  Grid computing has emerged as an effective means of facilitating the sharing
of distributed heterogeneous resources, enabling collaboration in large scale
environments. However, the nature of Grid systems, coupled with the
overabundance and fragmentation of information, makes it difficult to monitor
resources, services, and computations in order to plan and make decisions. In
this paper we present Gridscape II, a customisable portal component that can be
used on its own or plugged in to compliment existing Grid portals. Gridscape II
manages the gathering of information from arbitrary, heterogeneous and
distributed sources and presents them together seamlessly within a single
interface. It also leverages the Google Maps API in order to provide a highly
interactive user interface. Gridscape II is simple and easy to use, providing a
solution to those users who do not wish to invest heavily in developing their
own monitoring portal from scratch, and also for those users who want something
that is easy to customise and extend for their specific needs.
