CAESAR
======

Intro
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The Italian Space Agency (ASI) funds the CAESAR_ (Comprehensive spAce wEather Studies for the ASPIS prototype Realization) project.
The project, officially started on December 21st and lasting 25 months, responds to a call created by the agreement between ASI and the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) aimed at carrying out "Study activities for the scientific community of Space Weather for population of the ASPIS scientific data center ".

Description
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**CAESAR** (Comprehensive Space Weather Studies for the ASPIS Prototype Realization) is a project supported by the Italian Space Agency and the National Institute of Astrophysics through the ASI-INAF n.2020-35-HH.0 agreement for the development of the ASPIS prototype of scientific data centre for Space Weather. 

.. image:: assets/images/CAESAR_logo_fullsize_color.png
  :height: 220
  :alt: Alternative text

.. Check out the :doc:`CAESAR` section for further information, including the details on the ASPIS project.

.. To read about the latest news of the project please, visit the website `CAESAR project <https://caesar.iaps.inaf.it>`_

To read about the latest news of the project please, visit the website `CAESAR project <https://caesar.iaps.inaf.it>`_

The project
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The aim of the project is the creation, within the ASI Space Science Data Center, of a scientific center for the collection, processing and distribution of Space Weather data to the Italian scientific community, called ASPIS_ (ASI Space Weather Infrastructure).
CAESAR_ will design and build a prototype of ASPIS_ populated with high scientific level data and products.

Space Weather encompasses the set of physical conditions of the Sun, the Sun-Earth space, and the circumterrestrial environment that can have effects on the technological and biological systems of our planet.
The study of these phenomena is now indispensable, as our civilization is extremely technological and increasingly dependent on the services offered by the thousands of satellites in orbit (half of which guarantee telecommunications throughout the globe) and infrastructure Earth (e.g. electricity grids) and with a small "colony" that lives permanently in space (e.g. in the International Station).

An ever deeper knowledge of these processes and the impact they may have on technology and human health is essential to be able to predict them well in advance, in order to secure the infrastructures and the people potentially involved.

The CAESAR_ project is structured in such a way as to cover all the fundamental issues involved in Space Weather: the Physics of the Sun, the Sun-Earth interaction, Geomagnetism, magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling and the Physics of the earth's upper atmosphere, the effects of Space Weather on the planets of the Solar System, the Physics of Galactic Cosmic Rays and the impact of Space Weather on technological and biological systems.

CAESAR_ involves over 75 scientists from Universities and Research Bodies throughout Italy (University of Rome Tor Vergata, University of Catania, University of Genoa, University of Calabria, University of Trento, University of L'Aquila, University of Perugia, ASI, INAF, National Institute of Nuclear Physics, National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanonlogy), as well as personnel belonging to some international research centers.
This is a very important opportunity for the creation of a permanent national infrastructure that will collect data and products related to Space Weather.

Prospect
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A metadata schema has been defined to help standardise the description of the various products thats will be included in the CAESAR ASPIS archive prototype. Those metadata need to be filled in by the science working groups. As a help in doing so, a web-based form solution has been prepared, named ProSpecT as Product Specification Template. This document provides a quick overview of the web form and its usage and a guide to help filling in the required metadata elements.

:download:`Further reading <private/TemplateInstructions.pdf>`



.. _CAESAR: https://caesar.iaps.inaf.it/

.. _ASPIS: https://aspis.ssdc.asi.it/



