From 2-6 November, JIVE hosted the online CASA-VLBI workshop, over 200 people from around the world registered for this free workshop.
The workshop was entirely educational. The lecture covered a broad range of topics and levels from the basics of CASA, through calibration of VLBI observations, imaging and data processing up to the future of VLBI.
At the end of the workshop all the participants had gained experience with processing EVN data, preparing them for processing their own observations, or exploring the opportunity to request an EVN observation for themselves. The workshop has clearly broadened the EVN user base.
There was a very notable interest from several African countries, Peru, Turkey, and Indonesia in this workshop. At least 20 of the active participants resided in countries not classically known for their radio astronomy, and this workshop has laid a first basis for establishing new relationships.
From Turkey and Indonesia came reports that they are interested in, or are already attempting to refurbishing existing communication dishes for radio astronomy. This is of interest to JIVE and the EVN, as they are currently working on expansion of the network as part of the JUMPING JIVE project. The WP leaders within JUMPING JIVE have been informed of these interests and will explore this further.
The interest in the CASA-VLBI workshop was overwhelming and this demonstrates that there is a great need for easy access to materials and support for VLBI data processing. Workshops like this can help build human capital and set-up knowledge platforms in regions that are taking their first steps into radio astronomy. They are also essential for bringing the latest software developments to the users, and ensure that new functionality is thoroughly exercised by experts. Feedback from users will help prioritizing future software development and choosing the most efficient path forward.
All materials from the workshop, slides, lecture recordings and tutorials, will remain available on the workshop website for the indefinite future. (add webpage link)