Nautilus Portal
Service Overview
Researchers and instructors often require specialized computing environments tailored to their projects and courses. However, creating and maintaining these environments can be time-consuming and present a barrier for students, particularly those with limited access to personal computing resources. OU Libraries leverages the National Research Platform’s Nautilus project, a hosted Kubernetes framework, to address this challenge. Nautilus is a cluster of computers with CPUs, a variety of GPUs, and file storage, which is located primarily in the United States. It allows users to participate by using shared resources contributed by universities. This service is supported by the Data Scholarship and Data Services (DSDS) unit.
What We Offer
OU Libraries uses the Nautilus infrastructure to host pods (containers) for JupyterLab environments, allowing access to common software setups for coding languages and applications. We assist faculty and instructors who are interested in using the portal for their courses by offering onboarding consultations, best practice guidance, and classroom instruction sessions.
- Consultations
- Onboarding
- Classroom instruction sessions
Get Started
Who Can Use This Service
This service is open to all OU faculty, instructors, and their students.
What Nautilus is Used for
The Nautilus framework is being used by OU Libraries for their hosted researcher workshops in R, Python, Data, and Software Carpentry. Additionally, courses in Meteorology, Linear Algebra, Astronomy, and Biology have integrated Nautilus for use by learners. Several research groups are independently using the Nautilus framework on their own to create more detailed workflows and processes to aid in their research.
Computational Environments Currently Available
- Scipy: A standard Python JupyterLab environment used that provides common algorithms for analysis and visualization of data.
- Linear Algebra: Built on the Scipy environment, includes additional software packages (libraries) specific for use in linear algebra workflows.
- Meteorology: Built on the Scipy environment, includes additional software packages (libraries) specific for use in meteorology workflows.
- Tensorflow and PyTorch: Built on the Scipy environment, includes software packages (libraries) specific for use with Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning workflows. These two pods can also be configured to access GPUs.
- Constellate: Built on the Scipy environment, includes additional software packages (libraries) specific for use in Natural Language and Text analysis workflows. Include the Constellate library for access content from JSTOR databases.
- R and RStudio: A standard R JupyterLab environment and access the the RStudio application for coding R projects.
- OpenRefine: Accesses the OpenRefine tool for working with messy data: cleaning it; transforming it from one format into another.
How to Get Help
A consultation with an OU Libraries staff member is required to begin using the Nautilus portal. Faculty and instructor interested in using the portal for their courses can complete the Nautilus Request Form. A staff member will schedule a consultation to provide guidance on onboarding and best practices for using Nautilus in a course and can share information about available support. For questions, please email Data Scholarship and Data Services.
If you are already set up to use Nautilus and are experiencing a problem, submit the Nautilus Report a Problem Form to report an issue. Keep in mind that OU Libraries does not own the infrastructure and may not be able to offer an immediate fix.
Additional Information
Contact Information
FAQs
To use the Nautilus portal, you will need to have access to an internet connection, preferably through a broadband service and an up-to-date browser such as Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome, or Edge.
Nothing. The Nautilus project is hosted by the National Research Platform and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is funded by the National Science Foundation.
While we can offer some support, we are not a substitute for the course having its own Teacher’s Assistant and/or helpers. We are willing to come to class and offer onboarding instruction per the instructor’s request.