Open Data for Open Astronomy

Yan Xu, Ph.D.
Senior Research Program Manager at Microsoft Research
Microsoft Corporation
yanxu@microsoft.com

Microsoft Environmental Informatics

Microsoft Research at IAU2012, booth #46-2-Microsoft Environmental Informatics

Microsoft Research (MSR)
http://research.microsoft.com• Founded in 1991
– Staff of 1000+ in 60+ disciplines• Internationally recognized research teams• A “Safe house” for incubating technologies/ideas– Computer Science– Computational Science, eScience• A environment for research collaboration– Sabbaticals, Post-docs , interns– University Relations– External Research-3-

Microsoft Environmental Informatics

Open Data for Open ScienceVision:
Facilitate seamless access to data and information for scientists

Focus: data discoverability, accessibility, and consumability
Objectives:
Advance the technology use in data-intensive sciences Create design wins using Microsoft technologies toFoster innovations in computational science research
Advance interoperability of data and information sharing
Bridge the gaps between research and education

Enhance connections among multiple disciplines and stakeholders-4-

Microsoft Environmental Informatics

WorldWide Telescope – a giant testcase
Astronomy in ~10 years ago

Sloan Digital Sky Survey – mapping the universeProblems:vast amount of heterogeneous data (petabytes)
limited use of data

The SDSS Telescope

Solution: Virtual Observatories (VO)Influential in astronomical history
Dedicated instruments to image 1.5 square degrees of sky at a time
Petabytes of data …

Allows transparent and distributed access to data worldwide
Enables interoperability standards development
Facilitates user-friendly tools development

From Microsoft: the WorldWide Telescope (WWT)“WWT is a realization of VO” - Ajit Kembhavi, Director of IUCAA-5-Microsoft Environmental Informatics

WorldWide Telescope
http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/• A visualization software environment– Enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope• A one-stop research/education platform:– Aggregate data and information from major telescopes, observatories,and institutions.
– Make temporal and multi-spectral studies available through a single
cohesive Internet–based portal– Enhance the connections among professional astronomers, scienceeducators, and the amateurs.
– Facilitate historical and cultural astronomy research– User interface in local languages• It is free for academia-6-

Microsoft Environmental Informatics

WWT for Astronomical Research and Education
Seamless Astronomy• Project Website: http://projects.iq.harvard.edu/seamlessastronomy/• Multiple innovative interdisciplinary research projects

https://wwtambassadors.org/wwt/-7-

Microsoft Environmental Informatics

WWT for Astronomical Research and Education
AstroInformatics2012, hosted by Microsoft Research
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/ai12/

Day-4: 20 Scenarios for Connecting Research with Education-8-

Microsoft Environmental Informatics

WWT for Astronomical Research and Education
Guided Tours – the most loved feature of WWT••••Interactive story-telling
Visual wiki
Narratives of cultural heritageSpatiotemporal-9-Microsoft Environmental Informatics

WWT for Astronomical Research and Education
Share data and knowledge: http://www.layerscape.org/- 10 -

Microsoft Environmental Informatics

WWT for Astronomical Research and Education
Regional Communities•••••

e.g. WWT Community Beijing: http://wwt.china-vo.org/home.htm
Train the trainers: WWT Teachers Workshops
Connection research, education, and cultural heritage
National WWT Tours competitions
Building the best WWT/VO ambassadors- 11 -

Microsoft Environmental Informatics

WWT for Astronomical Research and Education
Related Links:• Free WWT download: http://www.worldwidetelescope.org• Layerscape: http://www.layerscape.org• Microsoft Research: http://research.microsoft.com• Kinect for Windows: http://www.microsoft.com/kinectforwindows/• WWT Ambassadors Program: https://wwtambassadors.org/wwt/• WWT Community Beijing: http://wwt.china-vo.org/home.htm• AstroInformatics2012: http://www.astro.caltech.edu/ai12/

Contact Us: wwt-ap@microsoft.com- 12 -

Microsoft Environmental Informatics

Thank you!

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Microsoft Environmental Informatics