"The SDSS and e-science archiving at the University of Chicago Library"

The SDSS and e-science archiving at the University of Chicago Library

Barbara Kern, University of Chicago
Dean Armstrong, University of Chicago
Charles Blair, University of Chicago
David Farley, University of Chicago
Kathleen Feeney, University of Chicago
Eileen Ielmini, University of Chicago
Elisabeth Long, University of Chicago
Daniel Meyer, University of Chicago
Peggy Wilkins, University of Chicago



The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is a co-operative scientific project involving over 25 institutions worldwide and managed by the Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC) to map one- quarter of the entire sky in detail, determining the positions and absolute brightness of hundreds of millions of celestial objects. The project was completed in October 2008 and produced over 100 terabytes of data comprised of object catalogs, images, and spectra. While the project remained active, SDSS data was housed at Fermilab. As the project neared completion the SDSS project director (and University of Chicago faculty member) Richard Kron considered options for long term storage and preservation of the data turning to the University of Chicago Library for assistance. In 2007-2008 the University of Chicago Library undertook a pilot project to investigate the feasibility of long term storage and archiving of the project data and providing ongoing access by scientists and educators to the data through the SkyServer user interface. In late 2008 the University of Chicago Library entered into a formal agreement with ARC agreeing to assume responsibility for:

• Archiving of the survey data (long-term scientific data archiving)

• Serving up survey data to the public

• Managing the HelpDesk

• Preserving the SDSS Administrative Record

This paper outlines the various aspects of the project as well as implementation.

SDSS conference news

Sloan Digital Sky Survey summary conference this weekend.

The likely press highlight of the Solar System session on the morning of Monday, August 18 will be announcement of the discovery (by SDSS astronomer Andrew Becker) of a remarkable object that is currently about the same distance from Earth as the planet Uranus but whose 27,000-year orbit carries it to more than 70 times that distance. This object is akin to the famous dwarf planet Sedna, but its orbital properties are considerably more extreme, with a much more elongated path that takes it nearly twice as far from the Sun.

Press release

Making dull technology pretty

I run a copy of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (data release 5). It sits on two large SQL servers and a single blade web server. I needed some images of the servers so I spent a little time yesterday glitzing them up as much as rack servers can be glitzed and photographed them. Here's a link to the images.