The National Research Foundation’s three astronomical observatories have got together to form the South African Astroinformatics Alliance (SA³) to act as a “virtual observatory”.
The three facilities are the South African Astronomical Observatory, the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory and the Square Kilometer Array (SKA). Construction of the SKA is scheduled to begin in 2017.
Simply stated, a virtual observatory is a collection of connected astronomy data archives and software that allows astronomers to conduct research using a wide range of data.
SA³, which is pronounced “SA cubed”, will provide data and the tools to make use of it, ensure that data produced by South African facilities is accessible to the international community, and develop talent through schools and workshops that introduce people to the virtual observatory.
The National Research Foundation, which funds scientific research and facilities, says South African astronomy is entering an era of big data, generated by new observational facilities, including the Karoo Array Telescope and the SKA.
The project will link South African astronomers to similar ones internationally.
SA³ has already joined the International Virtual Observatory Alliance, which includes similar organisations across the world.
SA³ is also expected to prove useful in education as it allows students and teachers to conduct experiments and exercises with a range of simple and inexpensive tools.
The project has already begun training students as part of the South Africa’s astronomy and space science programme and exposing them to modern developments in astronomy and IT.
Programmes look at everything from our solar system to the most distant galaxies and are designed so that they can be adapted for students with different levels of training. — (c) 2013 NewsCentral Media
