AWS Public Sector Blog

Category: Education

Preventing the next pandemic: How researchers analyze millions of genomic datasets with AWS

How do we avoid the next global pandemic? For researchers collaborating with the University of British Columbia Cloud Innovation Center (UBC CIC), the answer to that question lies in a massive library of genetic sequencing data. But there is a problem: the data library is so massive that traditional computing can’t comprehensively analyze or process it. So the UBC CIC team collaborated with computational virologists to create Serratus, an open-science viral discovery platform to transform the field of genomics—built on the massive computational power of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud.

Street-scale global maps, orca sounds, and COVID-19 detection data: The latest open data on AWS

The AWS Open Data Sponsorship Program makes high-value, cloud-optimized datasets publicly available on AWS. We work with data providers to democratize access to data by making it available to the public for analysis on AWS; to develop new cloud-native techniques, formats, and tools that lower the cost of working with data; and to encourage the development of communities that benefit from access to shared datasets. This quarter, we released 19 new or updated datasets like validated OpenStreetMap data, bioacoustic data, COVID-19 detection data, and more.

Solving medical mysteries in the AWS Cloud: Medical data-sharing innovation through the Undiagnosed Diseases Network

It takes a medical village to discover and diagnose rare diseases. The National Institutes of Health’s Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) is made up of a coordinating center, 12 clinical sites, a model organism screening center, a metabolomics core, a sequencing core, and a biorepository. For many years prior to the UDN, the experts at these sites were limited by antiquated data-sharing procedures. The UDN leadership realized that if they wanted to scale up and serve as many patients as possible, they needed to transform how they process, store, and share medical data—which led the UDN to the AWS Cloud.

Preparing medical students for essential exams with the cloud-powered DAMS eMedicoz app

The Delhi Academy of Medical Sciences Pvt Ltd (DAMS) is the leading institute for National Eligibility and Entrance Test postgraduate (NEET PG) preparation for doctors in India. During the pandemic, DAMS shifted its course delivery to its eMedicoz app, an education technology (EdTech) initiative powered by AWS that has reached more than 500,000 verified doctors and medical student subscribers. To keep students connected with real-time learning, DAMS used AWS to deliver live-streamed and two-way interactive classes for thousands of budding doctors through the eMedicoz app.

How to set up Galaxy for research on AWS using Amazon Lightsail

Galaxy is a scientific workflow, data integration, and digital preservation platform that aims to make computational biology accessible to research scientists that do not have computer programming or systems administration experience. Although it was initially developed for genomics research, it is largely domain agnostic and is now used as a general bioinformatics workflow management system, running on everything from academic mainframes to personal computers. But researchers and organizations may worry about capacity and the accessibility of compute power for those with limited or restrictive budgets. In this blog post, we explain how to implement Galaxy on the cloud at a predictable cost within your research or grant budget with Amazon Lightsail.

AWS resources to address Apache Log4j vulnerabilities

This post aims to provide a summary of all the currently disclosed Apache Log4j issues as well as important resources that Amazon Web Services (AWS) has released to help our customers and partners limit any risks posed by these issues.

How AWS uses AI to power interactive artwork at new Smithsonian exhibit

This fall, artist Suchi Reddy and Amazon Web Services (AWS), in collaboration with the Smithsonian FUTURES Exhibition, debuted me+you in Washington, DC, which embodies the collective answers to the question, “What do you want your future to look like?” me+you is an interactive work of art powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and is the centerpiece of the Smithsonian FUTURES exhibition.

What you missed at the public sector leadership session at re:Invent 2021

At the 10th anniversary of re:Invent, Max Peterson, vice president of worldwide public sector at Amazon Web Services (AWS) took to the stage to highlight AWS customers’ innovative advancements to empower communities and transform the future of research, as well as new cloud-powered paths to space exploration and the impact this has on our lives here on Earth. He was joined by customers who shared their stories of how they’re leveraging the cloud to drive their missions. Plus, Max announced a series of new initiatives for public sector customers.

Top announcements from the AWS Public Sector Partners leadership session at re:Invent 2021

During the 10th anniversary of re:Invent, I was thrilled to share announcements and achievements from AWS Partners and programs for the public sector around the world. Since its launch, AWS’s Public Sector Partner Program participation has increased by an average of 54% year over year, with partners providing solutions in mission areas across healthcare, space, energy, transportation, government, education, and nonprofit. In both the Global Partners Summit keynote at re:Invent 2021, as well as in my public sector leadership session, I highlighted the new and upcoming AWS Partner solutions and accomplishments.

How African leaders use open data to fight deforestation and illegal mining

In Africa, scientific data is critical to helping the nation’s leaders tackle issues like water scarcity and climate change. A collaboration between nonprofit Digital Earth Africa (DE Africa) and the Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative (ASDI) is helping them access the data they need. DE Africa operates a free and user-friendly Earth observation (EO) data service that provides African policymakers with insights into a range of challenges, from natural resource management to the impacts of climate change. The service has already helped Ghanaian officials identify and tackle illegal mining, and provided decision-ready insights on flooding and drought in Tanzania and Nigeria.