| Abstract
|
Virtual Observatories can provide access t … Virtual Observatories can provide access to vast stores of scientific data: observations and models. As these electronic stores become widely used, there is potential to improve the efficiency, interoperability, collaborative potential, and impact of a wide range of interdisciplinary scientific research. In order to realize this potential, technical challenges need to be addressed concerning (at least) representations and interoperability of data, access, and usability. In the Virtual Solar Terrestrial Observatory (VSTO) project, we are providing an electronic repository of observational data spanning the solar-terrestrial physics domain. We are also implementing semantic web tools and infrastructure for accessing and using the data. Our main contributions include the repository, infrastructure, and tools for the particular solar terrestrial physics as well as the design and infrastructure that may be broadened to cover more diverse science areas and communities of use. In this presentation, we describe the goals, design, current and planned prototypes, and technical infrastructure. We present what we have learned about the processes involved in developing VSTO and the required semantics, how they affect the framework architecture, choice of technologies and service interfaces. VSTO is an NSF-funded joint effort between the High Altitude Observatory and the Scientific Computing Division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and McGuinness Associates Consulting. CAR) and McGuinness Associates Consulting.
|
