The SKADS program has been structured as series of strategic Design Studies (DS) including both feasibility studies and technical preparatory work.

The feasibility studies (organised in DS2; DS3; DS7; DS8) are exercises relevant to the design and costing of the SKA network and infrastructure, and the overall assessment and project plan.

The technical preparatory work (organised in DS4; DS5; DS6) mainly involves hardware R&D associated with establishing the cost-effectiveness of our specific solution for an SKA station. Each of these Design Studies has been sub-divided into coherent Design Study Tasks with clear aims, milestones and deliverables.

• DS1 : The management of Design Studies “SKADS”

• DS2 : The development of instrument specifications based on a quantification of key science drivers and a study of the technical requirements associated with the delivery of the science

• DS3 : An end-to-end study of the network, data handling and physical infrastructure from collection to the delivery of data to the astronomical users and its efficient use by them

• DS4 : The design of a cost-effective antenna system comprising an SKA station capable of forming beams in many directions in the sky simultaneously and independently. This will involve a range of R&D to develop the technical foundations and enabling technologies

• DS5 : The construction of an engineering demonstrator low frequency array resembling our vision of an SKA station and exploration of the practical issues involved in multi-beam acquisition and signal-processing concepts The operation of links in SKADS (using the European research fibre network GÉANT) to join a number of SKADS multi-beaming demonstrators separated by distances up to many hundreds of kilometres, to demonstrate the high angular resolution imaging capabilities required by the SKA community.

• DS6 : The application of phased array technology in the focal plane of mechanical field concentrators. This already takes into account the hybrid potential of aperture array technology

• DS7 : A continuous process of critical technical assessment and evaluation of all aspects of the SKADS programme

• DS8 : An overall system design (involving technology foresight) and a preliminary, multi-component plan of how to realise the SKA.

continue...