Workpackages

WP1 : MGT: Project Management

2009-07-13T12:19:07Z

MGT: Project Management

Contact person : M.L Dubernet

Objectives :

The VAMDC e-Infrastructure involves 15 partners participants from 6 European Union member states (the CNRS partner involves 6 geographically distributed legal entities), partners in ICPC countries: the Russian Federation, Serbia and Venezuela and external partners in the US. The project will co-ordinate two large Networking programmes; three joint research projects and two supply service activities internally involving some 300 users/providers, and externally providing a transformational set of new services to a wide external audience, during its 42 months programme. The success of the VAMDC e-infrastructure will therefore crucially depend on the effective management and integration of these different elements. The Objective of Work Package 1 is therefore to provide the necessary management structure to implement the VAMDC e-Infrastructure including: handling all administrative matters with respect to EU regulations: assembling and submitting reports, overseeing the audit of the finances, arranging meetings with appropriate staff in Brussels. WP1 will also be responsible for establishing and implementing the higher level strategy of the infrastructure.

WP Lead: CNRS(1)

Description of work :

The Management structure will include a number of Boards, each with well defined remits and responsibilities. The designated Boards are:

VAMDC Executive Board (VEB):

Comprising the Coordinator of the Network, a Project Manager (to be funded by the e-infrastructure and based at the Coordinator’s institute), a scientific co-chair and a technical co-chair. The VEB will act as the ‘daily’ project management team with responsibility for monitoring the progress of the VAMDC e-infrastructure and ensure decisions taken at the Project Board are implemented. Such a small team is necessary to deliver clear and decisive management on short time scales. The VEB will also act as the direct point of contact for the Commission. The VEB will be delegated necessary powers by the VPB to act on issues that require immediate response but will be answerable for such actions to the VPB.

VAMDC Project Board (VPB):

This Board will be the major strategic decision-making body and will have the prime responsibility for ensuring the success of the project and compliance with the terms of the EU Contract. Membership will consist of one representative from each legal entity signing the contract (Contractual Legal Entity: CLE) , i.e. the nominated ‘Scientist in charge’ as defined by the contract, representatives of the departments within a CLE when they have quite distinct roles within the proposal, representatives of members of a CLE when it is composed of several members, each of which being a separate legal entity. It has final control of the budget and the allocation of tasks and resources. It will meet twice a year face-to-face and at other times as required by teleconference and will be chaired by the Coordinator.

Strategic Advisory Board (SAB):

The SAB will bring together influential international scientists, producers and users of data, databases and software experts as well as representative from international standardisation organisations, with interests relevant to the project, but who are independent of it. It will ensure that the project is engaged with and responsive to developments in Europe and non-EU countries. It will have an important role in ensuring the project achieves its intended impacts in terms of structuring the European Research in connection with non-EU initiatives and International standards, having the power to co-opt/appoint members from other EU/non EU projects with whom VAMDC wishes to engage.

The SAB will also advice on topic such as options for long term sustainability of the VAMDC services. It may also elect selected users of VAMDC e-infrastructure to ensure their feedback on service provision and future service development.

The responsibilities of the SAB are also to advise the project on appropriate collaboration structure, which may involve evolution towards the foundation of it as a legal entity after the end of this FP7 funded programme.

The three main tasks of WP1 are the initial establishment of the management structure and its support communication tools, the regular operation of this structure, and its termination at the end of the project together with the delivery of the final reports.

Tasks:

Task1: Initial establishment of the management structure and tools (CNRS(1))

Project Months 1 -3 will be entirely devoted to the set-up of the working structure. First, the core of the executive team (Project Coordinator and Project Manager) will be set-up at the coordinating institute (CNRS/LPMAA), and the team will open the project’s Central Web Page at CNRS/VOPARIS Data Centre. The Executive Board will establish communication with all consortium members and prepare the project kick-off meeting which will take place at PM 3. The kick-off meeting will include meeting of the VPB, which will choose the SAB and approve the VAMDC project plan.

Task2: Project Management (lead by CNRS(1), all partners)

Following the ‘kick off meeting’ the project will enter its phase of regular yearly operations, with annual Project Board (10, 22, 34, 42) and SAB (9, 21, 33) meetings. Detailed annual and final reports will be prepared by the Executive Board for presentation to the Board. The report will include review of all the NA, SA and JRAs and include recommendations and comments by the SAB. The report will be reviewed and ratified by the Project Board for transmission to the Commission. Budgetary reports will be assembled by the Project Manager on the Executive Board with particular attention to detailing the spend patterns in the past year and making forecasts for forthcoming year. Should it be necessary to alter spend patterns in forthcoming year the Executive Board will make recommendations to the VPB for their approval.

Task3: Termination of the project (CNRS(1))

At the end of the project the last task will be the production and delivery to the Commission of the final report and budget.

Deliverables: MGT: Project Management
Milestones : WP1

WP2 : NA1: Science/Technical Coordination of the network

2009-07-13T12:19:45Z

NA1: Science/Technical Coordination of the network

Contact person : N. Walton, M.L. Dubernet

Objectives:

NA1 provides the scientific and technical work necessary for the operation of the VAMDC e-infrastructure its structures and integrating with other data services and placing the VAMDC in a more global context. NA1 will also provide effort for VAMDC to participate and interact with external infrastructure and standards groups such as EGEE, Euro-VO and the IVOA

WP Lead: CNRS(1) & CMSUC(2)

Description of work:

NA1 will ensure that the VAMDC project progresses in the most effective manner, providing the decision making structure to ensure that VAMDC activities deliver an optimum research infrastructure for the community. NA1 is organised through:

The Executive Project Team (EPT) : (which is responsible for technical activities)

The EPT includes WPs leaders (WP2 to WP8). The EPT will have monthly teleconference meetings (more if necessary) as well as bi-annual face-to-face meetings. It will collect reports from SAs and JRAs and prepare the annual technical reports for the VPB. The EPT will be chaired by the VAMDC Deputy Technical Coordinator who is a member of the VAMDC Project Board and will appropriately advise the VPB on the technical validity and relevance of the project strategic plans.

Tasks:

Task 1: Internal Technical Activities (lead by CMSUC(2), all partners)

Task1 deals with cross disciplinary technical coordination, identification and evaluation of proposed generic tools, preparation of plans for testing and benchmarking activities.

Task 2: Connection to External Technical Project (lead by CMSUC(2), partners 1,3,4,14)

Task 2 deals with coordination with IVOA (International Virtual Observatory Alliance ), Euro-VO, the IDIS Data service of the Europlanet EU Research Infrastructure, EGEE (European Grid E-science Environment). The EPT will host annual small focused meetings/workshops where relevant people from the external projects will be invited to present the status of their achievements. The EPT will assess the degree of interoperability with those projects, which will in turn influence the output of task 1.

Task 3: Collect the users and producers specifications (lead by INASAN(15), all partners)

The EPT will gather users/producers requirements by a number of techniques such as questionnaires, small face-to-face meetings and so forth.

Task 4: Policies concerning Standards (lead by CNRS(1), all partners)

Task 4 will define, review and update the way standards will be adopted and to that effect it will interact with organisations promoting standards, e.g. external projects cited in task 2, NIST project for defining units in XML schema. Other organisations will be identified during the project if they happen to be relevant to VAMDC.

Task 5: Policies concerning publication in VAMDC (lead by CNRS(1), all partners)

Other missions of the EPT are to define, update and maintain the policies concerning the publication of resources in VAMDC.

Deliverables : NA1: Science/Technical Coordination of the network

Milestones : WP2

WP3 : NA2: Dissemination and Training

2009-07-13T12:20:34Z

NA2: Dissemination and Training

Contact person : N. Mason

Objectives:

Our objective is to attract new participants to the e-infrastructure, i.e. producers and users of data.

The key objective of the training and dissemination activity is to ensure that principle stakeholders are engaged in the development and implementation of the VAMDC E-infrastructure. This Work package will therefore provide for:

a) Dissemination of VAMDC services at national, EU and non-EU levels

b) Training of producers & users at master, PhD and professional levels (both academic and non-academic users)

Specifically this work package provides for:

1) An annual meeting, which showcases the work of the e-infrastructure, supports networking and scientific communication, and becomes the conference of choice for users and providers of atomic and molecular data

2) Organize topic based scientific workshops, twice a year, to bring together proposers, users and providers of A&M data to discuss data needs and how VAMDC can meet those needs.

3) Arrange teaching tutorials (on-line and face to face) on the VAMDC e-infrastructure

WP Lead: OU(4)

Description of work :

This activity provides the conduit for communicating both the aims and results of the VAMDC e-infrastructure. Dissemination activities are aimed at VAMDC’s users, the wider European science community, European industrial stakeholders and policy makers. It is intended to provide an attractive platform to exchange and present results, develop new ideas and to network with other data providers and e-infrastructures. This will be accomplished by organizing a high profile annual meeting, being represented at other appropriate conferences and hosting a series of targeted topical workshops and teaching tutorials.

NA2 therefore consists of four tasks:

1) Coordination

2) Organizing an annual meeting and arranging representation at other relevant meetings

3) Organizing themed scientific workshops

4) Organizing training tutorials

Task 1: Coordination (Chair OU(4), Deputy Chair UW_A(5) )

Dissemination activities will be a pre-requisite for all VAMDC’s activities. Therefore each NA, SA and JRA will nominate a member to prepare the necessary material for disseminating the aims, objectives and results of these activities. Dissemination across the project will be coordinated by the Communication and Training Committee (CTC). role of the communication and training committee is to propose a list of dissemination and training actions, to organize the general events linked to this project and to compile records of actions. It will be composed of NA2 partners and chaired by the WP3 leader (OU). The CTC will organise the communication and training section of the VAMDC web-site. This section will hold all records of dissemination and training actions and the CTC will be responsible for updating this section with announcements, news, proceedings, and presentations.

Task 2: Organisation of annual international conference and VAMDC’s representation at other relevant meetings

Annual meeting The CTC will organise an annual international conference focused on the VAMDC e-infrastructure, its resources and services. The programme committee will be chaired by OU with UNIVIE as deputy. It will be aimed at users, producers and developers. It will include both academic and non-academic users. This major event will be held each year in a different part of the EU and proceedings will be published (both on line and subject to discussions with scientific publishers in hardcopy – note the UK Institute of Journal of Physics Conference Series have expressed interest in publishing such proceedings).

It is VAMDC's ambition that this meeting become a conference of choice for A&M database providers and for A&M data users (We wish at least one meeting to be combined with the international ICAMDATA conference).The conference will therefore aim to attract a wide audience including many of the key stakeholders we wish toengage with (industrialists, politicians, media). The Conference will also be the location of many of the VAMDC e-infrastructure’s necessary management meetings.

Dissemination via EU national and international existing conferences

Yearly the CTC will establish a list of national and international conferences where oral presentations and demonstrations on VAMDC will be valuable. These national and international conferences will usually be conferences of producers and users. AOB will be responsible for collating the information and arranging with other partners VAMDC presence at such meetings. The CTC will accordingly prepare suitable display material (in electronic format and hard copy) for display at such meetings which can be used by any of the VAMDC partners.

Organisation of "regional" tutorials

Since the VAMDC e-infrastructure is planned as an international activity and includes international partners the CTC will also prepare a list of tutorials that will be held in non-EU countries in order to spread the knowledge and practice of the VAMDC infrastructure. These tutorials will be organised by our non-EU partners (IVIC, INASAN, IAO, AOB) and will be aimed at people from those "regions".

Task 3: Scientific workshops

Central to the aims of the VAMDC is the formation of an infrastructure that responds to the needs of its user communities since the major impact of the e-infrastructure will be its adopting by scientific and technology communities. Therefore in order to ascertain the requirements of current and potential VAMDC communities and in order to inform the project we will host a series of themed workshops with such communities. These meetings may be stand alone or more usefully as part of the user community’s own conference/meetings programme (through arranged VAMDC sessions). It is anticipated that two such meetings would be per year. Administration of these meetings will be arranged by the CTC.

Proposed topics follow those identified in Section 3 (Impact) and include; The astronomical and planetary science Community (with sessions held at the Euro planet RI meeting, SF2A, IAU meetings); The atmospheric science community (in collaboration with one of the HITRAN database meetings); The technology plasma community (at its European meeting ESCAMPIG); The fusion community (as part of the IAEA meetings for ITER itself part of the EURATOM programmed); The Lighting industry (hosted by Philips ltd) and the radiation sciences community (possibly in collaboration of GEANT meeting and the EU RADAM conference series). Each of the following partners will organize (and when necessary host) one or more such workshops; OU (plasma and radiation sciences); UCL and IAO (atmospheric science and Hitran); CMSUC, AOB, CNRS (astronomy and planetary science); UNIVIE and OU (fusion (with IAEA) and lighting).

Task 4: Training Tutorials

CMSUC and UCL will prepare material for the partners to use in training workshops both in their own countries and internationally. These tutorials will be focused in developing a user’s competence to use the e-infrastructure and to interface it into their own operating systems; Short training sessions will be integrated into the Annual meeting. All partners will be required to nominate one member who will be able to ‘train’ and/or provide support for their national users. Our non EU partners (IVIC, INASAN, IAO) will also prepare a self-ste-tutorial for VAMDC users who can not attend such tutorials. We (OU,UCL) will also prepare an e-tool for general public/more general stakeholders such that they can take a virtual guided tour of VAMDC including its current status: statistics, content, geography of clients and producers etc.

Task 5: VAMDC Service & Service Prototype Release

CMSUC and UU will lead the coordinated release of the annual VAMDC prototype service. This will lead to the final release of the VAMDC service infrastructure. The annual prototypes will be reviewed at the yearly project meetings and available for assessment alongside the VAMDC annual reports.

The prototype services will contain the following functionality:

Level 1: Preliminary VAMDC service with simple data access to the core VAMDC data resources

Level 2: Enhanced interoperable data access to VAMDC data resources, all resources accessible

Level 3: Interoperable VAMDC data access with VAMDC tools available (client side or server side accessible via through workflow enactment engines)

VAMDC Service: Final full service, including access to resources from the wider community (through the SA1 / Task 6 community call).

Deliverables: WP3 : NA2: Dissemination and Training

Milestones : WP3

WP4 : SA 1: Infrastructure Deployment

2009-07-13T12:21:20Z

SA 1: Infrastructure Deployment

Contact person : G. Rixon

Objectives :

To provide Data Access via a homogeneous environment where the distributed user community can retrieve AM resources through a standard interfaces. This involves implementing standard outputs for the AM databases, finding the resources by interrogating registries, using querying and pipeline tools.

WP Lead: CMSUC (2)

Description of work :

The VAMDC infrastructure will be designed as an homogeneous environment where any AM producer or "community" users will be able respectively to publish their AM data or to retrieve and manipulate those data. The AM producers range from atomic physics to molecular physics handling complex molecules, solids and surfaces. The communities encompass astrophysics users from very different areas: stellar, galaxies, interstellar medium (those application areas are handled by the IVOA and Euro-VO projects), planetology and small bodies of the solar system (EuroPlanet Project), solar-earth system (EGSO and SPASE projects), atmospheric users (studies of earth atmosphere), environmental and combustion chemistry, fusion physics and industrial applications. The IVOA community is the most advanced project as far as building an interoperable infrastructure for astronomy and we will use some of their achievements, i.e. standards, tools, services when those are relevant to the project.

Tasks :

Task 1: Standard access to AM data (lead by CMSUC(2), all SA1 partners)

We will provide standard service interfaces to AM databases. JRA1 will define these interfaces and this task is to implement them on the existing databases held by each VAMDC node. Participants at all nodes will be involved.

Task 2: Standard access to numerical codes (lead by CNRS(1), with partners (5), (6) )

Where a VAMDC node has a useful numerical code for AM analysis or modeling, we will make it available as a service. These services will provide a uniform way of launching the codes and recovering their outputs. This task is complementary to the grid adaptation of code in SA2: the codes run on resources contributed by the node owners and need not be made portable to an external grid.

Task 3: Implementing registries (lead by UCL(3) with partners (1), (6), (12))

The registry facilities defined by JRA1, and implemented with the software produced by JRA2, must be populated with information. This task gathers the meta data for the services at each node and adds it to the registries.

Task 4: Augmenting VODesktop (lead by UCL(3))

The EuroVO'VODesktop is a generic interface for the virtual observatory. It allows access to all VObs data, plus launching numerical codes and sharing of data between desktop visualization tools. We will adapt A-M desktop applications to work with VODesktop and the underlying VObs applications environment.

Task 5: Publishing desktop software (lead by CNRS(1), with partner (5))

We will collect and make available to end users chosen A-M applications for the desktop.

Task 6: Expansion of the infrastructure (co-lead by CNRS(1) and CMSUC(2) with (5), (6))

Once the core infrastructure is deployed, new resources will be included in the infrastructure via an open call to producers of AM resources. Those new resources will need to be deployed and tested within the infrastructure. Task 6 will be devoted to the technical inclusion and testing of these new AM resources. The choice of these resources will be made in NA1 by the VPB by the EPT.

Deliverables : SA 1: Infrastructure Deployment

Milestones : WP4

WP5 : SA 2: Support to the Infrastructure

2009-07-13T12:22:00Z

SA 2: Support to the Infrastructure

Contact person: P. Le Sidaner

Objectives :

SA2 provides support for the delivery of the VAMDC e-infrastructure to users and producers (SA1). SA2 will be responsible for the maintenance and monitoring of the core infrastructure;

Implementing Grid technology within the VAMDC: providing direct support to the users of the scientific data infrastructure as they enter the VAMDC portal and for the preservation and storage of digital data

WP Lead: CNRS(1)

Description of work :

Task1: Maintenance and monitoring of the core infrastructure (CNRS(1), all SA2 partners)

The core infrastructure will include partners who maintain existing databases and services. All the actors will be in charge of providing access to the databases/services deployed in SA1. The services include accessing the databases via different protocols, access to dictionaries and publishing registries. Task1 involves setting up the quality assurance of the infrastructure activities, service heartbeats and development and use of unit test packages. The monitoring activities will be implemented at VO-Paris Data Centre using the NAGIOS software. We will need to develop plugins specific to the various protocols which will need validation. Monitoring Software implemented at VOPARIS Data Centre will be distributed to regional centres.

Task 2: Grid Operations (CNRS(1))

The infrastructure includes the possibility to use the GRID technology in order to run numerical codes that produce AM data or that use AM data on hardware provided outside VAMDC. This is separate from and complementary to the execution of codes on hardware provided at VAMDC nodes (the latter facility is part of SA1). Task 2 will make selected codes usable on the grid. The work involves:

- making the codes executable on grid nodes, either by making the codes themselves portable or by packaging them in virtual machines;

- providing grid portals where the codes can be invoked and from which the results can be retrieved;

- negotiating access for VAMDC users with grid providers, especially with EGEE

Task 3: Support to "users" of the infrastructure (UCL(3) with partners (2), (12), (15))

"Users" of the infrastructure, meaning all people interacting with the infrastructure, will need to have access to information concerning the composition of the infrastructure, the services which are available, the procedures about how to enter the infrastructure, the procedures about how to implement the standards, how to use or adapt the various tools. The support to the "users" will be operated in Task 3 through the provision of on-line support materials, a help desk and a service providers/users forum where people could share best operation practice. We intend to produce a self-studying e-tutorial that can be incorporated in university courses on molecular and atomic physics, astronomy, energy systems, environment (etc). Also we intend to operate an e-tool for general public to take a virtual guided tour of VAMDC: statistics, content, geography of clients and producers, databases locations. Dissemination and Tutorials organized in WP3 will show and teach how to implement and use the infrastructure, will advertise all those tools. Note that the actual generation of the training materials and support events will be organised by WP3 (NA2).

Task 4: Preservation of digital data and resources (CNRS(1))

The Preservation of digital data and resources is one of the key aspect of sustainability. It is the purpose of SA3 to set up a system of preservation through archiving and mirroring. Some nodes will act as repositories: the nodes already supporting such preservation (nodes linked to VALD, CHIANTI, etc.. ), VOPARIS Data Centre which will act for most of CNRS resources and could be extended to other partners. The first proposed technology will be to create a virtual machine for a certain number of projects who will implement their resources and we will implement synchronisation. This first step of a mirroring site is the simplest approach and will be implemented during the whole project. During Phase 1 we will work at the EPT level in order to follow preservation activities in other areas. We will adjust our preservation policy accordingly in Phase 2.

Task 5: Quality Assurance of data and resources (CMSUC(2), with partners 3, 11, 12, 15)

Another crucial point is the reliability of the data transferred via the various protocols. The database providers are responsible for the entries in their own database. The usual and slow way of accessing data via classical web interface or via ftp obliges the user to understand the structure of the database, to read instructions in order to get the meaning, definition of columns and lines. An interoperable e-infrastructure will remove some of this verification process of the user. Therefore it is indispensable to check that all resources (core and new ones) use the protocols, standards in the best and reliable way. In Task 5 small groups of VAMDC people understanding the protocols/standards and the physics of the retrieved data will test the output of databases in order to check the good use of protocols, whenever there is a new release handling new cases.

Deliverables : SA 2: Support to the Infrastructure

Milestones : WP5

WP6 : JRA1: Interoperability

2009-07-13T12:25:32Z

JRA1 Interoperability

Contact person : S. Schlemmer

Objectives :

Define all standards necessary to build an interoperable infrastructure

WP Lead: KOLN & CNRS

Description of work :

Task 1: Data Models and XML Schema (lead by CNRS(1), all JRA1 partners)

The current data models and XML schema are a description of atomic and molecular linelists for use in an astrophysical context (ref.) and a description of atomic and molecular elementary processes (ref.). The documents have been designed by a small number of people, those documents are still in draft mode, do not cover all application fields and have not been discussed extensively among users and producers. These preliminary versions will be completed and extended in order to cover a wider range of species, a wider range of processes and will include the effect of the environment. For now we identify the following extensions:

- inclusion of solid, surface spectroscopy for interstellar medium and planetology

- inclusion of larger molecules such as PAH

- description of atomic and molecular line shapes arising from different sources

In connection to the user & producer board of NA2, more extensions will be considered if necessary. Through the Standards and Processes Committee all standards will be connected to International efforts of standardisation.

Task 2: Dictionaries (lead by QUB(9), all JRA1 partners)

In order to uniquely identify resources we will need to define and build dictionaries both general and specific to applications. At present we identify the following dictionaries:

- single identification of databases and services

- list of conventions (link to IUAPAC and other convention bodies)

- list of names of species (in relation with other fields such as chemistry)

- list of processes and coding of processes

- list of quantum numbers

Other lists will be identified during the course of the project in relation with activities in WP2 (NA2)

Task 3: Access Protocols and Query/Retrieval Languages (lead by UU(6), all JRA1 partners)

We will define protocols retrieving different types of resources: numerical data, libraries, documentation, references. Those protocols will cover asynchronous queries and the retrieval of huge sets of data. In a second step we will design a general query language allowing to access and retrieve any atomic and molecular data.

Task 4: Registries (lead by CNRS(1) with partner 6 )

Registries provide a mechanism with which applications can discover and select resources--e.g. data and services--that are relevant for a particular scientific problem. We will start from the registries defined in the IVOA and see how to adapt and/or extend the documents to our own purpose. In particular we wish to implement ways of finding resources at various levels of granularity.

Task 5: Other Documents (lead by KOLN(7), all JRA1 partners)

Other basic definitions/standardisations might be necessary in order to find/identify resources and documents produced by the IVOA will be assessed in order to keep/adapt to our own needs.

Deliverables : JRA1 Interoperability

Milestones : WP6

WP7 : JRA2: Publishing Tools

2009-07-13T12:26:47Z

JRA2: Publishing Tools

Contact person : N. Piskunov

Objectives :

Provide generic tools partly using the standards developed in JRA1 in order to help producers of A&M data to publish their sets into the VAMDC infrastructure.

WP Lead: UU(6)

Description of work :

This WP will develop software that will be deployed within the VAMDC infrastructure. Some of these software will be associated to the standards developed in JRA1. The general software made available to the community will be accessible via the VAMDC technical web-site. Two alternative variants are being developed. The first one implies the design of software for the process of existing information resources transformation into standardized (tasks 2-4) forms set in JRA1. The second variant implies the design of a typical information system accessible via the Internet (task 5) and having an integrated tool developed in tasks 1-3. In this variant automatic generation of semantic metadata for uploaded information resources is realized, taking into account the restrictions imposed by formal models of molecules and atoms. All software will be documented.

During the course of the project additional software might be. The EPT will decide upon the new developments to be carried out by the partners involved in WP8.

The following software are aimed at enhancing scientific research through allowing easy and secure publication of A&M resources within the VAMDC infrastructure:

Task 1: (lead by CNRS(1) with (6))

Create/adapt tools to go from an DM/XML schema to a full database deployment with generation of automatic administrative interface.

Task 2 : (lead by CNRS(1) with (6))

Create/adapt tools to build registries from the content of databases.

Task 3 : (lead by UU(6) with (1))

Create/adapt interfaces to easily update dictionaries.

Task 4 : (lead by RFNC-VNIIT(12) with(1), (6), (8) )

Develop software libraries using various languages allowing to easily generate output of already existing resources in standardized format.

Task 5 : (lead by IAO(13))

Create tools to upload, modify, retrieve, compare, visualize and publish information in molecular spectroscopy.

Deliverables : JRA2: Publishing Tools

Milestones : WP7

WP8 : JRA3: New mining and Integration Tools

2009-07-13T12:27:40Z

JRA3: New mining and Integration Tools

Contact person : J.Tennyson

Objectives :

This JRA will develop extensions to the baseline infrastructure. Key objectives are the design of advanced data mining tools and the design of cross-matching and cross-federating tools, providing sophisticated integrated science services aimed at maximising the scientific utility to the end user community of the VAMDC services.

WP Lead: UCL(3)

Description of work :

Through the activities of JRA1 and JRA2, the AM resources will be searchable and will provide information in a standardised way. The following step is to build the query protocols that will access those published AM data and then to design software that will handle and process those data.

Tasks:

Task1: Registry Queries (lead by CNRS(1) with (12))

We will need to use protocols to query the registries at a fine level of granularity. Indeed we don't wish to only find resources having implemented a type of service such as SSAP or TAP, but rather be able to select resources according to their content through key words. The purpose of Task 1 is to implement those protocols.

Task 2: Tools for Manipulation of Data (lead by KOLN(7) with (1))

Our queries will return data organised according to schemes defined in JRA1. Those schemes will be quite complex because they will reproduce all the scientific concept attached to the data. Therefore the handling of the XML files will be complex and will require specific tools. For now we identify too main generic tools: one performing cross-matching of data and one performing cross-federation of data. These tools are particularly difficult because they require to compare the content of many fields in the schema. Those generic tools will be made available for download in SA1 to the end users and developers. Support to adapt those tools to specific applications will be provided in SA2. We plan to provide libraries to allow users to develop their own applications.

Task 3: VAMDC advanced data mining services (lead by UCL(3))

With the deployment of a vast range of high value data services through the standard VAMDC infrastructure, this task will investigate optimal strategies to best mine these AM data resources to both advance the creation of new AM fundamental data, and by providing stream lined automated access to appropriate AM data targeted at specific user groups (for the astronomy community benefiting from the availability of high energy data from satellites such as Swift, XMM, Chandra, who require specific atomic data for high excitation species of elements such as iron). This task would investigate the provision of application services wrapping complex work flows combining AM data access, manipulation, and integration into user processing chains – e.g. in solar physics, astro-biology/ chemistry and so forth.

Deliverables : JRA3: New mining and Integration Tools

Milestones : WP8