With workshops on basic space science and the International Heliophysical Year 2007, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, the European Space Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute(KASI) and the IHY Secretariat will assist scientists and engineers from all over the world in undertaking research and education in basic space science and participating in the International Heliophysical Year 2007. Information on the International Heliophysical Year 2007 is available at http://ihy2007.org.

This workshop has been endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly as part of the 2009 activities of the program of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.

An important feature of the workshop is introducing data bases and relevant software tools that can promote space science activities. There have been enormous numbers of space missions that have been accumulating large data bases of scientific data. Similarly, long-term data bases are available from ground based observations. These data can be utilized in many ways for understanding the heliophysical and space physical processes. One of the goals of the workshop is to identify such data bases and make them available to the world community with necessary software tools so that scientists from developing countries can benefit from them.

We welcome and hope you enjoy the workshop and that your participation contributes to your professional development and relationships.