The Netherlands to host the premier conference on data analysis software and systems for astronomy

Astronomy and related disciplines are at the forefront of science and technology. Astronomical software is cutting edge and technical developments in astronomy have an important societal impact, helping advance technologies in medicine, computing, communication and imaging.

ADASS provides a unique forum for astronomers, software engineers, and data science specialists from around the world to discuss software and algorithms used in all aspects of astronomy, from telescope operations, data reduction and analysis, to outreach and education. ADASS is a vital mechanism to foster discussion for the advancement of the field. A good example for this are several talks on the largest radio telescope in the world, the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), whose core is situated near Exloo in Drenthe. Along with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), LOFAR is at the forefront of technological advancement, as it generates huge amounts of big data and therefore immensely benefits from and contributes to the discussion and collaborations at ADASS.

Through this conference, a global collaboration between astronomers, software engineers, and industries is strengthened with active sharing of information that is beneficial to all parties. A crucial aspect of ADASS is its cross-disciplinary nature that is fundamental to the advancement of our understanding of physical processes in the Universe as it brings together people from diverse fields of research. Combining information from these different fields to synthesize a comprehensive view of our Universe requires increasingly more advanced software and data analysis techniques that are reviewed, discussed, advanced, and in some cases conceived at this conference.

Hosting ADASS XXIX this year is important for the Netherlands. The conference programme is shaped to present and discuss technical developments that are being pioneered in the Netherlands and prepare the community for the next generation astronomical observations with e.g. the Square Kilometre Array, ESO telescopes (e.g., the Extremely Large Telescope) and ESA missions (e.g., Gaia and Euclid). These include fundamental data science challenges, data processing pipelines, local and global cloud infrastructure for data processing and storage, open access to data, telescope operations and scheduling, delivery of science-ready radio data, and data visualisation.

ASTRON (Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy) leads the organisation of the event, together with seven other Dutch astronomical institutes: Allegro ALMA Regional Center node Leiden, JIVE (Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC), Leiden University, RU (Radboud University, Nijmegen), RUG (University of Groningen), SRON (Netherlands Institute for Space Research), and UvA (University of Amsterdam).

Held annually, a different host institution is selected each year to encourage broad participation by the community. Hosting institutions have been located in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, UK, Japan, Australia, Italy, and Chile.