Management Committee

Chairperson and SecretaryProf Fionn Murtagh, School of Computer Science, Queen's UniversityBelfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK, tel +44 28 9027-4620, fax +44 28 9068-3890, f.murtagh@qub.ac.uk

Vice-ChairpersonProf Daniel Egret, Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, 11, rue de l'Universite, 67000 Strasbourg, France, tel +33-3 88 15 07 11, fax +33-3 88 15 07 60, egret@astro.u-strasbg.fr Members (including alternates) Milcho Tsvetkov, Sofia Sky Archive DataCenter, Space Research Inst., Sofia, BGValeri Golev, Department of Astronomy, University of Sofia, BGAndras Holl, Konkoly Observatory, HGabrielle Allen, Albert-Einstein-Institute, DAndy Shearer, Dept. Information Technology, NUI Galway, IRLAaron Golden, Dept. Information Technology, NUI Galway, IRLRay Butler, Dept. of Physics, NUI Galway, IRLLakshmi Sastry, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, GBDavid Boyd, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, GBGiuseppe Longo, Univ. Federico II, IVito Di Gesu, Univ. Palermo, IJorge Nunez, Univ. Barcelona, ERafael Molina, Univ. Granada, ELuis Vazquez, Centro de Astrobiologia and Univ. Complutense, Madrid, EIgnacio Martin Llorente, Dep. de Arquitectura de Computadores y Automatica, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, EPhilippe Jetzer, Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Zurich, CHAndre Csillaghy, University of Applied Sciences, Windisch, CH  Intention to join expressed Marek Demianski, Warsaw, Poland (and Williams College), PLRien v.d. Weygaert, Groningen, NL 

Participating Institutions 

Space Research Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, BG

University of Sofia, BG

Konkoly Observatory, Budapest, H

Albert-Einstein-Institute, Golm, D

National University of Ireland, Galway, IRL

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, GB

Queen's University Belfast, GB

Astronomical Observatory, Strasbourg, F

Universita Federico II, Naples, I

Universita di Palermo, I

University of Barcelona, E

University of Granada, E

Universidad Complutense, Madrid, E

University of Zurich, CH

University of Applied Sciences, Windisch, CH

The Grid is the infrastructure of the virtual organization ofthe future, providing high performance and high addedvalue services relating to computational, data, informationand knowledge processing requirements. Those involved iniAstro aim at ensuring best application of new theory andtools in the astronomy application domain, andsimultaneously Grid-enabling the most appropriate areas ofthe application domain. The means applied by iAstro toachieve these ends are, respectively, further developing andbridging the many ongoing projects (i.e., disseminatingexciting theories and good practice in the direction ofastronomers), and through selection and bringing Grid-appropriate areas of the application domain into focus (i.e.,expressing and focusing application requirements in thedirection of computer scientists, and data and informationanalysts). An additional objective is the spinning out ofnew national and international projects, where appropriateand needed.

Mission Statement

ASTRO_GRID: (или в переводе Реш етка или Матрица) этoинфраструктура виртуальной организации в будущемобеспечивающая работу высокотехнологических комплексовобслуживания связанных с требованиями вычислительнойтехники, информации и знание о наличных данных и ихобработки. Участники в iAstro надеятса обспечить самыехорошие приложения новых теорий, инструментов и методовв астрономии и одновременно использовать Grid-возможностей в самых подходящих приложных областей.Средства, которые iAstro использует чтобы достичь этихцелей, это развитие взаимосвязание идущих проектов (т.е.распространение впечатляющих теорий и соввеменнуюпрактику между астрономов) а также через выбор ипоставление Grid-подходящих областий (т.е. выражая ифокусируя приложных требований в направлениикомпютерных специалистов, доступа к данных иинформационный анализ).

Дополнителная задача это способствоват протекания новыхнациональных и интернационалных проектов туда где етонужно и необходимо.

ASTRO_GRID: (или в переводе Реш етка или Матрица) этoинфраструктура виртуальной организации в будущемобеспечивающая работу высокотехнологических комплексовобслуживания связанных с требованиями вычислительнойтехники, информации и знание о наличных данных и ихобработки. Участники в iAstro надеятса обспечить самыехорошие приложения новых теорий, инструментов и методовв астрономии и одновременно использовать Grid-возможностей в самых подходящих приложных областей.Средства, которые iAstro использует чтобы достичь этихцелей, это развитие взаимосвязание идущих проектов (т.е.распространение впечатляющих теорий и соввеменнуюпрактику между астрономов) а также через выбор ипоставление Grid-подходящих областий (т.е. выражая ифокусируя приложных требований в направлениикомпютерных специалистов, доступа к данных иинформационный анализ).

Дополнителная задача это способствоват протекания новыхнациональных и интернационалных проектов туда где етонужно и необходимо.

iAstro Working Groups

•WG1 - Interoperability, data correlation and federation (D Egret) - Interoperability (D Egret) - Data quality/correlation/fusion (V Di Gesu)

•WG2 - Visualization (G Allen)- Advanced visual user interfaces for data mining (V Di Gesu)

•WG3 - Heterogeneous, multimedia data (R Molina) - Image/signal restoration (R Molina) - Data mining (V Di Gesu)

•WG4 - Surveys (J Nunez, G Longo and M Tsvetkov) - Wide field imaging (G Longo, M Tsvetkov)- Robotic observatories (J Nunez)

FP6 Expressions of Interest, June 2002

The following list of EoIs are of possible interest to iAstro. We will provide the web address of full documents, when they are available.

• "Signal+Model: Data, Signal, Image, Video Modelling and Understanding in Science, Medicine and Engineering". Coordination: Fionn Murtagh, Queen's University Belfast. • European Supercomputing Facility. Coordination: Gabrielle Allen, Ed Seidel, Jarek Nabrzyski, Bernard Schutz, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Albert-Einstein-Institut, Golm. • "IRiX: Information Retrieval in Context". Coordination: Keith van Rijsbergen, University of Glasgow. • "Acquiring Specific Semantic Knowledge for an Access to Textual Context". Coordination: Claire Nedellec, Laboratoire d'Informatique de Paris-Nord (LIPN, Univ. Paris-Nord and CNRSTIC). • "NEST: Network of Excellence in Sensor Technology". Coordination: APF Turner, Cranfield University. • "EVOE - Enabling a Virtual Observatory for Europe".

Coordination: Peter Quinn, European Southern Observatory.

• "Knowledge-Net: Exploring the Future of Learning with Digital Technologies". Contact: Boris Mirkin, Birkbeck College. • EGEE: Pan-European Production Grid. Coordination: CERN. • EUoGIS: Grid Infrastructure - Health Grid. Coordination: Lyon. • REALISTE: High-Level Grid for Science and Culture. Coordination: Manchester.

Useful background reading.

• "Complex Problem Solving including GRID and Research Networking Infrastructure", Contributions from the FP6 Internal Reflection Group, Draft Report Version 2.0, 14 May 2002, 40 pp. • "IRG on Knowledge Technologies", Internal Reflection Group on Knowledge Technologies, 2nd Intermediate Report, 6 June 2002, 13 pp. • "A Business Case Study of Open Source Software", Carolyn A. Kenwood, July 2001, The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, Massachusetts, 61 pp.

iAstro Meetings, Workshops, Presentations

• Action started November 2001.

• Two MC meetings held to date, in Brussels.

• Next MC meeting preceding GGF-5 (Global Grid Forum – 5) conference in Edinburgh, end July.

Some Presentations on iAstro

1."COLLABORATION IN ASTRONOMY IN THE FRAMEWORK OF COST: Computational and Information infrastructure in the Astronomical DataGrid": Fionn Murtagh, Queen's University Belfast, UK, Daniel Egret, Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory, F, Giuseppe Longo, Univ. Federico II, I, Gabrielle Allen, Albert-Einstein-Institute, Potsdam/Golm, D, Jorge Nunez, University of Barcelona, E, Aaron Golden, National University of Ireland, Galway, IRL, Andre Holl, Konkoly Observatory, H, Milcho Tsvetkov, SSADC, Space Research Institute, Sofia, BG, David Boyd, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, Valeri Golev, Department of Astronomy, University of Sofia BG, Lakshmi Sastry, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, Ray Butler, Dept. of Physics, Nat. University of Ireland, Galway, IRL, Peter Wintlev-Jensen, COST, B.

Report was presented at the 6th Congress of the Eurasian Astronomical Society and the Conference: "International Collaboration in the field of Astronomy: Status and Perspectives", 25.05-02.06,2002, Moscow, Moscow State University and Sternberg State Astronomical Institute.

2."ASTRONOMICAL DATA NETWORKING: USAGE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVES" Milcho Tsvetkov(1), Katya Tsvetkova(1), Damyan Kalaglarski(3), Svetoslav Christov(4), Ana Borisova(1), Rumen Bogdanovski(1), Hristo Lukarski(2) and Svetlin Fotev(2) 1) Institute of Astronomy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 2) Space Research Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 3) Chair of Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics, Sofia University 4) Chair of Informatics, South-Western University, Blagoevgrad. Report was also presented at the 6th Congress of the Eurasian Astronomical Society and the Conference: "International Collaboration in the field of Astronomy: Status and Perspectives", 25.05-02.06,2002, Moscow, Moscow State University and Sternberg State Astronomical Institute.

The reports under 1 and 2 above, but with more details and explanations, was presented on the Seminar of the Institute of Astronomy Russian Academy of Sciences, Center of Astronomical Data at June 4th, 2002, 15 00h, Each of them was presented about of 1 hour. Milcho Tsvetkov, milcho@skyarchive.org

3. Poster on iAstro at "Toward an International Virtual Observatory - Scientific Motivation, Roadmap for Development and Current Status", Garching, Germany, 10-14 June 2002. Conference details: Toward an International Virtual Observatory - Scientific Motivation, Roadmap for Development and Current Status, Garching, Germany

The following four papers, submitted for publication, make reference to this Action: (1) "Neural networks tools for astronomy", Longo G., Tagliaferri R., et al., invited review for Neural Networks; Special Issue on Astronomy and Environmental Sciences, Dec. 2002. (2) "Advanced data mining tools for astronomy", Longo G. et al., invited contribution to International workshop on "Towards an International Virtual Observatory", Garching, June 2002. (3) "Deconvolution in astronomy: a review", JL Starck, E Pantin and F Murtagh, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, submitted.  (4) "Distributed visual information management in astronomy", F Murtagh, JL Starck and M Louys, ACM/IEEE Computers in Science and Engineering, submitted. (5) A review paper on Grid middleware, collaborative environments, and current trends, directed at an astronomy readership, is being assembled during the course of 2002.

Planned Workshops:

(1) (a) UML and XML for Image and Signal Databases; and (b) Multispectral Image Analysis,Joint meeting with IDHA (French astronomy Grid) project. Strasbourg, 28-29 November 2002. Organisation: Daniel Egret and Fionn Murtagh. (2) Distributed Processing, Transfer, Fusion and Display of Images and Signals: High Resolution and Low Resolution in Data and Information Grids,Granada, 25-26 April 2003. Organisation: Rafael Molina. 6.3

Web siteThe Action's web area is at http://www.iAstro.org