VESPA (Virtual European Solar and Planetary Access) is an integrated system connecting many data services related to the study of the Solar System, mostly developed in the frame of the EC-funded Europlanet programmes — see the main VESPA website: https://www.europlanet-vespa.eu/
The VESPA team has collected a set of tutorials covering data discovery, access, visualization, scientific analysis, and publication of Solar System data services.
VESPA data life cycle:
Discover → Access → Analyse → Publish → Share results
These tutorials provide a recommended entry point for new users:
| Level | Tutorial | Main tools |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 | Simple data access | VESPA portal |
| 🟢 | VESPA portal walkaround | VESPA portal |
| 🟢 | Accessing EPN-TAP services from different tools | VESPA portal, TOPCAT, CASSIS, SPLAT-VO, Aladin, TAPhandle, python |
| 🟢 | Configuring VO tools for planetary data | TOPCAT, Aladin, AladinLite |
Levels:
🟢 Beginner 🟡 Intermediate 🔴 Advanced
These tutorials illustrate advanced access to EPN-TAP services, advanced VO usage, and programmatic workflows.
Tutorials intended for data providers and service operators.
| Level | Tutorial |
|---|---|
| 🔴 | Installing an EPN-TAP service - broadlines |
The following tutorials illustrate how VESPA and VO tools can be used in various scientific domains.
- Looking for and plotting Titan atmospheric profiles
- Imaging spectroscopy: walkaround VIRTIS-Venus-Express
- Comparing vertical profiles in the atmosphere of Mars (SPICAM vs MCD)
- Matisse used with VIRTIS-VEx
- Planetary maps and images in Aladin
- Spatial searches - VESPA geoportal demo
- Mapping sparse spatial data with TOPCAT (VIRTIS-Rosetta)
- Studying lunar craters with TOPCAT and Aladin
- Cross-matching overlapping observations from EPN-TAP services (HRSC vs OMEGA vs SPICAM)
- Plotting shape models of small bodies in TOPCAT
- CASSIS as a spectroscopy tool for VESPA
- Cross-matching services: spectra of TNOs
- Plotting bandlists in TOPCAT (SSHADE)
- Comparing observations with laboratory spectra
- APIS - Auroral Planetary Images and Spectra
- Cassini Titan fly-by
- Connection of Helio Tools, AMDA & 3DView: CME impact on Venus and Earth
- Mars Global Surveyor plasma data compared with models
- Magnetodisc modelling
- ExPRES/MASER modelling of radio emissions
- HAPI — heliophysics time-series
- Exploring Exoplanets
- Plotting exoplanets with TOPCAT and Aladin — simple plots
- Plotting exoplanets with TOPCAT and Aladin — advanced plots
These tutorials focus on technical methods, coordinate systems, and reusable procedures. They describe Astropy procedures with planetary coordinates:
- Mars body-fixed frame and representation conversions (Jupyter notebook)
- Planetary images WCS manipulations (Jupyter notebook)
- Manipulating fireball network data (Jupyter notebook)
These videos originate from the FP7 Europlanet-RI programme (2009–2012). Some content remains useful, but interfaces and workflows have evolved significantly since their production. In particular, the VESPA portal, Aladin, TOPCAT, and several VO services now provide additional features not covered in these videos.
- CRISM cubes in TOPCAT and Aladin
- Using QGIS plugin to obtain vector data from VO and place into QGIS
These two tutorials are based on the deprecated CRISM service at Constructor University. They still provide indications about sending VO data to the QGIS application (with dedicated plugin).