Research Initiatives
As Oklahoma’s research and education network, a vital component of OneNet’s mission is to support our state’s research initiatives. By providing the most advanced research network in the state, we make it possible for Oklahoma’s researchers and scientists to participate in world-class research. Our network supports big data movement across the state and around the globe. Since 2009, OneNet’s high-speed network has helped Oklahoma scientists bring nearly $54 million in research grants to the state. The following list of organizations and initiatives highlights OneNet’s leadership in the national and regional research community.
Internet2
Internet2 is a research and development consortium led by universities, research institutions, government entities and cultural organizations working in partnership to develop and deploy advanced network applications and technologies, to solve technology challenges and develop solutions to advance research. In addition, Internet2’s high-speed network is 100G-400G enabled, making it the nation’s fastest coast-to-coast network for research and education.
Internet2 Connectivity
OneNet serves as the network connector for the State of Oklahoma. OneNet’s hub located in Tulsa serves as a layer2/3 node within the national backbone fabric for Internet2’s network. Through OneNet’s multiple 100G connections, higher education institutions and other OneNet subscribers have access to Internet2’s high-speed network and other services at no additional costs. Supported research and education traffic travels from Oklahoma across Internet2’s network to reach other national and global destinations.
OneNet also partners with peer regional research and education networks to maintain diverse and redundant routes to Internet2 hubs located in Kansas City and Dallas to ensure the lowest possible latency and availability to critical research resources.
Community Anchor Program
In addition to serving higher education and research facilities, Internet2’s Community Anchor Program extends benefits to additional organizations by working with state research and education networks like OneNet to help K-12 schools, libraries, and other community anchor institutions collaborate, access subject matter experts at premier research institutions, and interact and partner with schools across the world. In February 2021, the Community Anchor Program awarded Distance Learning Scholarships to four teachers at two Oklahoma K-12 schools. The scholarships provided free, one-on-one distance learning programs for their classrooms through the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration.
The Quilt
The Quilt is a national coalition of advanced regional networks for research and education, representing 43 networks across the country. Participants in The Quilt provide advanced network services and applications to more than 900 universities and thousands of other educational and community anchor institutions. Through the collaborative forum of The Quilt, member organizations have access to a broader set of expertise and knowledge than any single organization working on its own. OneNet’s membership in The Quilt helps to accelerate research discovery, advance national and global education, and improve the delivery of public services.
Great Plains Network
OneNet is a member of the Great Plains Network, a nonprofit consortium of universities and networks in the midwestern states, dedicated to supporting research and education through the use of advanced networking technology. GPN members seek collaboration, cyberinfrastructure and support for big data and big ideas, at the speed of the modern internet. GPN includes members from Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
MUS-IX
OneNet also participates with three other research and education networks in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas as part of the Midsouth U.S. Internet Exchange or MUS-IX. The principal goal of MUS-IX is to provide an opportunity for the collaborating networks to reduce costs, enhance services and coordinate participation in activities of mutual interest, such as national research and education networks and other interconnections.
OneOklahoma Cyberinfrastructure Initiative
Known as OneOCII, the OneOklahoma Cyberinfrastructure Initiative is a statewide strategy for academic research computing in Oklahoma. OneOCII has achieved research technology improvements for OneNet, Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma and Langston University, as well as similar institutions around the state.
OneOklahoma Friction Free Network
OneNet and higher education institutions across the state are leveraging OneNet’s networking investments and infrastructure to interconnect higher education computational facilities. The OneOklahoma Friction Free Network (OFFN) is a dedicated, multi-institutional and research-only pathway for moving research data and expanding access to supercomputing resources. OFFN was funded through a series of grants by the National Science Foundation. The network currently connects 17 higher education institutions, and OneNet will soon connect four additional campuses to the network. Researchers utilize the OFFN network to support a wide variety of scientific investigations, including high-energy physics, weather prediction, bioinformatics, biology, physics, pharmaceuticals, genomics, seismic imaging, agriculture, cybersecurity, big data analytics and STEM teaching.
Supported Research and Education Traffic
In Oklahoma, organizations such as the following depend on OneNet’s high-speed connectivity.
- National Weather Center
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- OU Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms
- Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
- OSU Institute for Biosecurity & Microbial Forensics
- OU Oklahoma Center for High Energy Physics
- OU Advanced Radar Research Center
- Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma City
- Redlands Community College
- University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Christian University
