DEADLINE EXTENDED: One-Page Abstracts due December 1, 2008

NOTE TO AUTHORS: If you have already submitted an abstract, you are welcome to resubmit updates up until December 1, 2008.

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ABOUT SMC-IT:

The role of space information technology has progressively grown in importance from the earliest days of space exploration. The International Conference on Space Mission Challenges for Information Technology (SMC-IT) is the first forum to gather system designers, engineers, scientists, practitioners, and space explorers with the objective of advancing information technology for space missions. This forum will provide an excellent opportunity for fostering technical interchange on all levels of  hardware and software in space missions.

The conference will focus on current IT practice and challenges as well as emerging information technologies with applicability for future space missions. IT in all aspects of the space mission will be explored, including flight systems, relevant ground systems, science data processing, engineering and development tools, operations, and telecommunications. The entire IT lifecycle of the mission development will also be covered, such as conceptual design, engineering tools development, integration and test, operations, science analysis, and quality control.

CALL FOR PAPER ABSTRACTS AND MINI-WORKSHOP CONCEPTS

As in 2006, SMC-IT 2009 will include contributed and invited papers, plenary keynotes, mini-workshops with specific themes, industry exhibition, and student paper tracks.   Novel space IT contributed papers are solicited from all sectors of the space community, including earth orbiting systems, deep space missions, ground support systems, instruments, science, landers, and rovers. The conference will address all space end application areas, including civilian, military, and commercial. Likewise, domain areas extend from human crewed missions to robotic, and Earth observing to deep space.

During SMC-IT 2009 we will also repeat the highly successful mini-workshop session format that was first introduced in 2006 to explore specific emerging technology themes in greater depth. Each mini-workshop will typically run as one track during one day and incorporate both invited and contributed papers. If you would like to organize such a mini-workshop, please submit a short abstract on the theme, scope, and goals as part of this CFP.

More details can be found on the conference web site (http://smc-it.org).

A partial list of example technology areas for both papers and mini-workshops include:

• Reliable software and innovative fault tolerance methods
• Autonomy - rovers to operations
• Autonomy - system validation
• Automated planners and schedulers
• Human and robotic interface
• Engineering design and modeling tools
• IT tools for risk management
• Innovative IT methods for rapid technology mission infusion
• Real-time information systems
• Embedded IT systems (for control or onboard processing)
• Machine vision and advanced image processing methods
• Real-time software and IT hardware in the loop
• Novel applications - spacecraft, ground systems, telecom
• IT for low cost operations
• OOD methods that enhances reuse
• Middleware services
• Knowledge capture, management, and ontologies
• On-board vehicle health diagnosis and repair
• Reducing software development costs and risk through CMMI
• Science and user software applications
• IT for the Interplanetary Network and next generation space communications
• New software architectures, languages, compilers, tools, for space missions
• Advanced high performance computing systems and applications
• Revolutionary new information technologies
  

All manuscripts will be reviewed in a two-step process. One-page abstracts of contributed papers as well as mini-workshop proposals must be received by COB December 1, 2008. Notification will be mailed by February 1, 2009. The template can be found at the SMC-IT 2009 web site:

http://SMC-IT.org/authorinfo.html

Authors of accepted abstracts must submit a full 8-page paper by May 1, 2009.

Unique in 2009 and of interest to some attendees is that SMC-IT 2009 will be held in conjunction with the International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI 2009), to be held one week earlier, July 13-17, 2009, at the same venue.  For those who have a deep interest in space IT and AI technologies, this dual meeting co-location over a two week period will afford one of the most unusual opportunities in recent memory to gain a total emersion of the latest developments in AI, and should appeal to those who work in the autonomy, automation, robotics, and other adjunct fields.  Tentatively, some joint symposia and other events are planned on the weekend between the two conferences as well as extensive range of field trip opportunities in the Southern California area. If you can afford the time, we encourage you to explore attending both meetings.

For those new to SMC-IT, the conference will again be held in the beautiful Southern California city of Pasadena, home of the California Institute of Technology, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Tournament of Roses Parade, which is conveniently located near all popular attractions within the greater Los Angeles area, including Universal Studios, Hollywood, Disneyland, Beverly Hills, and many beaches.

For more detailed information on specific IT topic areas, schedule, author information, and general logistics information please refer to the conference website: