1. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 1 Virtual Observatory: D-Space Project Athens, 14 November 2004 Elena Tavlaki Head of Research Programs OTE etavlaki@ote.gr Discovery Space

2. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 2 Knowledge Sharing Information sharing is critical because intellectual assets, unlike physical assets, increase in value with use. Properly stimulated, knowledge and intellect grow exponentially, when shared James Brian Quinn-1996

3. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 3 D-SPACE Project 18 months market validation project, Budget of 1.5 million Euro Main focus Deployment of a virtual science thematic park, that will connect schools,universities, science museums and parks with a network of robotic Telescopes around the world

4. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 4 D-Space system

5. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 5 D-SPACE main objectives  Feasibility study of the operation of a network of remotely controlled robotic telescopes  Extended market survey for the estimation of the size of the target market and market potentials  Extended validation phase of the D-Space service in real environments.  Feasibility study of the business case for the actors involved.

6. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 6 D-SPACE Project _ Consortium

7. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 7 D-Space Services (1)  on-line access to the network of the robotic telescopes (on-line or scheduled requests)  access to scientific data and resource archives (data and images)  access to a central data archive, making use of a common archive and distribution system  access to educational material and interactive tools (allow for data representation and analysis)

8. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 8 D-Space Services (2)  access to teacher resources (e.g. professional development materials, lesson plans)  student-centred materials (e.g. data library, communication area, student’s magazines)  on-line training courses at different levels (for school students, for university students, for the wider public)  Information on specific events (e.g. transit of Mercury or Venus)

9. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 9 D-Space Services (3)  participation contests (the contests will cover the levels of all targeted groups of users, e.g. scientific contests, best science project contests for students, best photo contest for the wider public)  participation to conferences, workshops and summer schools (the users of the service will have the opportunity to visit the observatories during different events )

10. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 10 Technology in education  The D-Space service provides a central data archive, making use of a common archive and distribution system, ensuring the integrity and accessibility of D-Space observations at minimum cost.  Utilization of broadband communication channel (both wired and wireless) will improve significantly the communication between the telescopes and the remotely located users

11. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 11 Potential users Research Institutes Educational Institutions Scientific Museums, Science centers & parks Wider Public (Individuals)

12. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 12 Benefits for the users (1)  Observing conditions at any one site become less of a factor and less of an impediment to a successful observing experience  Ability to observe at different latitudes opens up much larger parts of the sky to the observer  Ability to observe from different longitudes makes night-time observations possible from classrooms during their school day

13. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 13 Benefits for the users (2)  Telescopes can be assigned based on observing requirements such as duration of observation, visibility of the target body, required angular resolution, type of observation (image, spectra, photometry)  Coordinated observations among observatories can provide long baseline temporal coverage

14. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 14 Benefits for the users (3)  A significant add-on to the current status will be the ability to select observing sites in an automated fashion based on user- supplied requirements. This permits an elevated level of coordination, which can be particularly useful when used to adapt to real-time requirements (e.g. weather or technical difficulties).

15. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 15 D-Space ambition is… to inspire and motivate young people to pursue careers in science to engage the young participants in sharing the experience of exploration and discovery to enhance awareness and understanding of the scientific and technological advances of our times to link them to the history and evolution of the human mind and society (scientific, historical and cultural basis for modern astronomy)

16. Advanced Technologies in Education Virtual Observatory 16 Thank you for your attention etavlaki@ote.gr