CICI:RSSD: SCOPE-X Optimizing Merit's Network Telescope for High-Quality Large-Scale Datasets

NSF Award Search · 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $545,269 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

SCOPE-X (Scalable Cyberinfrastructure for Observatory Pipeline Enhancement) advances the cyberinfrastructure of ORION (Observatory for Cyber-Risk Insights and Outages of Networks), one of the oldest and largest operational network telescopes in the United States, operated by Merit Network. ORION provides visibility into unsolicited and potentially malicious Internet traffic and supports shared cybersecurity research through both its live traffic feed and its 20-year archive. Rising traffic volumes, extreme bursts, and evolving attack behaviors require transformation of the end-to-end pipeline to preserve data fidelity, operational reliability, and long-term usability. This project develops transferable methods for modern network telescope operations through three integrated activities. First, resilient capture to improve high-speed packet collection using adaptive, multi-threaded processing architectures that maintain fidelity during large traffic bursts and dynamic attack patterns. Second, artificial intelligence-ready curation to create high-quality research-grade datasets through improved cleaning, feature engineering, partial labeling, and enrichment with contextual metadata and external threat intelligence. Third, FAIR-aligned access to modernize dataset delivery using application programming interfaces, code-to-data environments, and sustainable release mechanisms that improve reproducibility, accessibility, and long-term stewardship. The project advances scalable p

Key facts

NSF award ID
2612015
Awardee
Merit Network, Inc. (MI)
SAM.gov UEI
PKJAPGJJ95T2
PI
Shereen Ismail
Primary program
01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
Nat Security, Secure Border & Pub Safety, NETWORKING RESEARCH, CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE
Estimated total
$545,269
Funds obligated
$545,269
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
09/01/2026 → 08/31/2029