Concluding Remarks
Paolo Padovani
Head, Virtual Observatory Project Office,
ESO, Garching bei München, Germany
&
EURO-VO Facility Centre Scientist
&
Multi-wavelength Astronomer
P. Padovani, Dec. 3, 2008, Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the VO - 1/10
Disclaimer
• This is a personal, biased view of the Workshop, with no claim
of completeness (I have done my best!)
• All views expressed here are the author’s only and do not
reflect the views of the EURO-VO, IVOA, ESO, etc.
P. Padovani, Dec. 3, 2008, Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the VO - 2/10
What the VO is NOT responsible for
• Producing data  data providers’ job
• Data processing  data providers’ job
• Data quality  data providers’ job (but needs to check
metadata quality!)
• Producing specific tools  tools writers’ job (but can help in
porting to the VO)
P. Padovani, Dec. 3, 2008, Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the VO - 3/10
Multi-wavelength Astronomy: VO needs
VO Science (whatever that means) is a reality
• Basic VO need: easy access to all available data at all wavelengths in
calibrated format!
• Still work to do:
 access so far only “simple” (somewhat hard to pre-select); relevant
meta-data not always searchable: e.g., texp for spectral tools, observing
date [mostly VO problem, but meta-data need to be there!]
 still very few “science-ready” data [data providers’ problem]
 yet, minimal raw data access (needed, e.g., for large
[re-]processing/archival projects) [data providers’ problem]
• Main message from multi-wavelength astronomers: more data in the VO!
• Bright future: ASTRONET Roadmap report and questionnaire
P. Padovani, Dec. 3, 2008, Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the VO - 4/10
VO Tools and Standards
VO tools have evolved a lot in the past few years
• One of the main recent developments (thanks to EURO-VO!): very easy
“click of a mouse” interoperability between tools (e.g., Aladin can “send”
a catalogue to TOPCAT or a spectrum to VOSpec)
• Problems/still missing things:
 too many/too complicated VO tools
 VO searches for lists of sources, massive scaling: scripting for, e.g,
cutout services or access to thousand of spectra at the same time
 “quick” check on all available data (raw data access!)
 standard for filter/response curve + zero point: magnitude to flux
conversion  vital for Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) building!
 SED “on-the-fly” from spectra and catalogues (at least!)
 Table Access Protocol (soon to come: Noddle, p.c.)
 top level “VO portal” there will never be a “killer” application
P. Padovani, Dec. 3, 2008, Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the VO - 5/10
Surveys: VO needs 1
• Medium/large surveys (e.g., COSMOS) have less pressing
“standard” VO needs, as all their data are local; moreover, no
VO tool will ever be able to compete with their own tools
• VO tools “nice to have” to maximize exploitation: e.g., to
allow easy match between imaging and spectral data
• Large surveys are also on the “provider” side of the VO: need
tools for data publishing [available]
P. Padovani, Dec. 3, 2008, Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the VO - 6/10
Surveys: VO needs 2
Top three needs from round table discussion:
• Data coverage: was this position ever observed and, if so, is there an X-
detection or not?
 catalogue available: easy
 reduced data available: difficult (on-the-fly Sextraction?)
 raw data: extremely hard [impossible?] (on-the-fly reduction first!)
• Quantitative quality information: distinction needed
 metadata quality: VO should check that relevant information is
provided and make an effort to check that it is correct
 data quality: data providers’ task! This is NOT a VO issue but a fact
of life: there are (and there have always been!) good data and bad data.
We have refereed papers for that
• Table Access Protocol: very important, should be done soon
P. Padovani, Dec. 3, 2008, Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the VO - 7/10
VO near Future
• VO tools should take advantage of all available metadata (if
more needed, they should be included); quality control on
metadata information
• More information on available VO tools
• SEDs, SEDs, SEDs!
• Catalogues, catalogues, catalogues!
• Searches for lists of sources, scaling, scripting
• Raw data should be included
• VO Portal, VO Portal, VO Portal!
P. Padovani, Dec. 3, 2008, Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the VO - 8/10
(My) Vision for the (Petabyte) Future
• Larger telescopes and more complex instruments (e.g., ELTs, LSST)
• Data reduction will (almost) become a thing of the past for the average
astronomer (see VISTA now!)
• Astronomers will deal mostly with catalogues and science-ready data
• All of the above better be well-described and interoperable, otherwise
impossible to make sense of
• Deviants will be weeded out and go extinct (do not underestimate the
power of natural selection)
• Same for the many tools: usage will decide which will survive
• Same for astronomers: “dinosaurs” will disappear
• Nobody will remember what the VO was, although everybody will be
using it!
P. Padovani, Dec. 3, 2008, Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the VO - 9/10
• On behalf of the EURO-VO and of the Science and
Technical Organizing Committee a big Thank you to
all participants for their input and contributions
P. Padovani, Dec. 3, 2008, Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the VO - 10/10