About

• The first meeting about site selection for the TURKEY - TUG at the Inter-Board Joint Workshop (29-31 March, 2013 - Antalya)

• Aksaker N., et al., 2015, "Astronomical site selection for Turkey using GIS techniques", Exp. Astron. 39, 547.

• TÜBİTAK Grant award with 117F309 number at 1 May 2018.

Astronomical Site Selection for the World - TÜBİTAK Grant number:117F309

In astronomy, the development of the technology and the purchasing power of the country accelerate the manufacturing the bigger telescopes. However increasing the urbanization decrease the number of suitable site. Sites should have the best conditions for the maximizing the efficiency from the manufactured telescopes.

The effective factors (Elevation, cloud cover, light pollution, perceptible water vapor, aerosol content of the atmosphere etc.) should be determined quantitative and spatial analysis with long-term meteorological data for the determining suitable sites in astronomical perspective. The provision of numerical data representing these factors, regulation, standardization, and integration and analysis rather than on Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the traditional methods can be achieved faster, economically and efficiently. The Conduction for Turkey and generating effective outcomes of such an approach is provided experience by Aksaker et al. (2015) this study aimed to a global scale.

The purpose of this study; determining the convenient locations in the World can work on Optical / Infrared region telescopes, reveal the state of comparative of the existing observatory and countries that want to establish a new observatory is to create a reference for research centers and universities. A similar approach was carried out with the help of automated software for using different data in Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), and Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) projects (Graham et al., 2008; Sarazin et al., 2006). The basic data used in this project, which was completed in 2002, with 100 km spatial resolution is given ERA40 data of global atmospheric and surface conditions (Uppal et al., 2005). This poor spatial resolution in studies on a global scale it is disappeared in the evaluation details on specific areas such as Mauna Kea Observatory in the Hawaii and Roque los Muchachos observatory in the Canary Islands could not be determined.

Also, global warming effects increases visible last 30 years and changing condition with different weathers in the earth atmosphere cannot be determined with ERA40 data completed in 2002. Because of low spatial resolution and out of date data we cannot found suitable sites.

Suitable locations for observatories all over the world will be examined by analyzing GIS-MCDA using up to date (2016) and long term ground-based data with the proposal of this project. Comparing the current observatories all over the world will also be investigated for the first time with up to data and high resolution data. Locations will be determined in the project to create a reference for countries wishing to set up observatories and it is expected to contribute to the science of the concerned country. Upon execution of the project to be initiated in joint projects with other countries and detailed site selection increases the original value of the project. Moreover, the software is to be developed using different languages (Python and IDL-Interactive Data Language) in the project framework has a unique value in itself. Software will be developed in the project will create infrastructure for future projects.

As a result, considering the astronomical criteria the appropriate sites for astronomical studies located all over the world will be provided using up to date and the high-resolution data in GIS - MCDA to ( Geographic Information System - see Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis . "Method") with this study. Due to the importance of the subject and the content of the project is expected to create a remarkable impact on international astronomy community because of the first on a global scale.

Academics

Data Analysis

Software & Web Interface

• The MOD35_L2 - MODIS/Terra Cloud Mask and Spectral Test Results 5-Min L2 Swath 250m and 1km, MYD35_L2 - MODIS/Aqua Cloud Mask and Spectral Test Results 5-Min L2 Swath 250m and 1km, MOD04_3K - MODIS/Terra Aerosol 5-Min L2 Swath 3km, MYD04_3K - MODIS/Aqua Aerosol 5-Min L2 Swath 3km,

• MOD04_L2 - MODIS/Terra Aerosol 5-Min L2 Swath 10km, MOD07_L2 - MODIS/Terra Temperature and Water Vapor Profiles 5-Min L2 Swath 5km and MYD07_L2 - MODIS/Aqua Temperature and Water Vapor Profiles 5-Min L2 Swath 5km dataset were acquired from the Level-2 and Atmosphere Archive & Distribution System (LAADS) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC), located in the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland

• MCD12Q1 MODIS Land Cover Type Version 6 data product were acquired from the Level-3 and The Land Processes & Distribution System (LP) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC), located at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.”

• Earth Resources Observation and Science Center/U.S. Geological Survey/U.S. Department of the Interior (1997): USGS 30 ARC-second Global Elevation Data, GTOPO30. Research Data Archive at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Computational and Information Systems Laboratory. Dataset.

• Wind data obtained from the “Global Wind Atlas 2.0, a free, web-based application developed, owned and operated by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in partnership with the World Bank Group, utilizing data provided by Vortex, with funding provided by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP).

• For AL dataset:

  • Dataset Originator/Creator: VCST Team

  • Dataset Title: VIIRS/NPP Day/Night Band 6-Min L1B Swath SDR 750m NRT

  • Dataset Release Date: 2017-07-01T00:00:00.000Z

  • Dataset Release Place: MODAPS at NASA/GSFC

  • Dataset Publisher: LANCEMODIS

  • Version: 1

  • Dataset DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VNP02DNB_NRT.001

  • Online Resource: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/earth-observation-data/near-real-time/download-nrt-data/viirs-nrt

• The authors would like to thank to organizers of "https://www.projectpluto.com/obsc.htm" for maintaining astronomical observatories coordinates.