Collaborative workspaces to accelerate discovery

Abstract

By applying a display ecology to the {\em Deeper, Wider, Faster} proactive, simultaneous telescope observing campaign, we have shown a dramatic reduction in the time taken to inspect DECam CCD images for potential transient candidates and to produce time-critical triggers to standby telescopes. We also show how facilitating rapid corroboration of potential candidates and the exclusion of non-candidates improves the accuracy of detection; and establish that a practical and enjoyable workspace can improve the experience of an otherwise taxing task for astronomers. We provide a critical road-test of two advanced displays in a research context -- a rare opportunity to demonstrate how they can be used rather than simply discuss how they might be used to accelerate discovery.

19 pages, 11 figues, 2 tables, accepted to Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, March 2017

References in corpus (2)

• Future Directions in Astronomy Visualisation
• Are tiled display walls needed for astronomy?

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• Finding Fast Transients in Real Time Using Novel Light Curve Analysis Algorithm