Since the identified challenges are similar in astronomy and Earth observations, with computer science as the common denominator, the Action proposal aims at boosting the communication within and between disciplines by identifying and clustering relevant common solutions developed within research and industrial environments. These solutions can be aided by methodologies and tools for large distributed data management and processing, developed by computer scientists in academia or industry. For example, metadata is extensively exploited in multimedia Digital Asset Management to provide effective access to deep repositories of audio-visual content. This approach can contribute a valuable know-how to natural scientists working with similar type of data structures in large databases. Visual Analytics is another example of a growing field in computer science, with interesting implications for astronomy and Earth observation that inherently depend on visual datasets. Therefore, the objectives are set in a logical framework where a diverse network of experts identifies the issues to be addressed, followed by joint utilization of their existing resources to tackle the problems related to these issues, with the emphasis on building bridges between disciplines needed for success and disseminating the acquired knowledge, know-how and results to a wider circle of stakeholders.
