2nd Annual Report OPTICON Optical Infrared Co-ordination ...

1.3.5 NA6: OPTICON Telescope Network
Participant number 7
WP1 : Telescope Directors Forum
Participant short name IAC Total
Person-months 27 (24) 27 (24)
Although this group has been very active, no staff effort has been charged to the project. The
group is chaired by the Project Scientist whose time is accounted to management effort. The
telescope directors’ time, mostly preparation for, travel to and participation in the director’s
forum, is not charged to OPTICON but to their national programmes.
The second year’s programme has been dominated by managing the success of the access
programme (which was very over-subscribed), carrying out a review of the operation of the
Trans-National Access office (WP2) and preparing the peer review process for the accession
of two new telescopes. The Access Office review was carried out by a ‘splinter group’
nominated at the last full meeting of the telescope directors. This group solicited input
electronically via a questionnaire and visited the IAC, host of WP 6.2, for a face to face
meeting. The review concluded that the team had set up an excellent system, that standards of
work was very high but that, as the project entered it routine phase, some economies were
possible. The conclusions of the review were transmitted to the full meeting of the telescope
directors at its Paris meeting, and then to the OPTICON executive and board who welcomed
them. In addition a panel was been set up to oversee the accession of the Liverpool Telescope
and the Aristarcos Telescope into the Access programme. A conformance matrix for this
process has been prepared and circulated.
This group’s major meeting was in Paris in September. As well as the above mentioned
Access office review other topics discussed were the per review process for two telescopes
hoping to joint the access programme, and the possibility of developing common applications
forms and procedures. (Meeting Minutes).
In May Chairperson John Davies visited Bulgaria to meet the teams responsible for the
operation of the National Rhozen observatory and to promote the Access programme. A visit
summary is linked from the OPTICON web page (Meeting Summary). In July Jesus Burgos
summarised the Trans-national Access programme at the JENAM meeting and November the
Access programme was presented to the Polish National Astronomy Meeting in Wroclaw by
John Davies.
32 Contract [RII3-CT-2004-001566]
Annual Report