Extending the Virtual Solar Observatory (VSO) to Incorporate Data Analysis Capabilities

I will review our current activities to extend the data analysis capability of the VSO by incorporating generic analysis tools to compare data from different observatories. These tools were developed originally as part of the RHESSI software package, an object-oriented graphical user interface written in the Interactive Data Language (IDL). They support the display and analysis of solar observations in a variety of formats (lightcurves, images, spectra, and spectrograms) and different wavelengths (X-ray, radio, and optical). Combining the VSO with generic analysis tools extends the capability of the VSO by enabling users to efficiently query, browse, download, and jointly analyze multi-instrument datasets within a unified software environment. I will present examples of how these generic analysis tools can be applied to the scientific analysis of heliophysics datasets available through the VSO, particularly to newer observations from the STEREO and Hinode missions.