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Classifying the High Energy Universe: A Prototype of the National Virtual Observatory
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| We propose to prototype the National Virtual Observatory, building the tools and protocols needed to integrate large, distributed datasets to do science infeasible with a single institution's resources. Our pilot research project is to build an automated classifier for X-ray sources and to use it to try to
distinguish the physical classes of all known X-ray objects. This project is carefully selected as challenging but feasible, excellent science in its own right, and exercising the key technologies for the
NVO.
Massive datasets from the HEASARC, ST-MAST, and Chandra archives along with information from VizieR, 2MASS, FIRST and other systems will all be needed within this effort. The deliverables will include systems for coherent access and integration of information from many
different astronomy data providers, the methodology and software for the creation of automated classifiers in the NVO regime, a realistic assessment of the current connectivity of astronomical sites,
and our X-ray classifier itself. Our clear science context will help ensure that the tools we develop are truly useful to the astronomy community.
The science goals are particularly timely given the recent launches of the Chandra and XMM-Newton observatories. The number of known X-ray sources will soon double, but our current tools for categorizing them are extremely tedious and resource intensive. Our classifier must handle quite heterogeneous data. We propose using a network of sub-classifiers of several different types to address the diversity of data available.
This proposal leverages substantial institutional commitments from the collaborating groups. Funding is requested only to support the actual software development activities involved in this project. The
science oversight and astronomical research activities are provided by the collaboration from other institutional resources. |
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