Beginning late 2022, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will produce a nightly stream of ten million public alerts that will disseminate new information about transient, variable, and moving objects within 60 seconds of readout. A small number of "community brokers” will receive the full LSST alert stream, add scientific value, and provide science users the ability to identify targets of interest and trigger follow-up observations. Letters of Intent (LoI) from all teams who plan to propose a community alert broker were received by May 15, 2019 (https://ldm-682.lsst.io/).
This workshop will bring together LSST Project personnel, representatives of the LSST Science Collaborations, individuals with relevant past experience, and the proposers of community brokers (at least one representative from each team that submitted an LoI). Topics of discussion will include LSST-broker interfaces, architecture and technology choices, the broker selection process, policy issues, science use cases and expectations, and development progress from precursor surveys.
This workshop will facilitate the success of community brokers by opening the lines of communication with the LSST project, providing feedback from representative science users, and enabling sharing of technical experience and organizational information between all parties, as well as learning from the experiences of precursor surveys. The workshop Science Organizing Committee will facilitate the writing of a white paper summarizing the outcomes and conclusions of this workshop to serve as a reference for LSST community brokers going forward.
Includes full meeting agenda, slide deck for "pitch" introductions, and suggested contents for talks from LOI-submitters and Science Collaboration representatives. This Google Drive will be used for all workshop-related materials.
Contact Fed Bianco for access.
The Sheraton has reserved the Fremont room, a small private room with no windows just down the hall from our main meeting room, for use as e.g., a lactation room for the duration of the meeting.
Morning Session 8:30-9:45: Welcome and participant "pitch" introductions.
Morning Session 10:15-12:00: Presentations by LSST Project personnel regarding LSST alert production and distribution, the broker selection process, and information about commissioning and operations.
Lunch 12:00-13:30: Unconference lunch organized by SOC based on pre-workshop polls for ideas.
Afternoon Session 13:30-15:30: Presentations from representatives of the Science Collaborations regarding science goals related to the LSST alert stream. (Suggested guidelines.)
Afternoon Session 16:00-17:30: Presentations from invited speakers with relevant past experience about "lessons learned" from previous surveys.
Morning Session 8:30-12:00: Presentations from the teams who have submitted a Letter of Intent. [Guidelines for the format of these presentations.]
Lunch 12:00-13:30: On your own.
Afternoon 13:30-15:00: Presentations from invited speakers on algorithms and tools for brokering alert streams.
Afternoon 15:30-16:45: Unconference #1
Afternoon 16:45-17:30: Group Discussion: "Building a Broker Ecosystem".
Morning Session 8:30-9:30: Presentations from invited speakers on "Technologies, Interfaces, and Implementation"
Morning Session 9:30-10:15: Presentations from teams who have submitted "Letters of Non-Intent" (LONIs).
Morning Session 10:45-12:00: Unconference #2
Lunch 12:00-13:30: On your own.
Afternoon Session 13:30-15:30: Unconference reports, group discussion, the identification of action items, and a wrap-up summary presentation from LSST on directions forward.
Afternoon Session 16:00-17:30: Open Time: final breakouts, individual discussions, starting on the summary white paper.
All sessions will be held in downtown Seattle at the Sheraton Grand Seattle hotel. A block of rooms has been reserved at a group rate, and participants will be sent information about how to book these rooms after they have registered (deadline: Fri May 24).
The venue is right in the middle of downtown, and the restaurant options are diverse in terms of costs and options.
We anticipate that most participants will arrive by air to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The best way to reach the hotel is by public transit: take the Link Light Rail from Sea-Tac Airport to Westlake Station (northbound direct towards the University of Washington, no transfer). It's a 40 minute ride, and the $3 one-way tickets can be purchased by cash or credit card from automated machines at the stations. Once downtown, walk the two blocks from Westlake Station to the Sheraton Grand Seattle hotel.
Sea-Tac Airport Website. Link Light Rail Schedules and Fares.
The weather conditions in June should be nice, but are difficult to predict in advance! It is best to check the forecast close to the time of your visit and always pack a raincoat, just in case.
Staying for the weekend? Seattle has many wonderful options for our guests. Some of the top tourist attractions are the Pike Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium, the Museum of Popular Culture, the Living Computer Museum, and the iconic Space Needle, most within walking distance of the Sheraton. If you're more interested in a venture out onto the waterways or the wild outdoors, there is a very wide variety of options for that as well.
Chair: Leanne Guy (AURA/LSST)
Co-Chair: Eric Bellm (LSST, UW)
Co-Chair: Melissa Graham (LSST, UW)
Željko Ivezić (LSST, UW)
Federica Bianco (University of Delaware)
Rachel Street (Las Cumbres Observatory)
Joshua Bloom (University of California, Berkeley)
Robert Blum (AURA/LSST)