dotAstronomy: Networked Astronomy and the New Media

Networking and sharing ideas has never been so easy. The Internet has created an environment that allows information and ideas to merge and evolve, allowing the rapid creation of new tools and resources. From Flickr to the Virtual Observatory to Wikipedia and ADS, the Internet is filled with large and increasingly interoperable datasets.

As science heads into a new era of data-driven discovery, astronomers – from keen amateurs to tenured professors – are using the web to access and analyse astronomical data for research and education. The services that make this possible are being created and developed by small groups and individuals all over the world – at home, at work and at universities. Some of these have grown into world-class projects (e.g. the Zooniverse citizen science platform, the 365 Daysof Astronomy podcast series and the Chromoscope web-based sky visualisation service). These projects have not only made it easier for anyone to appreciate astronomical research, but also to actively participate in it. They have also substantially increased the visibility of astronomy in society. The .Astronomy meetings, held in Cardiff in 2008, Leiden in 2009 and Oxford in 2011, have brought together an international community of researchers, educators and communicators to showcase and build on these many web-based projects.

Through its participants, .Astronomy has embedded astronomy in the wider Open Science community, with a much-increased presence at international events such as SciFoo and Science Online London. Previous conferences have attracted participation beyond academia, from major international companies such as Google, Microsoft and O’Reilly Media; and sponsorship from the British Council, the Royal Astronomical Society and the Nederlandse WetenschapsOrganisatie (NWO; the largest Dutch research funding council). The 2012 conference in Heidelberg will be hosted at the Haus der Astronomie, Campus Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, during the daytime. We will use the IWH meeting spaces for our evening sessions and collaborative work, as well as accommodation and catering.      

Kontakt:

Dr. Sarah Kendrew

Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie

Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg

Tel: 06221 528260

E-Mail: kendrew@mpia.de

Dr. Markus Pössel

Haus der Astronomie, Campus Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie

Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg

Tel: 06221 528261

E-Mail: poessel@mpia.de

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Letzte Änderung: 21.09.2012
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