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      • Key numbers
      • The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST)
      • Instruments
      • Telescopes
      • Data products, pipelines, and services
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      • Alerts and brokers
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Contact us

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science will support Rubin Observatory in its operations phase to carry out the Legacy Survey of Space and Time. They will also provide support for scientific research with the data. During operations, NSF funding is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF, and DOE funding is managed by SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), under contract by DOE. Rubin Observatory is operated by NSF NOIRLab and SLAC.

NSF is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science. NSF supports basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.

The DOE Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

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  1. For Scientists
  2. Committees and teams
  3. Survey Cadence Optimization Committee (SCOC)

Survey Cadence Optimization Committee (SCOC)

The SCOC (pronounced ess-see-oh-see) is composed of members of the Rubin science community, and is charged to provide recommendations to the Rubin Observatory Operations Director regarding the parameters of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), such as cadence, filter balance, sky regions, and so on.

The charge to the SCOC is in Rubin Tech Note 089.

The recommendation reports from the SCOC are available at survey-strategy.lsst.io.

Find the most up-to-date SCOC activities and reports.

Current Members

  • Timo Anguita, Universidad Andres Bello, Chile (Strong Lensing SC liaison)
  • Franz Bauer, Universidad Católica, Chile (AGN SC liaison)
  • Louise Olivia Violet Edwards, Cal Poly, SLO (Galaxies SC liaison)
  • Saurabh Jha, Rutgers University (DESC liaison)
  • Rachel Mandelbaum, CMU (DESC liaison)
  • Adam Miller, Northwestern University (TVS SC liaison)
  • Knut Olsen, NSF’s NOIRLab (SMWLV SC liaison)
  • Colin Slater, University of Washington (TVS SC liaison)
  • Stephen Smartt, Oxford University (DESC liaison)
  • Jay Strader, Michigan State University (SMWLV SC liaison)
  • Rachel Street, Las Cubres Observatory (TVS SC liaison)
  • Kat Volk, Planetary Science Institute (SSSC liaison)

Non-voting Members

Lynne Jones, Rubin Observatory, ex officio
Federica Bianco, Rubin Observatory, Chair (ISSC liaison)

Historical SCOC Links

Past Timelines
  • Initial timeline (08/20)
  • Updated timeline (10/21)
Past SCOC Reports
  • Report about Survey Strategy and Cadence Choices (03/21)
  • Timeline infographic and summary of the draft Phase 1 SCOC recommendation (10/21)
  • Phase 1 SCOC recommendation (01/22)
  • Phase 2 SCOC recommendation (12/23)
  • Phase 3 SCOC recommendation (10/24)
Past Publications
  • Bianco et al. (2022) describes Rubin's community-driven survey strategy optimization process and the role of the SCOC.
  • Peer reviewed publication arising from community cadence work are collected in this ApJS Special Issue on Rubin Cadence.
  • 2018 Cadence White Papers.
  • Community Observing Strategy Evaluation Paper (COSEP, Marshall et al. 2017).
Past Announcements
  • Baseline 3.2 announced at the PCW 2024 (Community post).
  • SCOC Phase 2 report now available.
  • Public minutes from the SCOC meetings.
  • March 1st 2022, Federica Bianco (Rubin Construction Deputy Project Scientist) becomes the new chair of the SCOC.
  • March 23rs 2022, SCOC recommends continuing exploration of synergies with Euclid mission and the pursuit of the Euclid Deep Field South as a fifth Rubin Deep Drilling Field.
Past Solicitations and Workshops

Three SCOC Task Forces were active in 2023:

  1. Uniformity of data releases (charge and contacts)
  2. Milky Way strategy finalization (charge and contacts)
  3. Deep Drilling Fields strategy finalization (charge and contacts)

Calls for input and workshops for the science community:

  • LSST Cadence Notes Solicitation (12/20)
  • LSST Cadence Notes: Responses received (11/21)
  • The First SCOC-Science Collaborations Workshop (12/20)
  • The Second SCOC-Science Collaborations Workshop (11/21)
  • Notes from the Second Workshop
  • The Third SCOC-Science Collaborations Workshop (11/22)
  • Reports from the SCs on v2.X Simulations

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Try the survey strategy technical documentation at survey-strategy.lsst.io.

Visit the Rubin Community Forum and ask a question about survey strategy or the SCOC.

Rubin Community Forum

Ask questions, get help, report bugs or errors, and join in discussions about Rubin Observatory and its data products, pipelines, and services.

Go to the Rubin Community Forum