The TORUS project (Toward an Open Resources Upon Services: Cloud of environmental data) aims to make operational techniques of cloud computing (CC) in the disciplinary field of environmental science and massive databases (Big Data) for future training and projects in partner countries. Schematically, the CC is the mutualisation of hardware and software resources via the Internet. It reduces the costs of processing and storage of information in a simplified environment accessible to all. This is an operational response to the problems of Big Data generalized today -by also present major issue in computer science. This simplification and cost reduction offer methodological possibilities not previously explored (eg, test several models, including in the area of Big Data for the reduction of data to compare their relevance). The strategy of the project which aims to organize thematic workshops and practical workshops applied to the environment is a real innovation that meets demand now clearly identified with our partners. CC, recent paradigm of computer science, requires a major investment since theoretical still not teaching before being mobilized by the practice on concrete projects. Projects that will have at heart to strengthen the links between education, research and environmental engineering. TORUS is responding to regional priorities set in the framework of ERASMUS + projects. In addition to the theoretical and practical expertise in place, the project will produce TORUS the specifications for future Master level training with our partners as well as two reference books (scientific pedagogically) and deliver practical solutions CC deployed three levels fundamental CC in partner countries with computer hardware approached by the project.
Seven workshops, organized alternately in Europe and Asia, enabled skills building between the environmental and information science teams. The cross-skills thus established have enabled the majority of the members of the TORUS program to progress from a multidisciplinarity towards an operational transdisciplinarity - where the disciplines interpenetrate with a common language and knowledge bases. Details of the presentations and courses given during the workshops are available online on the program's website (http://www.cloud-torus.com):1.the meeting between two worlds, geosciences and cloud computing.2.computer architecture and application in environmental sciences.3.cloud computing for air pollution research.4.cloud computing for prospective studies of land use change.5.cloud computing for Remote Sensing.6.HUPI platform and sensitivity analysis.7.TORUS cookbook.In addition to the documents produced for the workshops, three books are published from TORUS productions. Books to be published in 2020 by ISTE editions. The first volume poses the problem of large data in geosciences before presenting the main methods of analysis and IT solutions mobilized to respond to them. The second volume presents remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data infrastructures (SDI) which are central to all disciplines dealing with geographic space. The third volume is a collection of thematic application cases representative of the specificities of the teams involved in TORUS and which motivated their needs in terms of cloud computing.TORUS also enabled the installation of the two computer servers initially planned and dedicated to cloud computing, one installed at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, the other at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi in Vietnam. Because to be powerful, the dynamic sharing of IT resources available at the base of coud computing at a cost, having your own equipment allows you to no longer be constrained and limited. Each server is equipped with more than 200 CPUs and powerful processing and storage memories (details on the website), it is possible to use them directly at the infrastructure level (IaaS - Infrastructure as a Service) but the most users develop services at platform level (PaaS - Platform as a Service) in this case HUPI (http://hupi.fr).Finally, TORUS has multiplied communication and promotion actions in order to open the program to other environmental themes and to promote scientific research related to the program (two theses were funded).We had bet with TORUS to bring environmental sciences to information sciences to offer the former the skills to understand the current paradigm of big data and cloud computing while opening up to the latter the environmental thematic dimension taken at very broad sense of the term. There was and there is still an urgent need to bring these universes together so that they work together for the sustainable development of our planet, which needs environmental conditions monitoring and prospective modeling to provide knowledge bases for decision-makers.