DCA WP3 Report Support to take-up and implementation of the VObs framework

1. DCA WP3 Report Support to take-up and implementation of the VObs framework Christophe Arviset (ESA-VO) Paolo Padovani (ESO)

2. WP3 main objectives • WP3 organizes the activities necessary to distribute knowledge of the VObs framework among European data centres (Workshops and visits) • WP3-2 gathers feedback from the VObs framework implementation by data centres. • WP3 work plan • Organization of workshops on how to publish data into the VObs • On-site visit to data centres to help them to publish their data holding into the VObs

3. EURO-VO Workshop on how to publish data in the VO ESAC, 25-29 June 2007 http://esavo.esac.esa.int/EuroVOWorkshopJune2007/

4. Workshop Organization • Geared towards data centres and large projects to acquire the knowledge and experience necessary to allow them to become "publishers“ in the VO. • Small data providers not excluded • Workshop announcement through • DCA Board and PCT (forwarded to National data centres) • EURO-VO mailing list • IVOA mailing lists • At previous EURO-VO workshop in March 2007 • Workshop pages • http://esavo.esac.esa.int/EuroVOWorkshopJune2007/

5. Workshop Programme • Parallel sessions about publishing data using existing tools within EURO-VO • Publishing catalogues • DSA (Astrogrid), SAADA (OV-France), DMMapper (ESA) • Publishing spectra • DALToolkit (ESA), MEX (ESO) • Publishing images • DALToolkit (ESA), SAADA (OV-France), MEX (ESO) • VOEvent Hands-On Session

6. Workshop Participants • Around 70 participants registered • Around 45 “real” data centres participants • Advisors, ESA VO, ESO “excluded” • Good target audience for a technical meeting • ~45% were programmers, • ~45% were system administrators • ~10% were astronomers

7. Workshop Participants Distribution • Note that some partners had organized “similar” national workshops (eg UK) • Some EC “outsiders” (link with WP6) • No real “large” projects • Several “small” projects, astronomers with their own data

8. Workshop evaluation • All participants could participate to all sessions • All sessions material published on the DCA web pages • High proportion of participants were able to publish their data through VO protocols by the end of the sessions • Feedback from Advisors and Participants “on-the-fly” during the workshop at: • http://esavo.esac.esa.int/EuroVOWorkshopJune2007/SpeakersMonday.html • Offline individual questionnaire for participants requested after the workshop • See more details in WP3-2 presentations

9. EURO-VO Workshop on Astronomical Spectroscopy and the VObs ESAC, 21-23 March 2007 http://esavo.esac.esa.int/SpectroscopyAndVOWorkshopMarch2007/

10. Workshop organization • Initially not planned in the DCA proposal, but already mentioned in the preliminary plan for cycle 1 • Workshop announcement through • DCA Board and PCT (forwarded to National data centres) • EURO-VO mailing list • IVOA mailing lists • Workshop pages • http://esavo.esac.esa.int/SpectroscopyAndVOWorkshopMarch2007/ • Concluding remarks from DCA Board and IVOA Chair • http://esavo.esac.esa.int/SpectroscopyAndVOWorkshopMarch2007/Genova.ppt

11. Workshop objectives Bring the community to the VO and get the VO experts to listen to the community requirements • Main goal was to identify current and future needs of astronomical spectroscopy, and discuss how the Virtual Observatory concept and applications can fulfill them • Forum of discussion and interchange of experiences between astronomers and engineers active in the VObs, and astronomers with a specific expertise and involvement in astronomical spectroscopic projects – both from the observational and the theoretical side.

12. Workshop Programme • 5 sessions: • Spectroscopic surveys, • VO standards and applications, • Spectroscopic tools and algorithms, • Photometry in the VO, • Access to laboratory databases and theoretical data. • Each session • Series of presentations by experts in the field (VObs or not) • Discussions • 34 presentations, 20 posters • Proceedings being printed

13. Workshop Participants • Great success ! • 116 participants • from 15 countries • EC • US, Japan • WP6 • 4 IVOA Working Group Chairs • Good mixture between scientists and developers • Good mixture between usual VO people and other people

14. On-site Support to Data Centres

15. Overview • WP3 on-site support went slower than initially expected • More focus was given in workshops • Follow-up visits will come more naturally from the attendance to the workshop • DCA Board decided to work more on the census of data centres before advertizing actively the on-site visits • Web page detailing the list of WP3 visits of experienced VObs persons to data centres, national meetings or sites selected by partners: • http://cds.u-strasbg.fr/twikiDCA/bin/view/EuroVODCA/WP3Visits • Possibility to request on-site visit to WP3 leaders (ESA, ESO)

16. WP3 overall conclusions • Successful workshop to help data centres to publish their data holdings in the VObs framework • Next major workshop to be held at ESO in June 2008 • Special efforts will be made to involve also current and upcoming large astronomical facilities, selected through the ASTRONET project • Successful focus workshop on astronomy and the VObs • Good synergy between the VO and the Community • More work to be planned for the on-site visits to the data centres by VObs experts • Link to the census of data centres • Follow-up visits after the workshops