By leveraging federated identity, LIGO seeks to streamline electronic collaboration with other gravitational wave, astronomy, and astrophysics projects throughout the world. LIGO is a member of the InCommon Federation, which enables federation with institutions in the United States but does not, at this time, address federation with entities outside the US. Today, federation with entities in Europe, Japan, Australia, and Canada requires LIGO to negotiate peer-to-peer federation individually with each entity.
The CTSC-LIGO collaboration is:
- Documenting the challenges LIGO faces today when negotiating peer-to-peer federation with individual entities.
- Setting the stage for LIGO and EGO to federate in the future.
- Working to enable interfederation for LIGO through InCommon.
- Investigating and reporting on the likelihood and timescale for federation between LIGO and other entities in Europe via eduGAIN.
- Assisting LIGO-India with documenting federation use cases and engaging with federation efforts in India.
- Actively participating in REFEDS, the leading discussion and coordination forum for international interfederation.
