Global Ring Network for Advanced Application Development (GLORIAD) was built on a fiber-optic ring of networks around the northern hemisphere of the earth, providing scientists, educators and students with advanced networking tools that improved communications and data exchange, enabling active, daily collaboration on common problems.

launch of the early "little GLORIAD" network in 2004

Historically, GLORIAD existed due to the shared commitment of the US, Russia, China (represented by CNIC), Korea, Canada, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries (Denmark -- including Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), India, Egypt and Singapore to promote increased engagement and cooperation among the above countries through the concrete actions of scientists, educators and young people.