The Virtual Observatories
A Major New Facility for Astronomy: Linking ELTs, Great Observatories and the Science Community

N. A. Walton¹, A. M. S. Richards², P. Padovani³, M. G. Allen⁴

¹ Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK ² Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester, UK ³ European Southern Observatory, Garching, Germany
⁴ Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France

We describe how the Virtual Observatory (VO) projects in Europe, the USA, Japan, and elsewhere are meeting the challenge of providing simple and efficient access to the data from the world's observational facilities, together with applications and computational resources required to support the analysis of this data.

We note the pan-European Euro-VO project (the successor project to the Astrophysical Virtual Observatory Phase A programme: http://www.euro-vo.org), and its technological development VOTECH project (http://www.eurovotech.org). It is now in the process of designing the framework for comprehensive access to emerging high data volume facilities such as ESO's VISTA infrared survey telescope.

Science drivers from major new astronomical missions are helping to define the development of the VO. Scientifically this is in terms of developing systems able to meet the demands of the main science programmes shaping the ELTs. Technically, VOs must be able to handle the large data streams from the complex multiplexed instruments on the ELTs, and provide access to applications required to analyse/interpret the data (e.g. statistical packages, spectral synthesis codes, cosmological simulations). Organisationally, the VOs must enable the effective distribution of ELT data to the global community (c.f. distribution of Large Hadron Collider data to the world through the LHC Computing Grid).

Conversely, the rapid development of the Virtual Observatory, offers opportunities for major new projects such at the ELTs. This could be in: the design of their down stream data flow systems; in terms of opening up access to 'real-time' availability of ancillary data flows (for instance important in terms of responding to real time alerts (e.g. GRBs)); in multi-wavelength observational programmes (e.g. stellar populations in local and distant galaxies).

We highlight these areas, and give some specific current examples of early VO usage in delivering science from e.g. the mining of deep multi-wavelength surveys to study the high redshift universe, and large scale (multi TB) catalogue manipulations investigating galactic structure. We comment on the potential linkage of South African astronomical resources through the VO.

---

File translated from T_EX by T_TH, version 3.33.
On 20 Oct 2005, 17:59.