necessity,”

Mr. Bartczak said. “TANGO allows

researchers and commercial clients

alike to process large amounts of data

quickly and easily, and the software

defined network capability provides a

secure environment to work in. Working

with Dell EMC, we also ensured that

it’s highly scalable, which means it can

keep up with increased user demand.”

Andrew Underwood, Dell EMC’s ANZ

high performance computing lead said,

“Australian industry is now realising

the benefits of adopting enterprise-

capable high-performance computing.

This has allowed the industry to achieve

product innovations faster than their

competition in the global economy.

TANGO HPC is a powerful system for

SA researchers. It combines compute,

storage, networking and the scientific

software stack into a single platform

that is easy to use and highly-secure.

Not only is it a great representation of

industry aligned HPC, it is also a great

example of the Dell Technologies family

working together to drive discovery and

innovation in our economy.”

TANGO comprises of Dell Servers

connected with Dell Z9100-ON 100GbE

Software Defined Network switches and

purpose-built applications for high-

performance data centre and computing

environments. The Research Cloud is

built on VMware Cloud Foundation which

delivers a completely software defined

environment that is flexible, agile and is

fully managed by the VMware vRealize

Suite. Dell EMC Avamar and Dell EMC

Data Domain provides backup and data

protection providing piece of mind and

protection corporate customers desire.

The computational capabilities of

this infrastructure allow users to

experiment with combinations of

technology to manage heavy workloads

through a variable capability cloud,

software defined data storage and

software defined networking.

Say hello to

This year we ran our second Innovation Symposium as part of the statewide Open State festival. Subtitled “AI Beyond the Myths”, this Symposium brought together thought leaders in the areas of AI technologies, including machine learning and neural networks.

MC’d by Bruce Linn, the panel of

expert speakers included South

Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Leanna

Read; Professor Lyle Palmer from

the University of Adelaide; Professor

Anton van den Hengel, the Director

of the Australian Centre for Visual

Technologies (ACVT); Associate

Professor Theresa Dirndorfer Anderson,

from the University of Technology

Sydney’s Connected Intelligence Centre;

and eRSA CEO Mary Hobson.

Mary kicked off the event by providing

a glimpse into the origins of AI and

why the technology is not the fearsome

concept many are wary of, and how

we’re embracing it.

Weighing up the positives and negatives

of AI technologies, Dr Read discussed

how South Australia could benefit

from embracing the technology while

retaining a healthy understanding

of the risks involved. She mentioned

that “the positives are enormous”

of technological innovation, and

“we should not consider Artificial

Intelligence threatening” before

officially opening the event.

Professor Palmer delved into machine

learning within medical science.

Through explaining genomics and

medical imaging, he stated that

machines are capable of assisting

medical professionals in making

accurate diagnoses of patients. In good

news for radiographers, he believes

machines will not replace their jobs,

instead acting as a supplement to aid

their decisions.

Associate Professor Anderson, who

analysed the ethics of AI and related

data. Dispelling the myth that machines

will take over everyone’s jobs, she

mentioned that an algorithm had taken

over tasks she used to do, and she now

performs better work because she is

able to focus on higher level tasks.

Professor van den Hengel explained

how machines are capable of

performing image recognition. Poking

fun at how commentators keep stating

that AI is 20 years away, he noted

this is a prediction that has remained

constant for countless years. Professor

van den Hengel concluded by saying

South Australia is well-positioned to

participate internationally within the AI

industry.

Following this, our ‘Debunking’ Panel,

saw our speakers challenge commonly-

held beliefs and break down the

enigma of AI. The major takeaways

from the discussion session included

issues surrounding conducting public

consultations for AI policies, whether

AI would be capable of expressing

creativity, and that artificial intelligence

does not equate to sentience. Another

sell out event under eRSA’s belt!

Innovation Symposium

On stage, L-R: Associate Professor Theresa Dirndorfer Anderson, Professor Lyle Palmer, Professor Anton van den Hengel, South Australian Chief Scientist Dr Leanna Read, and Event MC Bruce Linn.

Dr Paul Medwell’s research looks at predicting and understanding combustion processes. An Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Adelaide, he and his research group have been using eRSA services since 2013, through the partnership with The University of Adelaide.

“We have used eRSA’s supercomputer

for our computationally-expensive

modelling and Nectar Cloud for

running multiple parametric studies

simultaneously. In addition to our

computational results, we also use

storage to ensure reliable archiving of

our experimental results from laser

diagnostic and optical measurements.”

“My research focuses on flames that

occur in a very low oxygen environment.

The so-called Moderate or Intense Low

oxygen Dilution (MILD) combustion

regime enables very high efficiency

with a reduction in many key pollutants.

These benefits come about because

Our Impact

of the more distributed heat release

profile under the low oxygen conditions.

Despite the reduction of oxygen, these

flames still burn completely. MILD

combustion technology is extremely

attractive for industrial purposes and

is widely used in furnaces for some

specific applications. Nevertheless,

exactly how and why it works it not fully

known. Without this crucial knowledge,

we cannot reliably push this technology

into new applications. In particular,

we are investigating approaches that

could see the implementation of MILD

combustion into gas turbine engines.”

Paul’s research aims to increase

knowledge of combustion systems. By

understanding the flames, his research

enables development of better engines

for the future. Although renewable

energy technologies are important,

into the foreseeable future, combustion

will be required to supply the world’s

enormous, and growing, energy

demands. The research looks at ways

of making better use of fossil fuels, but

more importantly, how to make sure

that renewable fuels can become a

viable alternative.

“The capabilities and support offered

by eRSA far exceed anything available

anywhere else in South Australia.”

“The chemistry involved in combustion

is surprisingly complicated – much

more complex than the simplified

reactions taught in high school

textbooks. To accurately calculate

what goes on in a flame means solving

hundreds of reactions simultaneously,

and then coupling that with the

chaotic fluid motions in a turbulent

flow. This type of work needs serious

computing power, only possible with a

supercomputer. All of this is required

for just one flame; but we want to be

able to predict what happens with

different fuels and with different

operating conditions. Therefore, we

need to repeat these calculations lots of

times, changing only one parameter at

a time. The Nectar Cloud enabled us to

take the results from Tizard, and then

perform a series of systematic studies.”

To validate the computational models,

large volumes of experimental data

from comprehensive laser diagnostic

experiments are stored on eRSA’s

storage.

“From these calculations we now have

a much better understanding of the

fundamental processes that take place

in these flames, including predicting

how they will behave under operating

conditions that we’ve never tested

before. These results give us confidence

that we can take testing to the next

phase – actually trying some of these

flames. We are currently setting up

experiments that are getting closer to

operating under engine-like conditions.

By coupling our vast array of existing

data with some real-world tests we

will have a complete picture of what

is going on. This will enable us to take

this technology to new and exciting

applications.”

“Modern computers and modelling

software investigate new scientific

problems in ways only dreamt of in the

past. Whilst this doesn’t completely

eliminate the need for physical

systems and real-world experiments,

eRSA greatly reduce the costly,

time-consuming process of hands-on

experimental work.”

“We collect enough experimental data

to validate a model, and then let eRSA’s

HPC do the hard work of running

systematic studies. From such models

we also get access to data that simply

is not possible in actual experiments,

either because it simply cannot be

varied independently in the real world

or because it is simply too difficult to

measure. However, for these types

of computations to be performed,

large-scale dedicated supercomputers

are needed. It is not practicable for

individual research groups to replicate

the world-class facilities of eRSA.

eRSA BoardeRSA is governed by a Board comprised of the Deputy Vice-Chancellors (Research) of the three South Australian universities, an independent Chair, and the eRSA Chief Executive Officer as a non-voting member.

Mr Bruce Linn, Chair

Bruce Linn is an experienced Company

Director, Chairman and former CEO

who heads a successful governance

and strategic management consulting

business operating in Australia and USA.

Formerly CEO of Finlaysons Lawyers,

his previous executive roles include

CE for EDS (now HP Enterprise

Services), responsible for all State

Government business of EDS in

Australia and CEO of Camtech, one of

Australia’s leading Internet & Electronic

Payments technology innovators.

A Science graduate of University

of Adelaide, he is a technologist

with over 35 years experience in

business strategy, digital strategy,

governance, leadership, business

management and commercialisation

of a range of technologies including IT,

telecommunications, Internet and social

media.

Immediate past President of the

Australian Institute of Company

Directors (SA/NT Division), his current

Directorships include SABRENet

Limited, ITEK Ventures Pty Ltd and SA

Heart Centres Pty Ltd. He is Chairman

of Anglicare SA Ltd, eResearch SA

Ltd, and IPMO Pty Ltd. He is a fellow

of the Australian Institute of Company

Directors and the Australian Computer

Society. He has been awarded a

University Fellow from the University of

South Australia.

Professor Mike Brooks, Deputy

Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President

(Research), University of Adelaide

Professor Mike Brooks was appointed to

the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor

and Vice-President (Research) in July

2008, following almost a year as Pro

Vice-Chancellor (Research Strategy).

A former Head of the School of

Computer Science, Mike is a leading

international researcher in computer

vision and image analysis, and his work

has seen wide commercial use in the

security and defence industries. He has

published numerous influential papers

and won many ARC Discovery Grants for

his research.

Professor Brooks is a Fellow of the

Australian Computer Society and serves

on the Board of National ICT Australia.

The role of the DVC(R) is to provide

leadership and vision in achieving the

University’s research and research

training strategic goals.

One of the key responsibilities is the

development of strategies to facilitate

growth in University revenue to support

research-related activity.

Professor Robert Saint, Deputy Vice-

Chancellor (Research), Flinders

University

Professor Saint has 118 publications

to date, two patents and numerous

honours and awards, including the

Julian Wells Medal, the MJD White

lecture and the President’s medal of

the Australian and New Zealand Society

for Cell and Developmental Biology. He

currently holds National Health and

Medical Research Council (NH&MRC)

research funding and has held

significant grants from both Australian

Research Council (ARC) and NH&MRC

over a period of 25 years, including

an ARC Special Research Centre from

2000-2008.

He was a member of the ARC College

of Experts (2008-2010) and in 2009

was Chair of the ARC Biological Science

and Biotechnology panel. From 2009-

2013 he was a member of the Human

Frontier Science Program Grant Review

Panel and has served on National

Health and Medical Research Council

(NHMRC) panels. From 2012-2014 he

was a standing member of the Prime

Minister’s Science, Engineering and

Innovation Council (PMSEIC).

A PhD graduate of the University of

Adelaide, Professor Saint’s research

career has taken him to Stanford

University, The Walter and Eliza Hall

Institute, The University of Melbourne,

CSIRO (Canberra), and ANU. His

experience in academic leadership

includes a number of management

roles at Adelaide University and ANU,

followed by his appointment as Dean

of Science at Melbourne University. He

returned to the University of Adelaide

in 2013 to the position of Pro Vice-

Chancellor (Research Strategy) prior

to commencing as the Deputy Vice-

Chancellor (Research) at Flinders

University on 6 July 2015.

Mr Paul Sherlock, Chief Information

Officer (Library and IT), University of

South Australia

Paul is the University’s first Chief

Information Officer and he has overall

responsibility for the University’s

Library and IT services. Prior to joining

the University in 2001 Paul held senior

ICT management roles at the Defence

Science & Technology Organisation

(DSTO) and BHP.

Paul is Director and Chair of SABRENet

Ltd. and the Project Director for the

Federal Government funded National

Research Network (NRN) Project. He

is also a member of the Australian

National Data Service (ANDS) Steering

Committee, and the Treasurer at the

Australian Access Federation (AAF).

Paul is a former President of the Council

of Australian University Director’s of IT

(CAUDIT) and was a founding Member

and President of the Australian Access

Federation (AAF).

He was also formerly a Member of the

Australian eResearch Infrastructure

Committee (AeRIC). Paul leads CAUDIT’s

benchmarking activity and is the author

of the complexity index which is used by

CAUDIT members to make meaningful

comparisons of benchmarking data

across the ANZ HE sector

and internationally.

Paul was a member of the AARNet

Advisory Committee between 1998 and

2014 (including as Deputy Chair 2004-

2008) and is a past faculty member of

the CAUDIT Leadership Institute (2004-

2008).

Statement of Financial Position for year ending 30 June 2017

ASSETS

Current Assets $

Cash and cash equivalents 1,234,883

Trade and other receivables 582,411

Other assets 589

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 1,817,883

TOTAL NON CURRENT ASSETS 28,607

TOTAL ASSETS 1,846,490

LIABILITIES

Current Liabilities $

Trade and other payables 95,275

Current tax liabilities 31,225

Employee benefits 231,524

Deferred income 270,000

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 628,024

Non-Current Liabilities $

Employee benefits 64,271

TOTAL NON CURRENT LIABILITIES 64,271

TOTAL LIABILITIES 692,295

NET ASSETS 1,154,195

EQUITY $

Reserves 266,005

Accumulated surplus 888,190

TOTAL EQUITY 1,154,195

Financial Report

“With eRSA, we have access to the latest

technology allowing us to continue to provide the

best platforms to our end-users”

David Blockow, Software Architect Data to Decisions

T +61 7228 6210E enquiries@ersa.edu.auW www.ersa.edu.au@eResearchSA