Speaker
Description
I will review plans for global transient and detection networks of the future. The BRICS+ astronomy flagship programme entitled the BRICS Intelligent Telescope and Data Network (BITDN) aims to harness existing and future facilities within BRICS+ countries for automated transient observation. Likewise a smaller Africa initiative, the African Integrated Observation Network (AIOS) has similar aims, utilizing continental facilities in northern, eastern and southern Africa. The major next development in transient and variable objectdetections will inevitably push to higher cadences and better sky coverage, as envisaged with GOTTA: a Global Open Transient Telescope Array, a new Chinese-led project. The current concept consists of 135 1-m modified Schmidt telescopes, each with a 25 sq degree field of view and with an effective 18k x 18k CMOS detector and with one dedicated filter (e.g. g, r or i). Ideally, these telescopes will be situated in groups of 3 in both hemispheres and with sufficient longitude range to achieve all-sky coverage, with a cadence of less than an hour. Larger aperture (2-4-m class) telescope will be used for spectroscopic followup.
