1.Scientific Databases Lecture: Virtual Observatories for Space
Science Dr. Kirk Borne, GMU SCS November 18, 2003 GMU CSI 710
2. Outline
Quick Review of Astronomy Data
The National Virtual Obseratory (NVO)
Other Virtual Observatories for Space Science
Why Virtual Observatories?
NVO Its all about the Science:
IT-enabled, Science-enabling
The Enabling Computational Science Technologies for the NVO
where you can help!
Distributed Data Mining in the NVO
3. The Nature of Astronomical Data
Imaging
2D map of the sky at multiple wavelengths
Derived catalogs
subsequent processing of images
extracting object parameters (400+ per object)
Spectroscopic follow-up
spectra: more detailed object properties
clues to physical state and formation history
lead to distances: 3D maps
Numerical simulations
All inter-related!
4. NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey: http://
www.noao.edu/noao/noaodeep / 5. NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey:
http:// www.noao.edu/noao/noaodeep / 6. NOAO Deep Wide-Field
Survey: http:// www.noao.edu/noao/noaodeep / 7. NASA Astronomy
Mission Data: the tip of the data mountain
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/astro/astrolist.html NSSDCs astrophysics
data holdings: One of many science data collections for astronomy
across the US and the world! NSSDC = National Space Science Data
Center @ NASA/GSFC 8. Quote of the day
It's just as unpleasant to get more than you expected as it is
to get less.
George Bernard Shaw
9. Why so many Telescopes?
Many great astronomical
discoveries have come
from inter-comparisons
of various wavelengths:
Quasars
Gamma-ray bursts
Ultraluminous IR galaxies
X-ray black-hole binaries
Radio galaxies
. . .
Overlay Because 10. Therefore, our science data archive systems
should enable multi-wavelength interdisciplinary distributed
database access,discovery, mining, and analysis. 11. How does one
integrate and use these distributed data archives? 12. Emerging
Computational Environment
Standardizing distributed data
Web Services, supported on all platforms
Custom configure remote data dynamically
XML: Extensible Markup Language
SOAP: Simple Object Access Protocol
WSDL: Web Services Description Language
UDDI: Universal Description, Discovery and Integration
Standardizing distributed computing
Grid Services
Custom configure remote computing dynamically
Build your own remote computer, use it, then discard it
Virtual Data: new data sets on demand
13. The National Virtual Observatory (NVO)
National Academy of Sciences Decadal Survey recommended NVO as
highest priority small (
