Enhancing science program collaboration at Gemini

At Gemini, support for observers during Phase 2 is a collaborative effort among individuals spread across four continents at many institutions. Short Phase 2 preparation periods necessitate close communication between observers and support personnel. Email alone has not been an adequate solution. For the 2003B semester, the Gemini Observing Tool has been extended to allow off-site investigators and national project office support personnel to directly access the science program database. The observer is able to keep up to date with changes by accessing his program at any time. Email notifications are generated automatically when activities occur in the science program lifecycle. This paper will give an overview of how this system, based upon Java and freely available open source software, provides these new capabilities.