| Abstract |
Vast quantities of astronomical data can now be accessed through data archives and other sources. The data can be in highly processed form, presented as ready-to-use tables, or as processed images and spectra. Data on the same set of objects can be available over a wide range of wavelengths, which facilitates multiwavelength studies. The focus has therefore to shift from processing of raw data and images using a variety of techniques, to the scientific and statistical analysis and advanced visualization and of the processed data products, which may be located at different centres, and too vast in size to be transported easily to the user. Virtual Observatories (VO) provide the appropriate framework for addressing these issues.
Over the past several years, internationally coordinated VO projects have developed comprehensive standards for addressing all data related issues. These are being implemented to develop end-user applications and tools, which can be used address various astronomical problems depending on the use of data. There is growing use of these tools in astronomical research, and their need will be more acutely felt when data from large surveys will become available over the coming years.
In my talk I will describe some important VO tools, and their use in addressing various astronomical problems, and briefly consider some important and interesting scientific results which have been obtained using the tools. |
