Presentations at "The Virtual Observatory in Practice: Impact, Adoption, and the Road Ahead"

Overview of "The Virtual Observatory in Practice: Impact, Adoption, and the Road Ahead."-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Virtual Observatory (VO) framework – developed through the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) – has become central to data discovery, access, and interoperability across nearly all major astronomical archives and observatories. VO standards enable consistent protocols for querying and retrieving images, catalogs, spectra, and metadata across wavelengths, spatial and temporal dimensions, instruments, and facilities. These standards underpin the data infrastructure at many current archives and data centers, including NASA’s MAST, IPAC, and HEASARC; NSF NOIRLab’s Astro Data Lab; the Canadian CADC; ESA archives; CDS, Chandra, Gaia, ALMA, ASTRON, and more. They have been adopted by newly commissioned projects such as Rubin Observatory, SphereX and Euclid, and future projects such as SKA and Roman.VO standards were foundational in shaping the now widely adopted FAIR data principles – making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable – and remain crucial as astronomy transitions to the era of large-scale surveys, AI-driven analysis, and even cross-disciplinary integration. Motivation for the Session-----------------------------------This session will demonstrate the enduring value of VO standards in enabling science, supporting data center operations, and fostering collaboration. We will highlight successful implementations in both legacy and next-generation missions, and explore emerging challenges and opportunities. With increasing demands on data interoperability and accessibility, it is critical to engage the wider astronomical community – scientists, data providers, and tool developers – in shaping the future of the VO. Session Format----------------------We propose a 90-minute splinter session with five short talks and a moderated discussion. The session is structured to be informative for practicing astronomers while also inviting participation from data center operators and software developers. 1) Introduction: The Current State of the Virtual Observatory (10 min)A brief overview of the IVOA and its global coordination role in standardizing astronomical data. This talk will outline how the VO ecosystem works and its connection to FAIR principles. 2) The VO’s Scientific Impact (15 min)VO protocols are deeply embedded in the daily workflows of astronomers. This talk will highlight the scientific productivity enabled by interoperable access to multi-wavelength archives. 3) VO Adoption in New Space Missions: SphereX and Roman (15 min)Both missions have embraced VO standards early in their software design. This talk will discuss why, and how this benefits mission operations and science delivery. 4) Rubin Observatory and the VO (15 min)Rubin has integrated IVOA standards to facilitate access to its time-domain data. This talk will describe the approach and its expected impact. 5) Integrating Data and Literature: The Role of ADS (15 min)The NASA ADS continues to expand its support for linking data, software, and literature through curation and text-mining activities following FAIR principles and VO best practices. This talk will present recent developments and future plans. 6) Discussion: The VO Looking Forward (20 min)A moderated conversation with expert implementers and audience Q&A. Topics will include challenges in scaling VO standards, integration with AI workflows, and lessons from other big-data domains.