›Astronomical Surveys and Big Data

A meeting “Astronomical Surveys and Big Data” dedicated to 50th anniversary of Markarian Survey and 10th anniversary of the Armenian Virtual Observatory (ArVO) will be held on Oct 5-9, 2015 in Byurakan, Armenia. We intend to combine astronomers and computer scientists with heavy involvement of astronomical surveys, catalogs, archives, databases and VOs.

Our meeting will contribute to the following:
Review and discuss large astronomical surveys to summarize observational data obtained in astronomy
Give tribute to Markarian Survey and other important surveys
Review and discuss astronomical catalogues, databases and archives
Learn about major upcoming surveys (including PanSTARRS, Gaia, and LSST)
Learn and discuss how large observational data sets are changing astronomy
Introduce tools and techniques for working with large data sets (including access, analysis, and visualization)
Discuss the future of astronomical research by joint efforts of astronomers and computer scientists

The Symposium is dedicated to Markarian Survey 50th anniversary. Benyamin Markarian (1913-1985) was the first to conduct and accomplish a large-area (17,000 sq. deg.) spectroscopic survey in 1965 to search for active galaxies. Markarian survey is until now the largest objective-prism spectroscopic survey, it was the first systematic search for active galaxies using a new method of UV-excess, it resulted in the discovery of 1515 UVX galaxies (Markarian galaxies), including many AGN and Starbursts, first classification of Seyferts into Sy1 and Sy2, and definition of Starburst galaxies. BAO is famous for other surveys as well: Arakelian and Kazarian galaxies, Shahbazian compact groups, Parsamian cometary nebulae and other objects also are well known. Byurakan is a right place for organization of such meeting.

A number of important astronomical meetings have been organized in Armenia, mostly in the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO): IAU Symposia: #29 in 1966 (Non-Stable Phenomena in Galaxies), #121 in 1986 (Observational Evidence of Activity in Galaxies), #137 in 1989 (Flare Stars in Star Clusters, Associations and Solar Vicinity), #194 in 1998 (Activity in Galaxies and Related Phenomena) and #304 in 2013 (Multiwavelength AGN Surveys and Studies), IAU Colloquium #184 in 2001 (AGN Surveys), as well as the all-European JENAM meeting in 2007. Moreover, the Byurakan International Summer Schools (BISS) are being organized since 2006, and four successful schools have been held in 2006, 2008, 2010 (combined with the 32th IAU ISYA), and 2012.