Valuation, policy, and software strategy

摘要

The emergence of the Virtual Observatory as a new model for doing science means that the value of a facility instrument is no longer limited to its own lifetime. Instead, value becomes the net effect of optimizing observational throughput, the quality and quantity of data in the archive, and the applicability of the data that can survive and be used for future research even after a telescope ceases operations. Valuation aims to answer two questions which are especially important to funding agencies: what am I getting for my investment, and why should I care? Policy establishes guidelines for achieving the goals that lead to increased value. The relative roles of valuation and policy in inventory control and archiving strategies, adoption of standards, and developing maintainable software systems to meet these future goals are examined.