The Virtual Observatory Exposed

Peter Fox, HAO/ESSL/NCAR, US

This presentation will define the virtual observatory (VO), explain its general concepts and the paradigm it has introduced. We then survey some existing and planned virtual observatories, describe their goals, design, current implementations and technical infrastructure.

We present what has been learned about building such VOs and what the future holds for the general paradigm and what potential technical challenges need to be addressed concerning (at least) representations and interoperability of data, access, and usability across the wide variety of disciplines in geosciences.


Keywords: Virtual Observatory, International Science Years, Data Integration (invited: eGY VO in Geosciences)