Astrovirtel—From Archival Research to the Astrophysical Virtual Observatory

Abstract

Given the high cost of modern astronomical observing facilities it is evident that efforts must be made to optimally exploit the data in order to maximize the return on investment. This concept was first implemented on a large scale for the Hubble Space Telescope, and has since been taken over for other space borne and large ground-based facilities.

The European HST Science Data Archive is located at the European Southern Observatory (ESO). It has been extended to include data from ESO telescopes and instruments, especially the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and Wide Field Imager (WFI). It was thus natural to design the archive such that queries could be extended across its full content, regardless of the origin of the data. This constituted a first step toward a virtual observatory. The Astrovirtel program, first established in 1999–2000 with funding provided by the European Commission, makes it possible for scientists to use this facility for their investigations. At the same time it allowed us to establish science requirements for archive cross queries, and to define capabilities required for VO's.

Recently the European Commission decided to provide the funding for the implementation of the Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (AVO). This will include several European observatories and scientific organizations. It is being developed in close coordination with the US National Virtual Observatory.