The Virtual Observatory
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Transcript of The Virtual Observatory
• The Virtual Observatory• Europe and the VO: the Astrophysical Virtual Observatory and the EURO-VO
Astrophysical Virtual Observatory and the
EURO-VO
Paolo Padovani
Head, ESO Virtual Observatory Systems Department
EURO-VO Facility Centre Scientist
July 6, 2005 P. Padovani, JENAM 2005 2
Astronomy in the XXI centuryRadical changes are needed!
Huge surveys: 100M sources at <3k spectra/night >100 yr!
Ever fainter sources, routinely surpassing the identification limits of 8 - 10m telescopes (Rmag ≈ 25)
Huge data collections: e.g., downloading Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR3 (~ 1/2 of total) images (6 Tb) ~ 2.3 months at 1 Mb/s (ESO’s speed); catalogs (2.3 Tb) ~ 1 month. On DVDs ~ 1,300 of them. And analysis?? (similar size for MACHO, 2MASS etc …)
Ever increasing amount of data: e.g., ESO archive: x 100 increase in next 7 yrs to 1,000 Tbytes
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The solution: Virtual Observatory
An innovative, evolving system, which takes advantage of astronomical data explosion
It will allow users to interrogate multiple data centres in a seamless and transparent way and to utilize at best astronomical data
Data analysis tools (in-situ) and models will be made more accessible
It will allow new SCIENCE by moving Astronomy beyond era of “classical” identification by combining all available information: data mining (increase obs. efficiency) + statistical identification (less need for spectra)
Good communication common language! Definition and adoption of VO standards and protocols within the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA: http://ivoa.net)
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AVO
Astrophysical Virtual Observatory Project: 5 M€, R&D on scientific requirements and technology for building the VO in Europe, 50% funded by European Community (Fifth Framework Programme [FP5])
Phase A, 2001 - 2004/5 (http://www.euro-vo.org) Driven by strategy of scientific VO annual demonstrations Science Working Group established to provide scientific advice to AVO project Project completed; now EURO-VO
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AVO’s Main Achievements
Three science demonstrations First refereed astronomical paper enabled via end-to-end use of VO tools
and systems: “Discovery of optically faint obscured quasars with Virtual Observatory tools”, Padovani, Allen, Rosati, & Walton, 2004, A&A, 424, 545
ESA/ESO press release May 28 2004
New VO tools: the AVO prototype can be used NOW for the day-to-day work of astronomers; Java application
(http://www.euro-vo.org/twiki/bin/view/Avo/SwgDownload) A Science Reference Mission Founding member of IVOA
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The Next Step
European Virtual Observatory (EURO-VO) Project: a program to build the Virtual Observatory in Europe
Eight partners: ESO & ESA, plus six national nodes: French VO, GAVO (Germany), INAF (Italy), NOVA (Netherlands), Spanish VO, and ASTROGRID (UK)
Total planned EURO-VO resources ~60 person-years (2005 - 2008), ~ 3 more than AVO
Three components
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An alliance of European data centres who will populate the EURO-VO with data, provide the physical storage and computational fabric and who will publish data, metadata and services to the EURO-VO using VO technologies
A distributed organization that coordinates a set of research and development projects on the advancement of VO technology, systems and tools in response to scientific and community requirements
An operational organization, that provides the EURO-VO with a persistent, centralized registry for resources, standards and certification mechanisms as well as community support for VO technology take-up and scientific programs
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EURO-VO Startup
VOTC funded (VO-TECH) VOFC and DCA activities already started with help
from OPTICON, RADIONET, ESO and ESA DCA board meetings held (Dec. 2004 & Jun.
2005) EURO-VO workshop (ESO June 2005) first VOFC
activity EURO-VO MOU to be signed in July 2005 (2005 -
2008)
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VO-TECH A VO-TC project to complete the technical work necessary to build the EURO-VO 6.6 M€ from EC [FP6], 12 FTEs (+12 from partners) for 3 yrs; VO development
at ASTROGRID (Edinburgh, Leicester, & Cambridge), ESO, French VO, and INAF (Italy)
Start: April 1st 2005 Four broad areas (Design Studies):
Infrastructure (Lead: Leicester) New User Tools (Lead: ESO) Resource Discovery (Lead: French VO) Data Exploration (Lead: Edinburgh)
Six month sub-projects Input: EURO-VO Science Advisory Committee, partners, AVO Science Reference
Mission, AVO Science Working Group
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EURO-VO and the Community
AVO has reached out to the European astronomical community mostly through the SWG, plus papers and articles (ESO Messenger, ST-ECF & EAS Newsletters)
EURO-VO has reached out to the data providers through a dedicated workshop at ESO (June 27 - July 1)
EURO-VO will get community input through the SAC We have also started having a presence at JENAM
meetings, to contact directly (and get feedback from) astronomers
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Summary
• The Virtual Observatory will make handling and manipulating astronomical data and tools residing at various locations around the world much easier than it is now
• The Virtual Observatory is a science driver! • The AVO project has produced REAL science
tools, which can be (and are!) used for astronomical research
• The EURO-VO will now make the VO in Europe a (non-virtual!) reality