1. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-101 Strategy

2. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-102 Main drivers of CDS activity The CDS role in the international and national landscape

3. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-103 activities Reference, value-added services Contents/software development/operations Selected, validated, homogenized information from publications, catalogues, images + links Standards and generic tools Technological watch, R&T User and project support

4. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-104 Reference, value-added services

5. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-105 Services (1) Different aspects Building the contents Selection, validation, homogenisation of information from many sources Building data management systems and user interfaces Keep up with scientific and technical evolution

6. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-106 Services (2) The basic CDS service to the community A high impact activity A long term, constantly evolving, very demanding activity which relies on experts (documentation, software, astronomers)

7. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-107 The key for success A highly skilled and motivated team integrating astronomers, ‘documentalists’ and computer engineers This implies in particular: Careful integration of newcomers Continuity in expertise essential: fill the holes (departures and retirements) in advance Maintain the quality and team spirit while the team is renewed/growing

8. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-108 Organization The most demanding task at CDS among many (strong operational pressure on individuals and difficult work) Not easy to homogenize long term activities (contents) with shorter term ones (projects) Distributed team (Strasbourg, Paris, astronomers in Montpellier, Toulouse) Take better into account the long term aspects –Specific ‘Bibliography’ team meetings –Encourage the staff to meet regularly to discuss difficult cases (already done in Paris on a weekly basis) More generally, one need to revisit the CDS organigram

9. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-109 In the short/medium term future: infrastructure Increase the local computing power to support –Multi-criteria queries to VizieR –Image mosaicking in Aladin –Image analysis tools (IDHA/MDA) i.e. transport results and not data 2003-2004: test the usage of PC cluster for queries to large catalogues and image transformation functions

10. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1010 In the short/medium term future: contents (1) New update methods with the new SIMBAD s/w Still increase integration with journals –Object tagging (A&A, also AAS), automated recognition of object names BUT quality must be preserved New tools for the CDS bibliography team (also for users!) –Aladin astrometric registration (X,Y coord.) and centroide estimation (done) –Generalized Sesame (SIMBAD + VizieR - done) –Improve cross-id tool (‘raccord’)

11. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1011 In the short/medium term future: contents (2) VizieR and Aladin Continue to implement large surveys and reference image data sets in the local databases e.g SDSS –Efficient indexing –Better Metadata homogenization –More functionalities available (compression, mosaicking) Improve access to distributed, heterogeneous data, taking advantage of VO development

12. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1012 In the short/medium term future: functionalities (1) Beyond query by position: ‘VO-type queries’ Multi-criteria searches in large surveys A R&T project:Indexing, usage of a PC cluster Data selection, transformation (semantics) –UCD1+ in VizieR –Filters –Data model (e.g. hierarchical view of data sets) Cross-match in VizieR & Aladin (incl. very large data sets)

13. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1013 In the short/medium term future: functionalities (2) More tools, integrated and ‘collaborating’ Integrated table visualisation tool Continue collaboration with the Indian VO team (Pune) Links to external, useful tools ExtApp in Aladin e.g. Sextractor, image analysis tools (IDHA/MDA), …

14. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1014 New functionalities Identifiy new desirable functionnalities by evaluating science needs (anticipate new large projects, demos, VO projects RSCs), e.g. –Spectral Energy Distribution –‘Multiview Aladin’ –HEALPIX in Aladin for cosmologists –Collaboration with IMCCE –More generally time dimension

15. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1015 Interoperability standards and tools for the VO

16. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1016 VO projects Interoperability standards and tools for the VO CDS role in the VO

17. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1017 The Virtual Observatory « an enabling and coordinating entity to foster the development of tools, protocols, and collaborations necessary to realize the full scientific potential of astronomical databases in the coming decade » NVO White Paper, June 2000 Science driven

18. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1018 International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) Roadmap Definition of interoperability standards (WGs) Demonstrations

19. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1019 Action Spécifique Observatoire Virtuel France (1) Created by INSU in 2004 with support from CNES Role: –Coordinate French participation to the IVO –Contact point for European projects –Contact point with IT community –Covers astronomy, space plasma physics, studies of the Sun and planets Deals only with the thin ‘interoperability’ layer

20. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1020 OV France (2) http://www.france-ov.org ovfrance@astro.u-strasbg.fr

21. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1021 AS OV France Scientific Council (national programs and GDRs)

22. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1022 CDS role in OV France FG chairs the Scientific Council 2004 AO (‘triggering money for travel): 1/3 of projects seek CDS support Tutorial (October 2004): in Strasbourg, all teachers except 2 from CDS Can support very interesting actions: collaboration with IMCCE

23. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1023 Virtual Observatory projects with CDS participation (2001-2004) Astronomical Virtual Observatory The European VO project RTD, Access to Large Scale Facilities ESO, ESA-ECF, AstroGRID, CDS, Terapix, Jodrell (2001-2004) ClassXClassifying the High Energy Universe NASA AISRP project HEASARC, STScI, CDS (2001-2004) Also: Aladin in VO demos

24. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1024 The future in Europe Euro VO: a MOU between partners at the national level –Facility Centre (mainly ESO, ESA) –Data Centre Alliance (F. Genova in charge) –VO Technical Centre European Commission (FP6) money for networking (from OPTICON and RadioNet) and for VO TC (VO-TECH project, A. Lawrence)

25. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1025 IT ‘national’ projects Action Concertée Incitative GRID (2001), MD (2003) Globalisation des Ressources Informatiques et des Données Masses de Données Multidisciplinary actions (IT, applications) An occasion to settle the links with LSIIT  IDHA (+ QUB, Terapix, LAM), MDA (+LORIA, IRIT) (cf. tomorrow morning’s talk)

26. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1026 Interoperability Access to distributed, heterogeneous information Users Where is the data of interest for me? How can I get data from this (these) service(s)? How can I use the data I retrieve? Service managers How can I use information from another service? How can another data provider use my information?

27. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1027 Name resolver

28. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1028 The CDS GLU Générateur de Liens Uniformes Resource dictionary (shared, distributed, hierarchical name space, clone management…) Resolver: symbolic name > URL An early prototype with many of the required functionalities

29. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1029 CDS actions in interoperability In charge of the ‘Interoperability’ Work Area of AVO Proposed and managed the ‘Interoperability’ WG in OPTICON FP5 (immediately open to international participation) Very active in IVOA Interoperability WGs (cf S. Derriere/M. Louys talk)

30. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1030 CDS role in AVO Work Area 2 Interoperability –Major role in science demos, based on the Aladin VO portal (Jan. 2003, Jul. 2003, Jan. 2004) –hierarchical view/browsing of data, filters, cross-match tool –Standards: UCDs –New data sets (GOODS, MACHO, better links to ISO, XMM) –Web Services for the major CDS services

31. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1031 OPTICON meeting Strasbourg 2002 Garching 2002 IVOA Interop meetings Boston 2002 Cambridge UK 2003 Strasbourg 2003 Cambridge US 2004 Pune 2004 IVOA standards

32. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1032 CDS role in the VO (1) CDS services are one major VO hub CDS provides VALIDATED, reference information, tools and links VO is good for CDS services! –Easier links from/to distributed services –More users through VO tools –New ideas for VO-driven functionalities cf implementation of AVO developed functionalities in Aladin –New collaborations (e.g. VO India)

33. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1033 CDS role in VO (2) VO is science driven CDS Science staff is and will be very active in the definition of VO science drivers (AVO SWG, VO Science Reference Mission, Euro VO actions in that domain) Major expertise in supporting users

34. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1034 CDS role in VO (3) Major expertise in the definition of interoperability standards and tools, and very active leadership of/participation to IVOA WGs, IVOA activities, and relevant Euro VO/VO TECH activities Participation to IVOA Board and organisation of IVOA meetings

35. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1035 CDS role in VO (3) Euro-VO –VO FC: user support –DCA: lead by F. Genova –VO TECH: R&D project (FP6) Several domains: infrastructure, tools, intelligent resource discovery, data exploration CDS will lead Intelligent resource discovery (ontologies, Semantic Web) and participate to all In particular: work on Interoperablity standards and attention paid to science requirements in all domains OV France major expertise and data centre

36. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1036 IVO: a new tool for scientists ‘First Science Demo’ of the AVO project, January 2004

37. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1037 Research & Technology actions

38. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1038 R&T actions at CDS R&T with operational goals: tests on technologies or methods which could be used in the services Often through student trainings Close collaboration with IT labs Maintained in spite of the operational/project pressure (more than 10% of time of key staff)

39. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1039 R&T actions at CDS Staying at the forefront of technologies and methods is critical for long term presence of CDS at the proper technical level and for keeping the services at the leading edge New technologies implementation not too early, not too late! E.g. XML, Java Decision after assessment and ‘strategic’ discussion about the discipline technical context

40. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1040 Collaboration with IT A long term tradition of collaboration with LSIIT and IRIT Can now be officialized in the French STIC programs Actions Concertées Incitatives

41. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1041 User support

42. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1042 Support to users, projects (this morning’s talk) and developers CNRS Schools OV France tutorial Participation to/organization of Colloquia –ADASS (2003) –LISA (2002) Student trainings Teaching at Université Louis Pasteur

43. F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-1043 Develop science usage Demos On-line tutorials In-house science use –By CDS and Observatory staff –By visitors A program to help users on complex usage (short visits) is very desirable but requires more scientists in house