Questionnaire Results

Overview Talks (on Monday)

• It was good to see an overview of the IVOA standards, publishing to the VO, etc.
• Rather vague and general. Probably more use to people not already involved. Could have been shorter.
• Even though I did "my homework" before coming, these overview talks gave a very helpful summary of the VO concepts.
• Very good introduction.
• As a newcomer, I still find it difficult to see how the various parts of EuroVO fit together (IVOA, AVO, Astrogrid...). Plus I was tired from the journey!
• I have already seen them in Kyoto.
• Too high level / "managerial"; I am much more interested in the actual implementation side of things.
• Too long & too general, but still some useful moments.
• Nice overview, well prepared.
• Places everything into context, but not exactly what I expected from a workshop.

Lectures and Demos (on Tuesday)

• Interesting, but too much high level and not enough details for my liking.
• These also could mostly have been shorter and/or included more detailed science problems and how VO can solve them. Some material could have been saved for tutorials - or to introduce discussions.
• Should probably have been more comprehensive regarding existing tools (standards description was OK).
• These lectures were a good preparation fro the tutorials - almost essential!
• It would be better to have them just in front of the respective tutorial. Some of them were too abstract to understand for people with a non-software-engineering background.
• Room was crowded and uncomfortable without air conditioning.
• Didn't really get an overview - many talks seemed to be saying the same thing (protocol, translation layer...) - to much by late afternoon.
• I have already seen them in Kyoto.
• Very important, but definitely not sufficient for a large fraction of the participants; should be at least twice longer for each topic.
• Morning and early afternoon presentations were good. Late afternoon talks were irrelevant and/or redundant.
• Some demos were a bit fast for a newcomer.
• All lectures in the afternoon were really not appropriate for a beginner in VO: it was very difficult to understand.
• For some of the lectures I missed the relation to the topic of the workshop.

Tutorials (on Wednesday and Thursday)

• The noise in the Council room from the three other parallel sessions made it hard to concentrate. Thursday was better.
• More time to install software beforehand would have helped. Tutorials needed more basic information (e.g. motivation) at the start.
• I selected the aspects which I most wanted to learn.
• A little introduction at some tutorials explaining the general framework would have been useful. Otherwise you tend to unfold an extremely well prepared tutorial without always what is the background of it.
• Although not directly involved in VO activities, I found these tutorials to be very interesting and the technology applicable to other areas.
• They would be even more useful, if they give more basic background as to what one is doing; try to figure out the level of knowledge beforehand or offer different levels (e.g. DAL); distribute tutorials at least 3 weeks beforehand.
• Presenters were great and very helpful, but it was too much in too little time (for me). More time to prepare would have been helpful.
• Despite many issues with Java versions, different Tomcats etc, still a lot of effort had already gone into these.
• In comparison to the talks, the tutorials were too short. They would have been much more usable if we have had more time. An important part of the tutorial time were used to solve implementation problems.
• Very useful but too difficult for the majority of the participants, especially DCI & GWS.
• Tutorials ere well prepared, but could have used "roadmaps" or overviews that explained better just what was being done and why.
• Practice is a lot more interesting than theory.
• Grid tutorial had potential, but fell short of the mark.
• Very well prepared. No problems to run all the examples given with Windows XP: a miracle!
• GWS tutorial was not good, too fast without attention of participants.

Unstructured Hands-on (on Friday)

• Excellent. A good chance to put questions to the experts about using their middleware for our own problems. Shame it wasn't longer!
• I cheated and caught up of other business.
• It was extremely useful to get complementary information further to the tutorials.
• Not too many people were asking questions. But I think it was a good idea.
• Haven't really used it.
• Did not attend
• Time to reflect welcome - but perhaps could have spread tutorials more?
• Not attended
• Not many people doing something different from reading mail/news :)
• Fine for catching up my e-mail!

Tutorials preparatory materials (CD-ROM, FTP)

• Very good. Well done!
• Should have been available sooner.
• Somewhat useful, but difficult to find a better solution.
• If it was possible to have it earlier...
• Extremely well prepared. It would have been nice to have only one Tomcat/Axis version which would ease the deployment of the different tools when back home.
• This material was very good to have everything ready for the tutorials. However, it would've been interesting to get technical information regarding the steps performed in the tutorials.
• Installation: too little information, no help files "how to install", too little time for preparation (only 2 days). Tutorials: 50% were excellent, 50% useless. Could not do it without help in each step.
• Did not have enough time to prepare.
• The instruction came really too late...
• You have done a nice job.
• Each of the tutorials was nicely organized. However, the "interoperation" between the teams preparing the tutorials was quite weak: one had to install different instances of the same software package many times.
• Did not have time to use it in advance.
• But much too late.
• Saves much time to prepare in advance the tutorials. Easier to ensure everyone works with the same version of software.

• 2 or 2,5 hour is more appropriate length of time for the DCI, UCD and ADQL tutorials.
• Could have done with more debugging/benchmark tests in advance if there was more time beforehand as a lot of time was lost struggling with directory structure etc.
• It would be useful to have a brief introduction in the beginning: Motivation, Background information, Context. GWS was the worst tutorial in terms of documentation and help.
• GWS required significant background of the participants. To fix this I would have suggested to make it at least 3 times longer; better the whole day.
• GWS tutorial was too fast and for me not clear
• The tutorials should not be longer; that would not increase my knowledge/success rate. Split up if necessary.
• In many tutorials most of the time was spent in installing and configuring Tomcat, letting too short time to the other interesting things especially when someone already knows and manage with Tomcat & Axis.

• On the whole, very good tutorials. DCI was excellent. Well done to Dave Morris.
• Not being directly involved in VO activities (at the moment), these tutorials were not quite applicable to what I am doing. But they definitely influence what will be doing in the near future.
• Many tutorials targeted towards software developers/engineers, not scientists.
• The problem was anyway the lack of time.
• Hard to say at this early stage of my VO activity.

• Medium with standards & client side; low server side.
• No previous experience, apart from lectures in the past. No hands on.
• Member of one of the IVOA WGs.
• Low or medium, depends on which standards.
• I worked for AVO and now Astrogrid but with limited experience of detailed software.
• I had investigated the IVOA website and specs as part of my early investigation.

• Have registered several SCS and SIAP services.
• Not clear for me at the moment. May be any in the future.
• At our institution we both provide access to data, simulation tools and develop applications making use of them.
• Particular interest in radio astronomy data.
• I have specific astro applications that I need to apply to the VO.

• 1) How VO standards are important in europe research. 2) how to install Tomcat!!! (ironic)
• Existing tools that are used, pointers to ad hoc examples.
• Status of the project and standards
• That the stable version of the VO software is not reached yet; that the standards are not completely defined; that there is no application at the moment for solar or planetary images or data in the frame of VO.
• There are more infrastructure VO tools that I thought possible.
• The use of VO apps.
• UCD tools, Aladin.
• That for the time being, VO are mostly dedicated to sky/stars, and that since my lab mostly works with solar/planetary data, it will take time to integrate VO.
• Techniques to do things the new way; it works.
• The set of rules that allow building a federated service providers.
• That exist many tools that I can use.
• This was the first time I had exposure to web service theory and applications, so I guess this is the most important thing I learned.
• Astrogrid staff (CEA, DCI, Registry, ...)
• What is there now, what's being worked out, and how to use it myself.
• Given my initial low experience it was very good to get an overview of the level required to understand the real possibilities of the technologies presented.
• The great work of other VO providers.
• The Astrogrid registry presentation.
• To separate all the tasks and concepts from the data to the end-user.
• The state of the tools provided.
• Standards as SSA and SIA.
• Man different standards and something of their uses. Server side wrapping is important.
• What tools are available in Europe and made many contacts.
• Many. Cannot point out a specific one.
• Handling VO related software. VO standards: Limitations and future developments.
• Eat the cookies while they're still there! Seriously, many important things were given here, and I can't choose one in particular.
• Such contacts should be more often.
• 1) A big clarification about all VO concepts/stubs. 2) A how-to.
• CEA - DSI
• Standards, resources and frameworks quite mature.
• Better understanding of database query process and of UCD1+. Separate discussions about using datamodels to present images together with tabular/registry into to users.
• What standards are already established for data, metadata, services etc.
• How different IVOA standards and existing software related the thinking behind providing/consuming services in the VO.
• Aladin.
• VO services are almost ready for deployment.

• More on AG tools/client APIs for writing applications.
• More scientific applications using VO tools like Aladin.
• Integrating services and assembling solutions to real-life user science problems.
• Workflow management and web services composition.
• The "behind the scenes technology". But I was able to learn more from the tutors afterwards.
• A user-side view of VO: what catalogs/services are around, how to locate them (in practice, for a specific purpose).
• Efforts at integration. Some interesting results for astronomers.
• I guess not. Only I would have preferred some of the tutorials being longer.
• How to create a new registry.
• At this point it's more important to me to go over all the topics covered in the workshop in order to exploit them deeply.
• A more detail on the architecture of the VO components (ie registry, data center).
• Radio VO.
• 1) I would have appreciated to have a simple introduction to SOAP. 2) I would have liked to hear more about Data Model activities and applications.
• Little more about grid/web services.

Would you come back to another EURO-VO Workshop?

• It depends on the progress I make coming 'home'.
• Yes, to be aware of evolution (as it will still evolve a lot!).
• Not with the same content, yes if new things to learn.
• Yes, if the lessons from this one have been incorporated..
• It depends on the programme compared to the present one.
• Yes. Very good!

Would you recommend such a Workshop to your colleagues?

• Yes with a few comments on how they should prepare...
• If they are involved in VO activities, definitely.
• Depends on which colleagues: astronomers -> no; computer scientists -> yes.

• Good organization! Thanks very much.
• Organisation is excellent.
• Please keep tutorials in separate rooms where noise from other tutorials cannot penetrate. Very well done overall though.
• A quick reminder/summary of the lectures at the start of each tutorial would be helpful.
• Make groups depending of the VO levels/activities, and lengths of time adapted to group level/activities.
• Allow more time for practicals and/or don't expect everyone to cover all topics. Subdivide in advance into groups. Give science problems or ask students to bring cases to develop.
• People should really think they are not talking to only native english speakers. So speak slower and louder.
• Very good.
• "Keep up the good work!"
• Very good organization! Lecturers: take time for introduction. Most of them were great in solving problems, providing help!
• Do not assume that we are familiar with each and every one of VO concepts and technologies.
• Send out software information much earlier. Tell us we need to install ALL software and unzip all files (some took more than 30 minutes to unzip on Windows). Allow people to work at their own pace.
• More overviews of various protocols and translation layers - difficult to place these afterwards.
• Software installation too heavy.
• Please send install instructions more in advance...
• You have done a very good job.
• Very good organization.
• Too many presentations, not enough tutorials.
• Good.
• Good! Very competent and helpful in giving advices and suggestions to solve very specific problems.
• Grid and WS tutorial leads: It would be better to not start by quickly going through an exercise and only then have people try it. This was very confusing if you didn't know anything about the topics beforehand. Better to step through the parts and wait for everyone to finish one before handling the next.
• 1) Provide just one package for each software on the CD 2) Put explanations in step-by-step tutorial instructions (not just how to do something, but why we do it that way, what are the advantages, etc)
• Simultaneous sessions in Council Room were very noisy. Hard to focus. Need larger sessions for more complex topics.
• I have a better idea of using VOTable, which is the correct semantics, and of using Aladin, VOSpec. But web services lectures weren't very clear.
• The workshop was very well organized and I look forward for other events of the same kind.
• Try to stagger the tutorials even more, like VOTable/Aladin did in an excellent way.
• Great organisation as a whole (Markus/Martine!).
• Prepare the same Tomcat + database for all tutorials.
• For the tutorials: only one installation of prerequisite software for all of them.
• A more unified approach for the tutorials; a first tutorial for having things configured for the rest.
• Good organisation! Thank you!
• More "detailed" tutorials, better understanding of what were we doing.
• Try to have a unique and consistent software kit for all tutorials. This is what the 'user' will have to have eventually. I agree that this is a lot of work, but will pay off in the long term. You may put it as a 'getting started' on the Euro-VO pages...
• Not a very good organisation of tutorials, some of them not so good and clear.

• It was good to get me going...
• I would rate it a little lower from the grid point of view; buses came earlier than announced; more time would have been needed between drop & collection; buses for dinner, not all the rest.
• The workshop would have rated higher if I had found an application of VO for the solar/planetary field. However, it is very interesting to see what is in place, and hopefully what will evolve from that.
• I was ill prepared technically. Next time will be much more useful.
• Invite larger amount of scientists to such events and in a couple of years they will understand the usefulness of the VO resources and tools.
• Some of the topics covered by the tutorials deserved much more time. I think the next workshop should focus on less topics and cover them in deep details.
• Good experience - I had too many issues with different Java versions (Tomcat, Aladin...) etc to get into flow. Perhaps distribute more snik to the next time?
• Had to spend too much time learning about Windows XP, DOS, and programming languages I never used.
• Again, if I were directly involved in VO-technologies activities, it would be "Extremely useful"
• It should probably be clearly stated before that learning Tomcat and Axis is an advantage for making full benefit of the tutorials.
• Tutors very competent, helpful and patient. Why are so few women involved, even less than average in astronomy?
• Can't wait for the next one!