Baldridge
Fakultäten » Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät » Organisch-chemisches Institut » Prof. Dr. Kim Baldridge » Baldridge
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Distributed Computing for Reinsurance related calculations – Design, Algorithms and Runtime experience | ||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Swiss Re, within its RATOS framework, operates an application to perform Natural Catastrophy (NatCat) computations, including calculating and storing the expected losses for earthquakes, tropical cyclones, floods, and windstorms worldwide. The software, NatCat, is limited in usage since each calculation is bound to one Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on a single computer, thereby causing performance and stability-related issues and reducing scalability. NatCat is not enabled for parallel and distributed computation on multiple instances, and the calculation jobs cannot be split across multiple versions of RATOS. The final goal of this project is thus to build a new version of the RATOS NatCat application enabling parallel and distributed computation, so that it will use several JVMs on multiple physical servers to distribute the load and increase the processing speed. It is expected that this will result in performance improvements , providing a scalable structure capable of increasing the performance of single and multiple jobs by the addition of CPUs and memory, as well as enabling automation of the management of several NatCat instances. This work will also influence future IT architecture and infrastructure decisions at Swiss Re. There is currently no environment at Swiss Re where one can experiment with resource-intensive distributed computations. On the other hand, the Baldridge Group at the University of Zurich can provide the experience and infrastructure to build and test a new model based on this kind of technology, and furthermore is scientifically and educationally very interested in experimenting with new middleware and application software. Therefore, the RATOS Team at Swiss Re and the Baldridge Group at the University of Zurich decided to partner in a research collaboration for the first phase of the effort to split up the current NatCat application into a distributed form. Phase I will consist of porting the NatCat software from the RATOS framework to the UZ infrastructure, and the implementation and comparison of distributed computing facilities provided by three different commercial and open source middleware architectures. The RATOS Team is lead by Dr. Markus Spuehler. The team on the University side is headed by Prof. Dr. Kim Baldridge, Dr. Wibke Sudholt, a student, and an assistant. | ||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
Private Sector (e.g. Industry) |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Oct 2005 to Dec 2008 |