GCN and VOEvent - A Status Report

Abstract

The GRB Coordinates Network (GCN) has filled an important niche in the conduct and progress of research on GRB for more than 14 years. The methods used to collect and distribute the positions, lightcurves, spectra, and images on GRB is real time (a few seconds) will be reviewed. For the research on GRBs to continue to move forward and for other fields of transient astronomy to move forward, enhancements are needed to the GCN. VOEvents is one of those changes, and that addition will be described here. The enhanced system will be called VO-GCN.