IBM's System S headed for Sweden for real-time data monitoring of the electromagnetic weather

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Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Register posted a story on Friday about a new System S deployment in Sweden. We’ve talked about IBM’s System S before; it’s basically a software stack (with a HW/SW combo in research) that focuses on ingesting and real-time processing of streams of data

IBM logoUppsala University in Sweden and the Swedish Institute of Space Physics are taking possession of the parallel super, which will be equipped with IBM’s InfoSphere Streams software to process data collected in real time from Earth-bound antenna arrays. These antennas are tuned to sniff out high frequency radio emissions, such as those relating to solar flares, which can mess with electric power lines, satellites, radio and television transmissions, and airline and space travel….The project they are working on will process 6 gigabytes of information coming in from the antenna arrays per second.

…The InfoSphere Streams software is not chewing through data so much as picking through it to find the interesting and relevant bits of data that can be used to “nowcast” the current space weather, data which will then be used to create a forecast that might, for instance, predict the effect that a magnetic storm on the Sun will have on power and communications systems 18 to 24 hours after the event. (Yes, the boffins said nowcast). Ultimately, the Swedish scientists want to be able to model the upper atmosphere.