International: Astronomical Image Processing Workshop, to be held September 2006, Dubrovnik, Croatia

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

0613639 Ivezic This workshop organized by Zeljko Ivezic from the University of Washington and his Croatian counterpart, Mile Dzelalija at the University of Split, will bring together a diverse group of researchers from the United States and Europe who have expertise in astronomical image-processing and whose work depends upon huge datasets from instrumentation that continues to evolve and increase in complexity. The meeting agenda differs from more mainstream professional workshops by offering tutorials designed to benefit astronomers who are not directly involved in observations but are concerned with the validity of electronic data that may have been processed by another team. This is especially timely because the astronomy and astrophysics community must increasingly rely on large, global systems that are remote and controlled by sophisticated computer processing that uses software packages designed by others. Workshop topics for discussion cover most aspects of the astronomical image-processing pipeline, starting with details of real-world detectors, their hardware and physical limitations, and moving to hidden assumptions and pitfalls behind data reduction and handling software. The intent is to provide participants, including U.S. graduate students, with the analytical skills needed to understand modern image processing and the outputs of the current and next generation of sky surveys. If successful, the attending junior and established researchers will be better positioned to contribute to algorithm development that is needed to make new data-intensive astronomical projects a reality. This workshop fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling experts in the United States and Europe to combine complementary talents and share research resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence. Broader impacts include early career introduction of U.S. junior researchers and graduate students to leading astronomers in the international research community and to pedagogically written papers and digital presentations in a subject so transformative that current literature is almost nonexistent.