The Grid is an emerging platform to support on-demand "virtual organisations" for coordinated resource sharing and problem solving on a global scale. The application thrust is large-scale scientific endeavour, and the scale and complexity of scientific data presents challenges for databases. The Grid is beginning to exploit technologies developed for Web Services and to realise its potential it also stands to benefit from Semantic Web technologies; conversely, the Grid and its scientific users provide application pull which will benefit the Semantic Web. What is the Grid? The Grid is "flexible, secure, coordinated resource sharing among dynamic collections of individuals, institutions, and resources--what we refer to as virtual organizations." Foster et al, 2001[1]. Large-scale science and engineering are undertaken through the interaction of people, heterogeneous computing resources, information systems, and instruments, all of which are geographically and organiz...
Carole A. Goble, David De Roure