In this chapter we emphasize the fundamental role of computation in the plan, and its impact upon astronomy as well as science and technology in general. We draw upon the thorough study carried out by our computation subcommittee (see Volume II, D.1).

6.1 Computation: the Current Situation

Virtually all data now arrive from astronomical instruments and detectors in electronic form. Thus the recording of ../Images/ and spectra, their manipulation and analysis, and all forms of modern data archiving, are completely dependent on computing. Observational astronomers have been major users of computer hardware, and major users and developers of software for image processing, spectral analysis, and instrument development and control.

In theoretical astronomy, computer use ranges from the numerical solution of mathematical equations to the simulation of complex physical phenomena. Numerical simulation codes can follow the orbits of planetary systems over billions of years; the evolution of dilute plasmas in stars and the interstellar and intergalactic media; and the evolution of the dark and gaseous matter in the early universe that assembles to produce galaxies and cosmological large scale structure.

Canadians have demonstrated a particular strength in the development of astronomical software, ranging from observational data-reduction packages