Astronomical Data Visualization in the Age of Science Platforms
Modern surveys like LSST will generate datasets far too large for individual researchers to download and analyze, ushering in the era of web-based “science platforms.” Classical astronomy visualization tools aren’t built for the web — so how are we going to explore our increasingly complex data in this new paradigm?
This AAS238 splinter meeting, sponsored by the AAS WorldWide Telescope project, will gather survey scientists, science platform engineers, and visualization tool builders and explore the answers to this question. The meeting will take place in two sessions on Monday, June 7:
The official AAS238 Slack has a channel for this meeting, which is the recommended venue for questions and side-channel discussion:
#splinter_astronomical_data_visualization_in_the_age_of_science_platforms_i- There is also a separate
#..._iichannel for the second session, but we encourage people to use the first channel only to keep the conversation all in the same place.
Questions? Contact the organizer, Peter K. G. Williams, at pwilliams@cfa.harvard.edu.
Sign-In
Attendance is open to all registered AAS238 attendees — no pre-registration required! But if you’re interested in attending or in getting updates on post-meeting activities, we ask you to share your contact information here:
Meeting Schedule
All times are US Eastern (= UTC - 4).
| Start Time | Session 1 Topic | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | Opening Remarks | Peter Williams (Harvard/AAS) |
| 12:03 PM | Introduction / glue | Alyssa Goodman (Harvard) |
| 12:18 PM | Vaex | Maarten Breddels (Vaex.io) |
| 12:30 PM | TOPCAT | Mark Taylor (Bristol U.) |
| 12:42 PM | Astro Data Lab | Robert Nikutta (NOIRLab) |
| 12:54 PM | AladinLite | Thomas Boch (U. Strasbourg) |
| 01:06 PM | ESASky | Deborah Baines (ESA) |
| 01:18 PM | yt | Matthew Turk (UIUC) |
| 01:30 PM | End of session 1 | — |
| Start Time | Session 2 Topic | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 4:10 PM | Reconvening Remarks | Peter Williams (Harvard/AAS) |
| 4:13 PM | Rubin Observatory | Gregory Dubois-Felsmann (NASA IPAC, Rubin) |
| 4:28 PM | js9 | Eric Mandel (SAO) |
| 4:40 PM | MAST | Joshua Peek (STScI) |
| 4:52 PM | WWT / Breakout Instructions | Peter Williams (Harvard/AAS) |
| 5:04 PM | Breakouts — see below | Everyone! |
| 5:40 PM | End of session 2 | — |
Breakouts and Next Steps
A major goal of the event is to stimulate the creation of a “needs assessment” report that will define a vision for the future of astronomical data visualization and analyze the progress needed to turn that vision into a reality. This document will help guide the investments that will be necessary to enable the broad astrophysics community to make the most of the coming age of science platforms.
At the end of the workshop, attendees will kick off this assessment with a breakout discussion period. The agenda is:
- First Breakout: What trends can we identify from the days’ presentations?
- Everyone is randomly assigned into breakout rooms
- Remember your room number!
- Choose a “reporter” who will report back to the main group
- Discuss as a group and identify three trends
- Return from breakout; reporters share their groups’ findings
- Second Breakout: What unmet needs can we identify?
- Everyone is randomly assigned into breakout rooms
- Remember your room number!
- Choose a “reporter” who will report back to the main group
- Discuss as a group and identify three needs
- Return from breakout; reporters share their groups’ findings
After the workshop, volunteers will collaborate to formalize these findings into a brief written report. Indicate your interest in the writing process using the sign-in form.
Contact
Reach the workshop organizer Peter K. G. Williams at pwilliams@cfa.harvard.edu.