Towards a Resource-Centric Data Network for Astronomy

TL;DR

This paper proposes enhancing astronomy data networks by exposing resources as linked data and harvesting observational metadata to create a more integrated digital library environment for astronomers.

Contribution

It introduces a resource-centric approach to improve the NASA Astrophysics Data System by leveraging linked data and metadata harvesting for better data integration.

Findings

Enhanced data discoverability through linked data exposure

Improved metadata harvesting techniques for observational data

Community involvement strategies for data integration

Abstract

Over the past decade, astronomers have been using an increasingly larger number of web-based applications and archives to conduct their research. However, despite the early success in creating links across projects and data centers, the promise of a single integrated digital library environment supporting e-science in astronomy has proven elusive. While some of the issues hampering progress in this area are of technical nature, others are rooted in existing policies which should be re-analyzed if further rapid progress is to be made in this area. This paper describes a proposal that the NASA Astrophysics Data System project has put forth in order to improve its role as one of the primary discovery portals for astronomers, focusing on those aspects which could benefit from an increased level of involvement from the community, namely the effort to expose astronomy resources as linked data, and the harvesting of observational metadata.