Some questions answered

What is VSX?

Why was it created?

Who is responsible?

Who uses VSX?

What were the requirements?

How does it work?

How are the data vetted?

What data are in VSX?

What are the future plans for VSX?

What is covered in this talk?

The International Variable Star IndeX

A comprehensive relational database of known and suspectedvariable stars gathered from a variety of respected publishedsources and made available through a powerful Web interfacewhich provides the tools for visitors to search and view thedata, registered users to revise and add to the data, andauthorized moderators to vet the data, creating a consistentlyreliable “living” catalog of the most accurate and up-to-dateinformation available on variable stars.

What is VSX?

The big ideas

A central Web-accessible repository for up-to-the-minute information on all known and suspected variable stars from a variety of sources

A powerful application for searching, viewing, correcting, augmenting and managing variable star data

A method for “publishing” new variable stars that is simpler and faster than submitting a formal paper

A reliable way for getting the latest scientific findings into a comprehensive peer-reviewed catalog that is immediately made available to the public

A simple and intuitive interface for data mining

A full-featured portal to a wide variety of external resources

What is VSX?

The seeds of a concept

Discussions between AAVSO staff, volunteers and observers

The sorry state of affairs in the cataloging of variable stars

The pace at which names are assigned and updates released

The absence of a central store for the growing mass of data

The resource limitations of AAVSO and other organizations

The abundance of willing and able volunteers

The availability of no-lo-cost open source development solutions

My strong personal interest in creating such a resource

AAVSO committee formed to investigate “variable star registry”

Why was it created?

Christopher WatsonOriginal concept and Principal Architect

AAVSOSponsorship, web and database hosting, technical support

Consultants

Who is responsible?

James BedientBill GrayJohn GreavesArne HendenGeert HoogeveenRichard Huziak

Sebastian OteroVance PetriewAaron PriceBrian SkiffMike SimonsenPatrick Wils

The casual visitor

Search the database for information on variable stars

Use the Web site as a convenient portal to external resources

The registered user

Submit revisions to existing stars in the database

Submit data for new variable star discoveries

Add cross-ids, comments and supporting documents

The authorized moderator

Review and assign status to submissions made by users

Communicate with users regarding contributionsWho uses VSX?

For the casual visitor

Acquire data from the most significant variable star catalogs

Provide customizable form-based searching of the data

Provide several different search methods

Display concise search results and detailed views of the data

Provide links to object-specific data held at external resources

Download and display DSS images for any database object

Display a history of the revisions made to any database object

Provide forms for registering and creating a system login

Provide adequate and useful on-line help

Provide an enjoyable user experience

What were the requirements?

How does it work?

The Home Page

How does it work?

Search

How does it work?

Search Results

How does it work?

Detail Sheet

For the registered user

Provide a method for submitting revisions to existing data

Provide a simple process for submitting new variable stars

Outwardly display credit for discoveries

Auto-generate IAU designations (VSX J234004.1+123800)

Implement automated e-mail notification of actions taken

Allow commentary to be submitted for any object

Permit upload, storage and linking of supporting documents

Provide a way to add new cross-identifications to any object

Afford secure access to user profile and login information

What were the requirements?

How does it work?

User Registration

How does it work?

Submit Revision

How does it work?

Submission Method

How does it work?

New Star Form

How does it work?

New Star Wizard

For the authorized moderator

Provide authenticated access to specialized vetting tools

Provide highly-visible notice of any queued submissions

Display concise lists of revisions, additions, cross-ids and files

Clearly display data differences between revision levels

Allow for basic editing of submitted data prior to approval

Provide simple status change and data relocation interface

Allow for “rollback” to previous revision levels, if necessary

Automate the generation of notification e-mails

Make the interface intuitive and easy to work with

What were the requirements?

How are the data vetted?

Staged Submissions

How are the data vetted?

Revision Review

How are the data vetted?

File Upload Review

Behind the scenes

Submitted revisions, additions, cross-ids and files are “staged” and are not immediately made available to the public

Staged submissions are reviewed by authorized moderators, and may be edited as required for clarity, or to correct obvious errors

Web tools available only to moderators provide an efficient interface for quickly evaluating the changes made in revisions and data provided in other types of submissions

Once approved, the submitted data (along with any associated docs) are moved by the system to the public index automatically

Rejected submissions may be corrected and resubmitted by the originator, accompanied by system-generated e-mail notifications

Revision levels are maintained, so any revision may be “rolled back” if subsequently found to be erroneous or unsupported

How are the data vetted?

10 May 2006 launch data

Combined General Catalog of Variable Stars (GCVS 4.2, online)

All notes, references, and cross-identifications from GCVS

New Catalog of Suspected Variable Stars (NSV, NSV Supplement)

All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS-3) Catalog of Variable Stars

Red variables from The Northern Sky Variability Survey (NSVS)

Contact and near-contact binaries from NSVS

Information Bulletin on Variable Stars (IBVS)

New variable stars discovered from offered images to the MISAO Project

Miras and EBs from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE)

Bright contact and near-contact binaries from ROTSE

Downes et al. Catalog of Cataclysmic Variables (2006 Archival)

Total of 133,569 variables and suspects

What data are in VSX?

A look ahead

Shepherd the maturation of the database

Import other variable star catalogs

Work toward “primary record” model (long-term)

Further enhance and streamline user interface

Integrate more powerful moderator tools

Collect user feedback and track issues

Implement frequently requested features

Periodically publish lists of revisions and additions

What are the future plans?

Wrapping it up

VSX is a living, growing database of variable stars

Sponsored by the AAVSO

Seeded with data from some of the best existing catalogs

Eventually holding data for every known variable star

Data is searchable by anyone via the Web

Basic data may be revised by registered users

New discoveries may be added to the database

Supporting documents and comments may be stored for any star

A complete revision history is available for every star

Submissions continually reviewed by authorized moderators

Attractive and simple user interface makes it fun!

vsx.aavso.org