Aurora is a daughter company of LSE Space who themselves are part of the Swedish Space Corporation group. We are a friendly business, operate autonomously and benefit from our relationship within this corporate structure.
Science Archives and Virtual Observatory Java developer (SRE-124)
Aurora is an established supplier of skilled manpower to ESA and in particular at ESTEC and ESAC. Aurora has the opportunity to expand our support to ESA in Science Archive and Virtual Observatory team within the Science and Robotic Exploration Directorate (D/SRE). Aurora currently has a team of 16 engineers and scientists at ESAC.Overview
Within the Science Operations Department’s overall responsibility for scientific operations development and execution for astronomy missions, the Science Archives and Computer Engineering Unit carries in particular the role of developing science archives, providing easy access to mission data for the scientific community worldwide. A Science Archives Team in ESAC works on various archive projects (ISO, XMM-Newton, INTEGRAL, HERSCHEL, ROSETTA, MARS EXPRESS, SMART-1, VENUS EXPRESS, SOHO, Planck and more to come). All mission archives are on-line via the World Wide Web, with data distribution usually being done via FTP. Modular and flexible multi-tier and client–server architecture –together with the use of an object-oriented approach, Java and XML– allows configurability and re-use of systems across projects.Furthermore, ESA, through the ESAC Science Archives Team is playing a greater role in the Virtual Observatory (VO) worldwide to position itself as THE main VO actor for all European space-based astronomical data. A VO is a network of interoperating data archives and software tools that use the connectivity provided by the Internet (and in future the GRID) to form a scientific research environment in which astronomical research programs can be conducted. The vast astronomical archives and databases around the world, together with analysis tools and computational services, are linked together into an integrated facility, not only connecting astronomical data centres and providers but also providing collective capabilities beyond those possible in any individual archive.
No one in the Science Archives Team is dedicated to any archive in particular, but everybody works on similar sub-system(s) across all the projects. There are database engineers, experts on user interface and middle-tier and other specialists on data storage, data distribution and interoperability aspects.
The tasks related to Science Archives and VO user interfaces and middle-tier applications:
- Design, develop, deploy and maintain the Science Archive and VO graphical user interfaces which allow the users to make queries to the database, see the results, select products and request them
- Design, develop, deploy and maintain the Science Archive and VO middle-tier applications which provide transparent access for applications (User Interface, Statistics Tool, Archive Inter-Operability systems, and others) to the database and to the data products repository
- Design, develop, deploy and maintain some Science Archive Data Products Visualization tools, which allow to display images and spectra and to perform some simple manipulations (zooming, selection, some extraction,…).
- Configuration control and documentation tasks relevant to the above mentioned tasks.
- Database design and modelling taking into account the user requirements
- Database installation, population, monitoring and maintenance
- Design, develop, deploy and maintain database interfaces for the rest of the archives and VO systems
- Design, develop, deploy and maintain applications related to the database information (user administration tools, statistics tools, etc…)
- Configuration control and documentation tasks relevant to the above mentioned tasks.
- Design, develop, deploy and maintain Science Archive Data Distribution systems, which allow the users to retrieve archive data products via FTP or via an off-line physical media
- Design, develop, deploy and maintain the Science Archive interoperability services, which provide a scriptable interface to the science archive databases and data products.
- Design, develop, deploy and maintain the VO compliant interoperability systems, making sure all RSSD Science Archives at ESAC are VO accessible
- Design, develop, deploy and maintain an ESA VO Portal, including a ESA multi-missions archive based on VO protocols
- Design, develop, deploy and maintain VO applications and VO clients (Registry, VOSpec,)
- Participating to the VO interoperability working groups where VO standards are discussed and defined.
- Configuration control and documentation tasks relevant to the above mentioned tasks.
Specific qualification requirements
University degree in computer science, or software engineering, or scientific discipline, or equivalent.Specific knowledge is required in the following areas:
- ESA Ground Segment and Scientific Archives Software engineering
- Experience in designing multi-tier architecture application in the context of Scientific Archives and Virtual Observatory
- Extensive experience in JAVA programming language
- Experience in Web technologies (http, JSP, web services, …)
- Experience in SQL and XML
- Experience in Graphical User Interfaces application
- UNIX SUN Solaris or Linux, and PC/Windows environment
- Experience on ESA software engineering processes and software configuration control tools and some scientific background would be an asset.
- The candidate must be able to work in English.
All applicants must be legally allowed to work in Spain without the need to obtain a work visa.
Location
The work will be performed at the ESAC, the European Space Astronomy Centre, at Villafranca del Castillo, near Madrid, Spain.
Contract
- You will be registered for both social security and tax in Spain.
- The standard working hours are 40 per week. There are 12 public holidays and an additional 29 annual days holiday.
- Training to improve efficiency and provide strength for future career are of course included.
- Aurora can assist financially and provide recent experience information for relocation.
To be considered for this Position
Provide prior to 16 November 2010 a summary of why you are a good candidate for the position together with a complete and detailed Recruitment Form to Mr. Alex Jeanes, at email alexjeanes@aurora.nl quoting reference SRE-124.
Aurora will agree conditional employment terms and conditions with candidates before presenting their recruitment form to ESA by 19 November 2010. ESA will select the candidates for interview and Aurora will provide for interview travel costs. Should ESA select you then a formal letter of employment shall be issued with an agreed start date.