Wide-Field Astronomy Unit Supplementary Equipment Grant 2016/17
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
This grant provides computer hardware necessary for continued operation of the WFCAM, VISTA, OmegaCAM and Gaia-ESO Spectroscopic Survey Science Archives, which curate and publish optical near-infrared photometric data from the Wide-Field Camera on UKIRT and from public surveys being undertaken with the VISTA and VST telescopes.
Planned Impact
The proposed programme of research may be expected to have a general impact in two ways:
1. Impact in the form of outreach
Edinburgh has a long-standing and proud record of achievement in this area, thanks to decades of outstanding work by the Royal Observatory Visitor Centre, jointly funded by the University of Edinburgh and STFC. Within the UK university sector, this programme is unusual in its breadth and scope, extending well beyond the normal expectation of public talks, press releases and media interviews. This is in part because IfA staff, post-docs and students have the opportunity to work collaboratively with Visitor Centre Staff, and also in part due to the unique advantages afforded by the ROE site, with its unusual combination of front-line astronomical research, world-leading instrument/technology development, and astronomical history/heritage. Activities include the annual ROE open days, school visits to ROE, weekly public observing, 'Meet The Astronomer' sessions, school visits (with the portable Starlab planetarium), Andy Lawrence's popular e-Astronomer blog, teacher training (including the development of educational resources for both Primary and Secondary teachers), adult 'continuing-education' certificated evening courses, and the development and operation of the Dark Sky Scotland and (most recently) Dark Sky England programmes. ROE is now also the Scottish centre for the European Space Agency led European Space Eduction Resource Office (ESERO), supporting Space Education throughout Scotland.
2. Impact in the form of knowledge exchange
WFAU is currently finalising a contract with a major aerospace company to operate remotely an archive in the US that will hold data from observations of satellites and orbital debris. This commercial arrangement will centre on the application of expertise developed in WFAU's sky survey data management role, funded by predecessors to this grant. WFAU is also actively involved in a number of "Big Data" initiatives. The Unit will move into the Higgs Centre for Innovation (HCI) after it opens in 2017. The HCI will provide support for start-up companies in the Big Data and Space sectors, and the intention is that the proximity of WFAU staff will aid interaction with the staff of the start-ups, which can then benefit from WFAU's practical expertise in curating large datasets. WFAU staff are also interacting with The Datalab (www.thedatab.com) a Scottish innovation centre focussed on data science, and are involved in the planning for the Edinburgh contribution to the Alan Turing Institute (www.turing.ac.uk).
1. Impact in the form of outreach
Edinburgh has a long-standing and proud record of achievement in this area, thanks to decades of outstanding work by the Royal Observatory Visitor Centre, jointly funded by the University of Edinburgh and STFC. Within the UK university sector, this programme is unusual in its breadth and scope, extending well beyond the normal expectation of public talks, press releases and media interviews. This is in part because IfA staff, post-docs and students have the opportunity to work collaboratively with Visitor Centre Staff, and also in part due to the unique advantages afforded by the ROE site, with its unusual combination of front-line astronomical research, world-leading instrument/technology development, and astronomical history/heritage. Activities include the annual ROE open days, school visits to ROE, weekly public observing, 'Meet The Astronomer' sessions, school visits (with the portable Starlab planetarium), Andy Lawrence's popular e-Astronomer blog, teacher training (including the development of educational resources for both Primary and Secondary teachers), adult 'continuing-education' certificated evening courses, and the development and operation of the Dark Sky Scotland and (most recently) Dark Sky England programmes. ROE is now also the Scottish centre for the European Space Agency led European Space Eduction Resource Office (ESERO), supporting Space Education throughout Scotland.
2. Impact in the form of knowledge exchange
WFAU is currently finalising a contract with a major aerospace company to operate remotely an archive in the US that will hold data from observations of satellites and orbital debris. This commercial arrangement will centre on the application of expertise developed in WFAU's sky survey data management role, funded by predecessors to this grant. WFAU is also actively involved in a number of "Big Data" initiatives. The Unit will move into the Higgs Centre for Innovation (HCI) after it opens in 2017. The HCI will provide support for start-up companies in the Big Data and Space sectors, and the intention is that the proximity of WFAU staff will aid interaction with the staff of the start-ups, which can then benefit from WFAU's practical expertise in curating large datasets. WFAU staff are also interacting with The Datalab (www.thedatab.com) a Scottish innovation centre focussed on data science, and are involved in the planning for the Edinburgh contribution to the Alan Turing Institute (www.turing.ac.uk).
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Robert Mann (Principal Investigator) |