
Conference attendees at the Perth Zoo
The 9th International e-VLBI Workshop was held in Western Australia, the location of significant advances on the path to the SKA. The $100m Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope, with a high speed network connection to Perth, the $80m Pawsey High Performance Computing Centre for SKA Science and the $100m International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), promise a suite of new astronomical capabilities powered by innovative technologies and high performance networking and computing.
Within this context, e-VLBI has a lot to offer as a pathfinder technology for the SKA. Long haul, high speed data transport is a key technology driver for the SKA, accurate time distributed over long haul networks may also be a key technology, and e-VLBI is moving forward with remote operations of highly distributed telescope and processing facilities. e-VLBI offers an environment in which technology can be pushed to its current limits, solutions for SKA technologies can be tested, and partnerships between network providers and scientists can be established. Further, the scientific value of the e-VLBI technique is substantial, evidenced by recent high profile publications based on the e-VLBI technique.
The focus of this meeting was recent scientific and technical advances in e-VLBI, in particular looking toward the future role of SKA pathfinder telescopes, such as ASKAP, as part of e-VLBI arrays, and what we can learn from e-VLBI and apply to the SKA.
The workshop was three days in duration, the first two days dedicated to scientific and technical presentations. The third day was a networking forum for representatives of networking organisations and scientists to discuss current and future trends in high speed data transport and relevance to e-VLBI and the SKA.
Important Dates/Deadlines:
Many of the presentations are available for download from our wiki.
Download the day 3 (networking day) program
Posters are welcome, with ample space to display them for the duration of the meeting. Posters will be mounted to the walls via velcro tabs (provided at the meeting). Please plan your poster accordingly.
The venue for the workshop was Perth Zoo, located in South Perth (Western Australia), across the picturesque Swan River from the Perth CBD. The location is readily located using google maps or similar. The daily workshop activities will take place at the Zoo. Normal facilities for speakers will be provided. On the first day of the workshop we will have the workshop dinner, in the form of a "Sundowner" (an informal dinner and drinks) at the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research. This is a short distance from South Perth and transport will be provided from the workshop to dinner and then returning to South Perth and the Perth CBD for hotel drop-offs.
Visit the Perth Zoo Website
The weather in Perth in October is mild, with typical minimum temperatures of 11 - 14 and typical maximum temperatures of 20 - 25. Somewhat warmer weather is not unusual. The Sundowner will partly be an outdoor event, so a lightweight warm jacket will be a good item to pack.
Visitors from out of state or from overseas will arrive to Perth international and Perth domestic airports, which are co-located. The easiest form of transport to accommodation in the Perth CBD or South Perth is via taxi and will cost approximately $A30 from the airport.
Please be aware that travel to Australia may require a visa. Please check visa requirements and if a formal letter of invitation is required, please request it from the Chair of the SOC (Prof. Steven Tingay) as soon as possible.
There is limited accommodation immediate to the Perth Zoo in South Perth. Some of the viable options worth exploring are given below:
A wide range of accommodation options are available in the Perth CBD area, with transport to South Perth possible via a short ferry ride across the river and a short walk to the Zoo from the ferry terminal in South Perth. Some further information on hotels is attached to this email. Information on the Perth ferry.
We look forward to seeing you in Perth in October.
Professor Steven Tingay
Chair - SOC & LOC, ICRAR

