Study to install an information system at the University of the Istanbul Astronomy and Space Sciences Department

Abstract

University of Istanbul Astronomy and Space Sciences Department's current computing system which no longer adequately meets the needs of its users-astronomers-has to be re-designed to operate like an Information System. Other major factors that have convinced us to design a new system were the establishment of the National Observatory of Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey and an urgent need for on-site scientific data analysis systems. Installation of an Information System started with Initial Investigation and Feasibility Study phases. The needs of users, the scope of the problem, the priority assigned to the project and the resources needed to modify the existing system were accurately estimated through a number of questionnaires. The major modification made was increasing the computing power of the system with two new workstations: DEC Alpha and HP PW. The General and Detailed Design phases determined the technical design of the system. The system is now in its implementation phase.