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\title{DRACO and the Italian Participation in Virtual Observatory Activities}
\titlemark{DRACO and the Virtual Observatory}

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\author{Fabio Pasian}
\affil{INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Trieste, Italy}
\author{Leopoldo Benacchio}
\affil{INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Padova, Italy}
%\author{Daffy Duck\altaffilmark{1}}
%\affil{Astronomy Department, Disney University, Peoria, MA 11111}
%\altaffiltext{1}{Physics Department, The Duck Institute}

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\contact{Fabio Pasian} \email{pasian@ts.astro.it }

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\paindex{Pasian, F.}
\aindex{Benacchio, L.}

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\authormark{Pasian \& Benacchio}

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\keywords{DRACO, Grid, Grid: enabled applications, Virtual Observatory}

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\begin{abstract}          % Leave intact
The Italian Data Grid for Astrophysical Research (DRACO: Datagrid
for italian Research in Astrophysics and Coordination with the
virtual Observatory) is a concept having the aim of providing the
scientific community with a distributed multi-functional
environment allowing the use of specialized (computing, storage,
observational) Grid nodes. DRACO provides the framework through
which the Italian astrophysical community participates in the
international Virtual Observatory (VO) effort.
\end{abstract}

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\section{Introduction - The Grid, the Data Grid and the VO }

A new paradigm for accessing and exploiting network-distributed
facilities, the Grid, has recently gained importance and momentum;
it is common belief that the concept of Grid will be the natural
extension of the web, since it allows, besides the passive access
to the resources (mainly information) available on the net, an
active usage of the resources themselves, e.g. allowing the user
to access distributed computing resources. The Data Grid extends
this concept, being based on two fundamental services, namely:
storage and processing systems, and metadata and communications
management. The astrophysical community is implementing this
structure by defining, at an international level, the concept of
``Virtual Observatory'', which is tightly coupled to the Data Grid
paradigm.

\section{DRACO and the Grid}

An Italian national Grid for research is being developed as a
coordinated action involving research institutions (CNR, INFN,
INAF, Universities, ...). In 2002, a project called "Enabling
platforms for high-performance computational Grids oriented
towards scalable virtual organizations" (short name: Grid.it) has
been approved and funded by the Italian Fund for Basic Research
(FIRB), and provides a technical and organizational framework so
as to allow the various projects to operate as virtual
organizations, re-organizing as needed the Grid structure (the
network and the computing facilities) into logical sub-Grids.

The project, funded by FIRB, has generated a national cooperation
named IG-BIGEST (Italian Grid for Business, Industry, Government,
E-Science and Technology); the participation of the astrophysical
community in this structure is granted by the National Institute
for Astrophysics (INAF). From this national framework and as a
subset of the IG-BIGEST effort, the concept of an Italian Data
Grid for Astrophysical Research (DRACO - Datagrid for italian
Research in Astrophysics and Coordination with the virtual
Observatory) has emerged. A plausible scenario in DRACO could
foresee a scientist monitoring an observation on a remote
telescope, processing in a distributed fashion the data gathered,
while comparing them with archived data (i.e. extracted from the
Virtual Observatory). It is to be noted that the purpose of the
astrophysical section of the Grid.it project (work-package 10) is
the implementation of three demonstrators which are to prove the
feasibility of porting astrophysical applications within the
framework of a national Grid structure.
%The demonstrators chosen,
%for scientific and technological interests, are the following:
%access and browsing of astronomical databases; a facility for the
%retrieval and processing of VST images; distributed monitoring of
%observations on remote telescopes and quasi-real-time observation
%of targets of opportunity.
The aim of DRACO is therefore to
demonstrate the feasibility of providing the scientific community
with a distributed multi-functional environment allowing the use
of specialized (observational, computing, storage) Grid nodes.

The three first DRACO nodes are the INAF Observatories of Padova,
Trieste and Naples, having the following tasks:
\begin{itemize}
\item Padova and Trieste are to provide access to the prototype TNG
Long-Term Archive (LTA) developed in the framework of a dedicated
pilot project, and to the GSC-II Catalog Consultation System (a
web-based application for the access to large astronomical
catalogs, mainly the GSC 2.2); interoperability with other data
providers and repositories, by co-ordination with international
efforts (the OPTICON and AVO projects, funded by the EU) is a
strict requirement.
\item Naples is to provide astronomers with
effective tools for remote access to the VST/OmegaCAM data
reduction pipeline.
\item Trieste is also involved in providing a
Grid-enabled system allowing a transparent access to observing
facilities for the monitoring of observations and managing of
targets of opportunity.
\end{itemize}

The foreseen extensions to the original DRACO framework include
the extension in the number of nodes to the Observatories of
Catania and Rome, Universities of Naples and Salerno, and the
integration of other data processing and scientific applications.
In particular, the inclusion of visualization (Cosmo.Lab, ASTROMD)
tools and "machine learning" applications, which encompass the use
of neural networks, genetic algorithms, fuzzy-C sets (the
AstroMining tool) is foreseen. A  proposal for funding has been
successfully submitted to the Italian Ministry for Education and
Research.


\section{DRACO and the VO}

From the data centers included in the DRACO kernel based on the
Grid.it project (the TNG Long-Term Archive prototype and the
GSC-II Catalog), an extension to other data-providing nodes is
foreseen:
\begin{itemize}
\item access to the data from high-energy missions and their
reduction; in particular, access to the ASI Science Data Center
(ASDC, containing among others data of the Beppo-SAX satellite)
and to the DIANA (Distributed Italian Astronomy Network Archive)
system;
\item access to a set of distributed radio and infrared
data (EVN catalogue, Tirgo archive, ...);
\item the archive of the
observations made with the Large Binocular Camera (LBC) during the
Italian time at the LBT;
\item studying access to small archives and databases.
\end{itemize}

It is to be noted that the TNG LTA pilot will soon become a
full-fledged archive providing service to the community, and work
on the LBC archive will be started. All centers plan to use the
standards defined within the IVOA collaboration to ensure
interoperability.

A funding request to ASI has been recently made to coordinate a
``distributed center'' for scientific data acquired by space-borne
instrumentation. Dedicated INAF funding has been set aside for a
data center providing access to TNG and LBC data, and is expected
to be made available within 2003.

   \begin{figure*}[t]
    \epsscale{.70}
    \plotone{P3-1_1.eps}
    \caption{ Italian sites in astrophysics: back dots represent
    DRACO sites active in grid development, grey dots sites hosting
    data; white dots can be considered as user sites. }
    \label{P3-1:Fig1}
    \end{figure*}


\section{DRACO Approach to Interoperability within the VO Framework}

An example of the way DRACO intends to proceed in its coordination
with international VO efforts can be the prototype TNG Long-Term
Archive development activity (held between June 2001 and September
2002). One of the aims of this project was to provide tools and
expertise to create and achieve a high degree of interoperability
with other archives at the national and international level. The
following steps have been followed:
\begin{itemize}
\item use of internationally-defined standards in the implementation
of the prototype: FITS (the Flexible Image Transport System), ASU
(the Astronomical Server URL, a standard to generate queries for
retrieving tabular data and catalogues in astronomy), Astrores (a
tool describing Astronomical Catalogues and Query Results with
XML), a preliminary version of VOtable (an extension of Astrores
allowing to take binary data into account);
\item installation of a name resolver using the SIMBAD facility;
\item definition of a higher level of interoperability based on
the availability at the CDS of the TNG catalog of observations.
\item link with international projects actively pursued by
participation of the TNG LTA group to the Science WG of the AVO
project and to the various WGs of the International Virtual
Observatory Alliance (IVOA).
\end{itemize}

\section{National and International status}

IG-BIGEST participates in an EU FP6 project for the enabling of a
pan-European grid for research (EGEE); the astrophysical community
(INAF) participates as an unfunded partner. INAF furthermore
participates in European VO activities, coordinating with similar
activities throughout Europe. DRACO participates in the
International VO Alliance (IVOA) and is represented in the IVOA
Executive Committee. Coordination of DRACO Interoperability
efforts with all other VO data providers and repositories is
achieved by co-ordination within international working groups.

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\acknowledgments

The original core of DRACO was funded within the Grid.it project
by the Italian Fund for Basic Research (FIRB); its extension on
funds of the Italian Ministry for Education and Research. The
prototype TNG Long-Term Archive was funded by the National
Consortium for Astronomy and Astrophysics (CNAA).

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\begin{references}

\reference Lama, N., Vuerli, C., Smareglia, R., Gasparo, F.,
    Pasian, F.\ 2004, \adassxiii, \paperref{P4-9}

\reference Longo, G., Donalek, C., Raiconi, G., Staiano, A.,
Tagliaferri, R., Sessa, S., Pasian, F., Smareglia, R., Volpicelli,
A.\ 2002,\ in: Data Analysis II, SPIE proceedings 4847, 265

\reference Pasian, F., Smareglia, R., Benacchio, L.\ 2003,\ in:
Toward An International Virtual Observatory, P.Quinn ed. ESO
Astrophysics Symposia, Springer Verlag, in press 

\reference Pasian, F., Smareglia, R., Vuerli, C., Zacchei, A., Lama, N.,
Benacchio, L.\ 2003,\ Mem. S.A.It. Supplements, in press

\reference Smareglia, R., Pasian, F., Zacchei, A., Caproni, A.,
Vuerli, C., Longo, G., Becciani, U., Gheller, C.\ 2002,\ in:
Virtual Observatories, SPIE proceedings 4846,  p.158-169

\end{references}

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