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Russian Virtual Observatory
(RVO)
Project
Contents:
0. Project resume
1. Main goals of the RVO
2. RVO project participants
3. RVO project structure
3.1 Informational hub
of the RVO (CAD INASAN)
3.2. The technology hub of the RVO (Institute of Informatics Problems).
3.3. The observational hub of the RVO (Special Astrophysical Observatory).
3.4. The
educational hub of the RVO (SPbSU, SAI MSU)
4. Scientific applications of
the RVO
4.1. The three-dimension map of interstellar extinction in Galaxy
4.2. Fundamental stellar parameters and evolutionary status of close binaries.
4.3. Other investigations
5. The RVO organization structure
5.1. The supervisory body.
5.2. The Expert Council.
5.3. The Scientific Advisory
Council
5.4. Working groups.
5.5.
Representatives of Russian astronomical organizations
0. Project resume
The project of the Russian Virtual Observatory (RVO) construction and
development has a main goal of providing a convenient direct access to world
astronomical data resources for Russian astronomers.
An important reason for construction of the RVO is that Russian astronomy is
deprived of almost all observational facilities after the disintegration of the
Soviet Union: the majority of southern Soviet observatories turned out to be in
other countries - former Soviet republics. The best (and cost effective)
solution for Russian astronomy is an integration into the international data
grid.
One of other principal goals of the project is to integrate resources of
astronomical data accumulated in Russian observatories and institutions, and to
provide Russian data to the rest of the world.
Scientific Council on Astronomy (Russian Academy of Sciences) strongly endorsed
the RVO initiative. The project is included in the list of principal
international initiatives of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The RVO project is
supported by Section 13 ("Databases and Information Services") of the Scientific
Council on Astronomy.
Main co-ordinators of the project are Centre for Astronomical Data (Institute of
Astronomy), Informatics Depatment (Special Astrophysical Observatory) and
Information Systems Laboratory (Institute of Informatics Problems). The majority
of Russian astronomical institutions are expected to participate in the RVO
project.
The Virtual Observatory can be defined as a science facility in which "the sky"
is represented by the network of existing archives, while "the telescope" is the
suite of software tools that query and analyze the data, without physically
moving them from the archives, and responding to specific scientific question
that are posed by "the observer". The RVO offers the opportunity to federate
national and international resources and provide astronomers with access to an
integrated multi-wavelength repository of data for data mining and enabling new
science.
The Russian Virtual Observatory is an integral component of the International
Virtual Observatory, which will link the archives of all the world's major
observatories into one distributed database, with powerful tools to optimise the
extraction of science from the data. As a result, data from all the world's
major observatories will be available to all users, and to the public. The
International Virtual Observatory project is strongly supported by Commission 5
("Documentation and Astronomical Data") of the International Astronomical Union.
RVO is one of the members of the International Virtual Observatory Aliance (IVOA)
formed in 2002 to facilitate the international coordination and collaboration
necessary for the development and deployment of the tools, systems and
organizational structures necessary to enable the international utilization of
astronomical archives as an integrated and interoperating Virtual Observatory.
1. Main
goals of the RVO
The Scientific Council on Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences in
December of 2001 strongly endorsed the RVO initiative that is aimed to provide
Russian astronomical community with an access to vast resulting archives of data
and metadata of observational projects.
This determines main goals of the RVO in agreement with general goals of virtual
observatories:
- to provide Russian astronomical community with a convenient and effective
access to foreign data sources;
- to unite russian astronomical informational resources as a component to be
integrated to International Virtual Observatory;
- to provide access to observational resources in case if necessary data are not
found in the united archive;
- to develop Russian electronic astronomical educational resources.
The construction of the RVO is particularly actual because Russian astronomy is
deprived of almost all observational facilities after the disintegration of the
Soviet Union: the majority of southern Soviet observatories turned out to be in
other countries - former Soviet republics. The best (and cost effective)
solution for Russian astronomy is an integration into the international data
grid, first of all into western observational archives. The upper limit
programme of the RVO is to provide russian astronomers with on-line access to
every important astronomical resource in the world. This would make minor and/or
purely educational astronomical institutions able to investigate the same modern
data that main astronomical organisations of the world use.
The RVO investment into merging of the world astronomical resources can also be
significant. There are about 30 astronomical institutes and organizations in
Russia. Many of them maintain extensive data archives. But the main value of
Russian astronomical observational data is their large time scale of observation.
Russia is the most extended in latitude country in the world - there are 11
timing zones in Russia, and it is situated almost on the opposite side of the
globe to the most of the world astronomical observatories. This allows, for
instance, to obtain the uninterrupted row of observation for variable objects.
This is why the database of glass libraries of Russian astronomical
observatories that is created presently in Centre of Astronomical Data (CAD) of
INASAN is of fundamental importance for the world astronomical community. Some
of that observatories have unique collections of astroplates starting with the
beginning of the past century.
One of immediate tasks in the frame of this project is standartization and
unification of information on national resources (resource identifications,
object names, units, etc.), their rating and completing of a (meta-)database of
Russian astronomical resources. The RVO project has started two years later than
the first VO-projects. Thus, it it necessary to follow standards developed and
accepted by other projects while we create the RVO.
The development of scientific applications of the RVO by CAD INASAN staff is the
important part of the project. This includes determination of stellar
fundamental parameters by data on components of binary (multiple) stars;
compilation of the three-dimensional map of interstellar extinction in the
Galaxy based on photometric survey data, et al.
The work on RVO creation is the most important part of scientific researches of
the 13th Section ("Databases and Information Services")of Scientific Council on
Astronomy of Physical Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
2. RVO
project participants
The RVO project is going to be realized by the following teams of participants:
1) Centre of Astronomical Data (CAD) of the Institute of Astronomy of Russian
Acad. Sci. (INASAN);
2) The Laboratory of Compositional Methods and Tools of Creation of Information
Systems of the Institute of Informatics Problems of Russian Acad. Sci.
3) The Informatics Department of Special Astrophysical Observatory of Russian
Acad. Sci.
If the project would be developing favourably, the educational part may be
enforced with teams of Sanct-Petersbourg State University and of Sternberg
Astronomical Institute of Moscow State University.
3. RVO
project structure
3.1 Informational hub
of the RVO (CAD INASAN).
The important purpose of the project is to unite informational resources for a
basis and important part of the RVO, and for the following integration into the
IVO. The two main tasks should be done in the frame of this purpose:
- To provide Russian astronomical community with a convenient access to the
world data grid.
- To unite Russian data, to provide them to the world astronomical community.
The leading team in this field of activity (CAD) has created the informational
system for these purposes that in fact represents an informational hub of the
RVO.
Below more detailed description is presented.
3.1.1 The CAD hosts and maintains several mirrors of major astronomical
resources.
3.1.2. The informational system IRinA (Internet Resources IN Astronomy) is
created. It contains the collection of references (more than 350) to world and
Russian astronomical Interned resources. We apply the multi-level scheme of
content classification based on standards developed by the IVOA. The bilingual
description is provided. The informational system is supplied with the complete
list of Russian astronomical institutions, along with their post and electronic
addresses. Some of the former Soviet Union countries astronomical organisations
are also included.
We plan to continue to fill up and update the informational system. This work
includes search of astronomical Interned resources, their reviews and expert
analysis, introduction into the structure, testing.
3.1.3. We've completed compilation of a structured list of Russian (and fSU)
astronomical Internet-resources. We also list the off-line and developed
resources. The list contains now some 150 original astronomical resources, and
is regularly updated.
3.1.4. We've compiled the register of Russian astronomical resources that
provides exhaustive description of the form and content of every resource by the
standards approved by IVOA. The register is regularly updated to include newly
issued Russian astronomical informational resources.
3.1.5. We are working on compilation of the list of optical and radio equipment
of Russian astronomical institutions.
3.1.6. The CAD staff compiles and analyses catalogues.
The results of activity of Informational hub are presented at the RVO web site (regularly
updated): http:// www.inasan.rssi.ru/eng/rvo
3.2. The technology hub of the RVO (Institute of Informatic Problems).
3.3. The observational hub of the RVO (Special Astrophysical Observatory).
3.4. The
educational hub of the RVO (SPbSU, SAI MSU)
4. Scientific applications of
the RVO
In the frame of RVO, we plan to resolve many astronomical problems. Most of them
are already investigated in collaboration with foreign colleagues, preliminary
results were discussed and approved at the international astronomical meetings.
4.1.
The three-dimension map of interstellar extinction in Galaxy
Under some assumptions, information on interstellar extinction may be obtained
from modern large photometric surveys data (2MASS, DENIS, USNO, SDSS). Virtual
observatory's facilities allow users to make a fast and correct
cross-identification of objects from various surveys.It yields a
multi-photometry data on registered objects.
A procedure is devoloped to estimate color-excesses from that data, and
calculate distance to the object and interstellar extinction. A 3D extinction
map then can be constructed.
The method was checked for a small sky area with low galactic latitude and
results were published. The procedure can be applied to selected surveys after
short-term preparation work.
The activity is carried in collaboration with the team of National Virtual
Observatory, US.
4.2. Fundamental stellar parameters and evolutionary status of close binaries.
At present, there is no exhausting catalogue of parameters of eclipsing binaries.
Neither The General Catalogue of Variable Stars nor catalogues compiled by Ural
State University team headed by Dr Svechnikov satisfy all requirements. Thus, we
consider it advisable to compile a catalogue of eclipsing binaries with unknown
spectroscopic elements. This catalogue will be used to calculate approximate
parameters of the components (masses, luminosities, radii) by different methods.
These data may be effective for important astronomical tasks connected with
close binaries evolution.
In process of this work, we compile simultaneously a catalogue of eclipsing
binaries with known spectroscopic elements. Along with data on visual binaries
with known trigonometric parallaxes, it would make a catalogue of dynamic masses.
There is no doubt such catalogue containing stars with dynamical masses would be
also most actual.
We plan also making algorythms of determination of type of a system by its
observational data, and of calculation of fundamental parameters of eclipsing
binaries components. Based on these parameters, we plan to determine the initial
mass function. After check-up of evolutionary stage of most types of eclipsing
binaries, we would compile a self-agreed and exhausting scheme of evolution of
interacting binaries.
Other possible astrophysical applications would be investigation of fine
structure of mass-luminosity relation of intermediate mass main sequence stars;
investigation of population of subgiant branch with close binaries;
determination of stage of some types of eclipsing binaries in general ebvolution
scheme; etc.
The CAD INASAN team collaborates with Observatory of Besan?on (France) on this
topic.
4.3. Other investigations
The CAD researchers also carry investigations of open clusters (in collaboration
with German and Indian astronomers); work on MIGALE project together with French
scientists; develop the system of determination of stellar astrophysical
parameters by evolutionary tracks.
5.
The RVO organization structure
5.1. The supervisory body.
The RVO supervisory body includes heads of the RVO hubs, and representatives of
the RVO in working groups of the IVOA. It fulfills the following functions:
- organization, prolongation of term of work and dismissal of the RVO working
groups;
- approvement of the list of scientific applications of the RVO;
- etc.
5.2. The Expert Council.
The Council of Experts of the RVO is completed (on rotation basis) by leading
Russian scientists - experts in various astronomical fields. The Council of
Experts:
- determines list of most popular astronomical Internet resources of the world
to be included into informational system (or, in exception cases, to be mirrored
at the RVO site);
- determines list of Russian astronomical data sites to be popularized in
foreign astronomical community;
- etc.
5.3. The Scientific Advisory
Council
Includes heads of institutions participating the RVO project. Helps to determine
the RVO development strategy and ways.
5.4. Working groups.
Working groups of the RVO are formed to fulfill certain tasks determined by
Supervisory body of the RVO for (as a rule) 3 years. The term may be prolonged
by the Supervisory body, if necessary.
5.5.
Representatives of Russian astronomical organizations
Astronomical organizations making contribution to RVO creation appoint their
representatives to RVO. The representatives carry on the following activity:
- they inform the RVO Supervisory body on the new russian resources issued by
their institution astronomers and teams;
- on similar activity for integration of information on Russian and foreign
resources in their institution;
they inform Heads and staff of their institutions on current activity and
results of the RVO work.
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