Science cluster
Summary
The Virtual Observatory open standards are the basis for making astronomy data FAIR.
The Astronomy Open Science Competence Centre Pilot project (Astro-CC Pilot) aims at expanding the use of Virtual Observatory standards by astronomy-focused ESFRIs, Research Infrastructures (RIs), and data-producing projects of all scales, enabling the astronomy research communities to accelerate their use of Open Science by supporting the implementation of FAIR principles. The project will run Community Competence Centre events engaging the European experts in astronomical data / service interoperability to prepare and define the scope of a Competence Centre that will serve an extended range of astronomical communities.
Challenge
Open Science project, Open Science Service, Main RI concerned, Cross-domain/Cross-RI
The Astro-CC Pilot project addresses the challenge of accelerating the adoption of Open Science principles within the astronomy research community. The complexity of managing astronomical data across various platforms and ensuring that it adheres to the FAIR principles, requires a community approach. The community also needs training and improved access to tools that support data interoperability and sharing across multiple research infrastructures (RIs).
Solution
The project will run Community Competence Centre events, specifically targeted to engage different facets of the astronomy communities:
- A Data Provider Forum event - for RIs, data-intensive projects, astronomy data providers to publish their data using the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) standards to ensure their data is FAIR-compliant.
- Technology Forum events - for the developers of astronomical software/services, to discuss and refine community open interoperability standards and approaches to FAIR in the astronomy research domain.
- Scientific Training events - for astrophysics Ph.D students and early career researchers, to learn using interoperable tools and services as well as to gain skills for Open Science publication and research in astronomy.
Scientific Impact
The Astro-CC Pilot project will play a critical role in enhancing the astronomy community's adoption of Open Science by implementing FAIR principles. By improving data-sharing frameworks, it will facilitate new methodologies for managing diverse astronomical datasets within the EOSC.
Building on previous initiatives like ESCAPE and EOSC Future, the project will engage national RIs and expand into interdisciplinary fields, such as planetary science and heliophysics. These efforts aim to promote interoperability across diverse astronomical domains. The lessons learned from Astro-CC will inform the development of Competence Centres in other scientific disciplines, fostering broader collaboration and advancing the principles of Open Science.
Principal investigator
Mark Allen is the Director of the Strasbourg Astronomical Data Centre (CDS). He obtained his PhD in Astrophysics from the Australian National University in 1998, and joined the CNRS in 2004. His scientific interests are the use of e-Infrastructures for advancing astronomy, and also the astrophysical processes at the centres of galaxies. He has served as the Chair of the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA, 2017-19), and leads the Virtual Observatory aspects of the ESCAPE collaboration.
