Riebe Kristin

Abstract Reference: 30804
Identifier: O10.4
Presentation: Oral communication
Key Theme: 5 Data Models in Astrophysics

A Provenance Data Model for Astronomy

Authors:
Riebe Kristin, Louys Mireille, Sanguillon Michèle, Servillat Mathieu, Rothmaier Florian, Bonnarel Francois, 

In Astronomy as well as in other sciences it is of crucial importance to have information about the origin and history of data, be it science-ready images from a telescope, catalogs of objects and their properties, observed spectra or any other kind of data product.In the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) we are working on a provenance data model for observations, which shall describe how provenance of data can be modeled, stored and exchanged. The provenance information shall enable scientists to recover the processing steps that led from a raw image or data file to the (published) science-ready data set. This is necessary for giving scientists the possibility to gain a better understanding of the data and be able to decide if and which part of the data is suitable for a certain task. The provenance information can also be used to search for possible error sources, judge the quality of data and to give guidance for reproducing data, which is one of the key points for ensuring good scientific practice.In this talk I will give an overview on the current status of the IVOA Provenance Data Model, its connection to the provenance data model of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and present some use cases for provenance in Astronomy.