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12\17 ESO - Europe's Virtual Observatory- ESO Messenger 110- New WFI CD-ROM 
Part 2 of 2
             Information from the European Southern Observatory
It is now possible to have powerful and expensive new observing
facilities at wavelengths from the radio to the X-ray and gamma-ray
regions. Together with advanced instrumentation techniques, a vast new
array of astronomical data sets will soon be forthcoming at all
wavelengths. These very large databases must be archived and made
accessible in a systematic and uniform manner to realise the full
potential of the new observing facilities.

The Virtual Observatory aims to provide the framework for global
access to the various data archives by facilitating the
standardisation of archiving and data-mining protocols. The AVO will
also take advantage of state-of-the-art advances in data-handling
software in astronomy and in other fields.

The Virtual Observatory initiative is currently aiming at a global
collaboration of the astronomical communities in Europe, North and
South America, Asia, and Australia under the auspices of the recently
formed International Virtual Observatory Alliance.

The Astrophysical Virtual Observatory - An Introduction
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The breathtaking capabilities and ultrahigh efficiency of new ground
and space observatories have led to a 'data explosion' calling for
innovative ways to process, explore, and exploit these data.

Researchers must now turn to the GRID paradigm of distributed
computing and resources to solve complex, front-line research
problems. To implement this new IT paradigm, you have to join existing
astronomical data centres and archives into an interoperating and
single unit. This new astronomical data resource will form a Virtual
Observatory (VO) so that astronomers can explore the digital Universe
in the new archives across the entire spectrum.  Similarly to how a
real observatory consists of telescopes, each with a collection of
unique astronomical instruments, the VO consists of a collection of
data centres each with unique collections of astronomical data,
software systems, and processing capabilities.

The Astrophysical Virtual Observatory Project (AVO) will conduct a
research and demonstration programme on the scientific requirements
and technologies necessary to build a VO for European astronomy. The
AVO has been jointly funded by the European Commission (under FP5 -
Fifth Framework Programme) with six European organisations
participating in a three year Phase-A work programme, valued at 5
million Euro. The partner organisations are the European Southern
Observatory (ESO) in Munich, Germany, the European Space Agency (ESA),
AstroGrid (funded by PPARC as part of the UK's E-Science programme),
the CNRS-supported Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg
(CDS), the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, the
CNRS-supported TERAPIX astronomical data centre at the Institut
d'Astrophysique in Paris, France, and the Jodrell Bank Observatory of
the Victoria University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

The Phase A program will focus its effort in the following areas:

* A detailed description of the science requirements for the AVO will 
  be constructed, following the experience gained in a smaller-scale 
  science demonstration program called ASTROVIRTEL (Accessing 
  Astronomical Archives as Virtual Telescopes).

* The difficult issue of data and archive interoperability will be
  addressed by new standards definitions for astronomical data and 
  trial programmes of "joins" between specific target archives within 
  the project team.

* The necessary GRID and database technologies will be assessed and
  tested for use within a full AVO implementation.

The AVO project is currently working in conjunction with other
international VO efforts in the United States and Asia-Pacific region. 
This is part of an International Virtual Observatory Alliance to 
define essential new data standards so that the VO concept can have a 
global dimension. The AVO partners will join with all astronomical
data centres in Europe to put forward an FP6 IST (Sixth Framework
Programme - Information Society Technologies Programme) Integrated
Project proposal to make a European VO fully operational by the end of
2007.

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