信息时代非同寻常的百科全书

leonandjo

来源：http://www.distributedcomputing.info/news.html
原载：http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm/section/news/tpl/article/BrowsingType/Features/ID/89660
标题：Ad hoc encyclopaedia for the information age，信息时代非同寻常的百科全书
作者：不详
日期：2008年4月14日
概要：Diligent 计划利用网格计算来构建一个虚拟的数字化图书馆。

Linking communities and information into a virtual digital library is the 21st century version of the Dictionaire Raisonneé.

结合社团和信息成为一个在21世纪版的Dictionaire Raisonneé 虚拟的数字图书馆。

Better, they can be organised around specific topics, creating vast repositories and networks of experts around a single problem. Best of all, it can be done on demand.

期望，他们可以围绕特定的主题组织起来，围绕一个单独难题创建一个庞大仓库式的、网络化的专家库。最好不过的情况就是，它可以根据需求作出响应。

In 1750, Denis Diderot convinced his publisher to support a vast enterprise, the publication of the Encyclopédie gathering all knowledge into one location.

在1750年， Denis Diderot 相信他的出版者将支撑一项巨大的事业：Encyclopédie 的出版物将集齐所有的知识到一个特定区域。

Dozens of writers worked on thousands of articles for more than 15 years to produce the first summary of all human knowledge and, despite the labour and pains of its birth, its entire contents would barely fill one volume of a contemporary encyclopaedia.

几十个作者工作在数以千计的主题上长达15余年为的就是写出第一部关于所有人类知识的概要，尽管人们为了它的诞生付出了辛劳的汗水，它的整个内容相当于同时代的一部百科全书。

Times have changed. And they keep on changing. The pace of discovery in the modern world is such that it is difficult for specialists to stay abreast of their own field let alone be aware of the knowledge in all other fields that may impact on their specialty.

时代变了，并且一直在变。现代社会新事物的发现的步伐已经很难让让专家在自己的专业领域保持住地位，更不要说新发现对其他所有领域的影响。

The internet, though useful, makes us aware of our ignorance. It does not reliably fill the gap with relevant and timely information. As an information society, it is becoming increasingly difficult to see the trees for the wood.

因特网，尽管有用，是我们意识到自己的无知。它用相关的实时性的信息填补了空白，却并不可靠。信息社会，变得越来越难以见到树木了。

“There’s a trend in digital libraries now towards combining heterogeneous data from a wide variety of sources. This includes textual, multimedia objects and, increasingly, sensor and experimental data, or raw data that needs to be processed,” explains Donatella Castelli, scientific coordinator of the Diligent project.

“有一个趋势，在数字图书馆中现在从各种各样的来源的混乱的数据相结合。这包括文本，多媒体对象，并越来越传感器和实验数据，或原始数据需要处理， “Donatella Castell解释道 —— 一位科学协调员。

Raw data allows virtual digital library (VDL) users to formulate questions that may not have been considered before. But this quantity of data poses huge processing challenges requiring digital libraries to have enormous resources, resources that are not readily available for many institutions.

原始数据，让虚拟数字图书馆（ VDL ）用户制订的问题，可能不会被认为像以前。但这个数量的数据构成巨大的挑战，需要处理的数字图书馆有庞大的资源，资源没有被立即被许多机构使用。

The virtual digital library
虚拟数字图书馆

But not, perhaps, for too much longer. Diligent sought to create a test bed to prove the viability of VDL infrastructure on grid-enabled technology. It would behave a little like a wiki, a Hawaiian word that means quick. Like Wikipedia – the world’s most famous wiki – a VDL on grids could allow the creation of vast online data repositories from distributed computing sources.

但不，也许，太多更长的时间。勤奋努力创建一个测试床，以证明的可行性VDL基础设施依靠网格技术。它的表现有点象一个wiki ，夏威夷的字，即快速。像维基百科-世界上最著名的Wiki上- vd l对网格可能会允许创造广阔的在线数据储存库从分布式计算的来源。

But unlike wikis, Diligent created a system that combines digital libraries with grid computing to provide storage, content retrieval and access services and, most impressively, shared data processing capabilities.

但不同于Wikis的，创造了制度相结合的数字图书馆与网格运算提供存储，内容检索和接入服务，而最令人印象深刻，共享数据处理能力。

Grids link many computers together to provide a framework for shared processing and storage capabilities. So a grid can take a big, processing-intense problem, like weather prediction, and split the problem between a handful, dozens or even thousands of computers. Each only handles a tiny bit or the problem, but combined they provide a huge amount of raw power.

网格连接多台计算机一起提供一个框架，以便共同处理和存储能力。因此，网格可以更大，加工密集的问题，如气象预报，分解问题给数十名，甚至数千台计算机。每一只处理一小位元或问题，但可以结合它们得到的大量数据。

The power of grids is well established, and all that raw data crunching gives physicists and molecular biologists goose bumps. It is the power behind the SETI@home project, which uses volunteers’ computers to analyse cosmic signals in the search for extraterrestrial life.

But grids have never been used for virtual digital libraries, a library that exists only by the combination of data across cyberspace. It is an exciting new use of the technology. But it is not a trivial problem.

电力网格是行之有效的，所有的原始数据业绩给予物理学家和分子生物学家鹅坎坷。这是权力背后的搜寻地外文明@ Home的项目，该项目使用志愿人员的计算机分析宇宙信号的搜索外星生命。

“It was very, very difficult,” reveals Castelli. “There was a lot of new technology to learn [and] many of the tools we needed were only being defined as we worked on the project.”

“这是非常，非常困难” ，揭示了castelli揭示道 。 “有很多新技术的学习和很多的工具，我们需要的只是被界定为我们的工作项目” 。

A better mousetrap
更好的捕鼠器

It is like inventing a better mousetrap, but the tools to do the job are only being developed as you hop impatiently from foot-to-foot, waiting for them. Then the tools get changed and you need to go back and reinvent your mousetrap.

这就像发明更好的捕鼠器，但工具做的工作只是正在研制一步一步的赶上他们，等待他们。然后工具得到改变，而您又需要回去重新您的捕鼠器。

But the hard work paid off. Diligent created an infrastructure – a system called g-Cube – and two VDLs to validate how it all works; one among the ‘Earth Observation’ community, the other in the Cultural Heritage community. It was a resounding success, and now these research communities have VDLs on grids serving their own needs. These are very impressive results and strain the definition of test bed as Diligent literally pushed the available technology to the limit and still came up with a working infrastructure.

但辛勤工作，见成效。勤奋创造了一个基础设施系统的所谓g-Cube和two VDLs ，以验证它如何的所有工程之一的“地球观测”社区——其中一个在文化遗产的社会。这是一个响亮的成功，而现在，这些研究社区vdls对网格服务本身的需要。这些都是非常令人印象深刻的结果和应变的定义，试验床作为勤政字面上推现有技术极限，仍想出了一个可以工作的基础设施。

They even developed advanced interface tools to set up a VDL. “We have a wizard to set up VDLs and it is very easy to use,” notes Castelli.

他们甚至开发了先进的界面工具，以成立一个VDL 。“我们有一个向导成立VDLS，这是非常容易使用， ”castelli 写道。

Nonetheless, work remains to be done. “The system needs to be optimised to improve its quality of service. We need to develop a production infrastructure and deal with issues like real infrastructure policies. We’ve started a new project called D4Science, and we’ll be working with the Earth Observation and the Fishery and Aquaculture Resource Management Research communities”, says Castelli.

然而，仍然有许多工作要做。 “系统需要优化，以改善其服务质量。我们需要发展生产的基础设施和处理问题一样，真正的基础设施的政策。我们已经开始一个新项目，所谓的D4science ，我们将与地球观测和渔业和水产养殖资源管理研究社区一同工作“ ，castelli说 。

Diderot’s pride
Diderot的自豪

Diligent has many fine achievements and prompted the interests of a wide range of groups that could usefully share resources. But the real power of the project is the enormous opportunities for fruitful collaboration that their tools will enable in the future.

勤奋将取得优秀成果，并促使利益范围广泛的群体参与分享有益的资源。但项目真正的作用是巨大的机会，富有成果的合作，他们的工具将在未来的发挥作用。

Scientists, engineers, policy-makers, NGOs and other experts or stakeholders will be able to come together on an ad hoc basis to brainstorm and share relevant data around specific problems, such as disaster relief, fuel efficiency, or even apparently routine tasks like organising a conference.

科学家，工程师，政策制定者，非政府组织和其他专家或利益相关者将能够走到一起，对一个专案的基础上，以集思广益，并分享有关数据，围绕具体问题，如救灾，燃料的效率，甚至是明显的例行任务，例如举办一次会议。

Diderot, the patron of vast collaborations around a great, hugely ambitious goal, would be proud.

Diderot，作为如此巨大合作项目的资助人，相信他会感到自豪。

碧城仙

这篇翻译的部分句子翻译不太顺畅，需要多多润色。待明后天我工作闲暇的时候再来帮你修改。