CoCeCAR: Supercomputing in Central America

The High Performance Computing Consortium of Central America (CoCeCAR) was created to bring about a network of scientists, professionals, and decision makers to leverage the computing power of HPC equipment in solving the most pressing social and environmental problems in the region. The overall strategy of CoCeCAR has five specific goals. First, promoting collaborative HPC research efforts with a focus on gender inclusivity and the needs of indigenous groups. Second, building HPC capabilities in Central America both in terms of infrastructure and human resources. Third, encouraging scientific and technological exchange between collaborators to spread good practices and methodologies. Fourth, fostering dialogue between the HPC community and policy makers to ensure society uses HPC to reduce inequality and exclusion. Fifth, developing a sustainability strategy to provide continuity to all initiatives of the network. Ongoing efforts in CoCeCAR include research projects, training events, dissemination seminars, and infrastructure access. Research activities are mainly concentrated in computer simulation and data analysis of water sources, providing insights on flooding risks of river basins and water quality of lakes. Training events cover fundamentals, tools, and methodologies in HPC, data science, and artificial intelligence. Seminars offer the possibility to share knowledge on applications of HPC and their impact on common regional issues. Two supercomputing infrastructures in the region are available to members of the consortium. The original members of CoCeCAR belong to Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panamá. We expect to increase the reach of the network to incorporate members from all the countries in the region.