Operations, use and oversight

Tasks

Its aim is helping for a better use of the ICTS and promote actions to improve their access, use and coordination.

Respecting the responsibilities that each institution owes to the ICTS that depend on it, this working group house, among others, the following activities:

  • Search for synergies between observatories to increase their efficiency and reduce costs, including the formation of joint operations groups to face common problems, for example, developing strategies to mitigate the impact of the Starlink satellites.
  • Update the census of telescopes and their instruments to help assessing the needs of the observatories and Spanish astronomical community.
  • Preparation of scientific exploitation and technological return reports, including the use of new technologies.
  • Promote access to public data from the observatories, either through the Spanish Virtual Observatory or through specific archives of the observatories.

Membership

Still to be defined, it will consist of:

  • 7 members appointed by each ICTS coordinated by RIA (OY, IRAM, CAHA, GTC, ORM, OT, OAJ).
  • 1 member appointed by the Subdirección General de Grandes Instalaciones Científico-Técnicas of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
  • 1 member appointed by the Plan Nacional de Astronomía y Astrofísica
  • 1 member appointed by CDTI.
  • 1 member in representation of the Spanish astronomical community appointed by SEA
  • 1 member appointed by the Spanish Virtual Observatory
  • the RIA Coordinator.

The working group will have a President and Vice-President who will be members designated by the ICTS on a rotating basis.