N' Craig, B' J' Mndez SEGway,UC Berkeley

1
National Virtual Observatory Data Access for the
General Public

• N. Craig, B. J. Méndez (SEGway,UC Berkeley)
• R. J. Hanisch, C. A. Christian, F. Summers
  (NVO,StScI)
• B. Haisch, J. Lindblom(ManyOne Networks)

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Assessing the Outreach Needs for the NVO

• We conducted surveys of potential non-traditional
  audiences of the NVO to assess their interests,
  how they might like to make use of NVO resources.
  The surveyed audiences were
• K-12 Educators
• Artists
• ( both traditional-media, electronic-media
  artists and students)
• Science Museum Professionals
• ( directors, coordinators, exhibit designers,
  trainees
• and web development personnel)
• Amateur Astronomers
• (Romantics, Educators, Serious Visual
  Observers, Serious Imagers,Tinkerers )

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Assessing the Outreach Needs for the NVO

• Our analysis of these surveys suggests that the
  following are the primary interests of the
  general public in an EPO portal to the NVO
• Images (i.e. pretty pictures)
• Explanations of the images
• their locations in space (e.g. with sky maps or
  3-D representations)
• the science behind what is seen
• the imaging techniques and processing that went
  into creating the image
• any relevant human, cultural, or
  interdisciplinary aspects of the images or
  astronomical objects within them

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Assessing the Outreach Needs for the NVO
Science, FAQs, QAs with scientists,
astronomical tutorials, classroom lesson
plans Communication between users Information
customized for the knowledge and skill level of
different users Interactive, dynamic,
user-friendly interfaces presenting data in a
creative and exciting way
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HST Press Image Collection

• HST Press Images (hubblesite.org)
• Create meta-tags
• Follows NASA Space Science Education Resource
  Directory
• Based on Dublin Core
• Schema defined by Gateway to Education Materials
• Astronomical Schema defined for NASA SSRD
• Compile collection register in NVO registry
• Demonstrate protocols for other astronomical
  observatories
• Create a process integrated into the NASA press
  release production

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NVO Registry Concept
Image Collection
NVO
Registry collection description
Other registries

• Registry
• Type of data
• What queries (point sources, all sky, etc.)
• Method of retrieval (script, VO tables, separate
  service)
• Protocol NVO simple access image protocol

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Image Access
User query coordinates or targets
NVO
Registry
Any interface (Virtual Cosmos, education
project, search engine)
Results all data fitting query
Builds on the extensive development of the NASA
Education Resource Directory and the National
Virtual Observatory
8
ManyOne Networks is creating a new web browser
and we use it as a model public portal to the NVO

• Uses rich media, 3-D navigation to interactively

• convey information and education-oriented content
  
• Usable with dial-up Internet connection
• Open-source based to foster unlimited
  development.

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ManyOne Networks

• Browser and
• access to all
• Educational
• material will
• be free to
• the public
• Leads
• collaboration
• between
• experts and
• the public to
• create the
• largest,
• highest
• quality, free
• online
• encyclopedia

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Virtual Cosmos

• As users explore the Digital Universe and come
  upon various astronomical objects and phenomena,
  they will find encyclopedia-like webpages
  describing them in simple language. For some of
  the imagery (e.g. HST or Chandra images) there
  have already been press release and EPO
  information written, we will use these pages and
  integrate them into the larger structure of the
  Digital Universe Portals.
• The information to be included in the Virtual
  Cosmos Encyclopedia will be
• Fast facts about the astronomical phenomena in
  the portal including their locations in space,
  size, age, etc.
• Science behind the phenomena
• Links to any relevant Web resources including any
  interdisciplinary information.

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Users Perspective
Users explore the Digital Universe and request
HST imagery. The browser uses the NVO
infrastructure to locate all relevant resources.
NVO
Digital Universe
Registry collection description
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ManyOne Networks is creating the Digital
Universe Foundation

• To catalyze a worldwide effort in which stewards
  (experts, organizations, universities) organize
  the best information on the Internet into a
  digital Universe.
• Free to all and will create a public-service
  oriented, advertising-free subset of the Web (A
  PBS of the Web)
• Over time will become the Encyclopedia Galactica
  envisioned by Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov.

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ManyOne Networks

• First public release will be an Internet service
  and browser called eGalactica
• Will be distributed by Cosmos Studios
  www.carlsagan.com and by the UC Berkeley
  SETI_at_home Project.