Presentation during CAP2013, Poland

1. IAU Division C Commission 55
Communicating Astronomy With The Public
Public Outreach
Information Management
Pedro Russo, Lars Lindberg Christensen and WG Members
www.communicatingastronomy.org/management/

2. VAMP provides developers tools for simple, standard access to outreach
imagery and media from a variety of sources, thus encouraging the
creation of the cutting edge applications that today‘s technological
public demands.
Outcome: Astronomy Visualization Metadata Standard
http://www.virtualastronomy.org

3. Mission
To act as a facilitator enabling the small outreach information
management community to gather around a common technical
framework optimizing the synergy in the community.

4. Goals
• Describe one possible standard for EPO content management
systems.
• Decide on standards for astronomy EPO products metadata.
• Write a CAPj article.
• Bringing the major players in EPO information management
together in an informal network.
• Arrange the first workshop for this network.

5. 1st Workshop on Public Outreach Information Management in
Astronomy
ESO, 27 and 28 March 2013
Agenda, presentations and summary: http://goo.gl/b60Yf4
Main Topics
•User Experience
•Content Manager Experience
•Developer Experience
Case Studies:
• IAU
• UNAWE
• ESO
• ESA/Hubble
Discussion Groups
•Developers’ forum: "hack" solutions to merge code, develop new ideas, unite code base, open
source
•Managers’ forum: develop managerial concepts and grow synergies, address resource issues
•Content maintainers’ forum: Editing, etc

6. Standards for EPO content management systems
(including EPO products)
Connecting the target groups (public, media ...) with the subject matter (astronomy... ) in the most direct and
efficient way taken the requirements on both side into consideration.
Images
• Astronomy Visualization Metadata Standard (VAMP)
Text
•
Text standards (a coherent template for astronomy press releases? )
A standard CMS?
• social-enabled,
• semantically-rich,
• visually appealing
• Interoperable-ready
Strong link with other digital outlets (WWTelescope, Planetarium systems...)