What is a BC-workspace?

A BRAINCommons™ (BC) Advanced Compute Workspace, typically called a “BC-workspace,” is a secure computing environment within the BC platform. This analytical space supports Jupyter Notebooks, RStudio, and other computing applications of the user’s choice. 

A BC-workspace allows an authorized user (see the article How to Request a BC-workspace for qualifying details) to perform advanced searches across a single, or multiple BC datasets (projects), as well as store and analyze the data.

A BC-workspace owner can share their workspace (see the article How to Share Your BC-workspace) with a project team and provide an environment where they can work collaboratively. However, it is mandatory that all users have at least the same Zone-access as the owner.

Note: While a BC-workspace is a simple remote desktop at its core, to perform advanced data analysis using computational methods, proficiency in at least one of the following languages or interfaces is recommended to gain the maximum benefit:

• Python, using Jupyter Notebooks or another application of choice.
• R, using RStudio or another application of choice.
• Command-line interface such as the Linux CLI or the MS Windows Command Prompt.