Organizations¶

Document Version: 1.4 | Last Updated: March 2026

Organizations allow groups of users to share observatories and collaborate on observations. Users can belong to multiple organizations, each with its own set of permissions.

Overview¶

Organizations provide:

Shared Observatories: Organization-owned observatories can be accessed by all members
Multi-Membership: Users can belong to multiple organizations simultaneously
Permission-Based Access: Granular control over what members can do
Single Owner: Each organization has one owner who can transfer ownership

Organization Types¶

When creating an organization, you can specify its type:

Type	Description
University	Academic institution with astronomy programs
College	Smaller academic institution
High School	Secondary education institution
Research Institute	Dedicated research organization
Observatory	Observatory organization
Company	Commercial astronomy business
Nonprofit	Amateur astronomy clubs, outreach organizations
Other	Any other type of organization

Organization Permissions¶

Members can be granted specific permissions within an organization:

Permission	Description
`can_manage_members`	Add/remove users and change their permissions
`can_manage_observatories`	Create, configure, and delete organization observatories
`can_manage_projects`	Create and manage organization projects
`can_manage_billing`	Manage organization billing and subscription settings
`can_manage_storage`	Configure organization external storage destinations

Owner Permissions

The organization owner automatically has all permissions and cannot be removed. Ownership can only be transferred to another member.

Creating an Organization¶

Log in to the Science Scheduler web interface
Navigate to Organizations in the main menu
Click Create Organization
Fill in the organization details:
Name: Full organization name (e.g., "Springfield Astronomy Club")
Short Name: Abbreviated identifier (e.g., "SAC") - must be unique
Type: Select the organization type
Description: Optional description
Contact Email: Primary contact email
Click Create

You automatically become the owner of organizations you create.

Managing Members¶

Adding Members¶

If you have can_manage_members permission:

Go to Organizations → Select your organization
Click Members tab
Click Add Member
Search for the user by email
Set their permissions using the checkboxes
Click Add

Updating Member Permissions¶

Go to Organizations → Select your organization
Click Members tab
Find the member and click Edit
Adjust permissions as needed
Click Save

Removing Members¶

Go to Organizations → Select your organization
Click Members tab
Find the member and click Remove
Confirm the removal

Cannot Remove Owner

The organization owner cannot be removed. To change owners, use Transfer Ownership instead.

Organization Observatories¶

Organizations can own observatories that are shared among all members with appropriate permissions.

Creating an Organization Observatory¶

If you have can_manage_observatories permission:

Go to Observatories → Create Observatory
Select Organization as the owner type
Choose your organization from the dropdown
Complete the observatory setup

Observatory Member Permissions¶

Members of an organization observatory have separate permissions that control what they can do at the observatory level:

Permission	Description
`can_view`	View observatory status and observation queue
`can_observe`	Create and manage their own observations
`can_operate`	Manage the queue and all observations
`can_admin`	Configure observatory settings and manage members

See Observatory Registration for more details.

Organization as Observatory Member¶

In addition to owning observatories, organizations can be added as members of any observatory. This allows observatory administrators to grant access to an entire organization at once, rather than adding members individually.

When an organization is added as an observatory member:

Organization Role	Inherited Observatory Permissions
Owner	`can_admin` + `can_operate`
Admin (has `can_manage_members` or `can_manage_observatories`)	`can_admin` + `can_operate`
Regular Member	`can_view` + `can_observe`

Key behaviors:

When observatory ownership is transferred to an organization, that organization is automatically added as a member with full permissions
The owning organization cannot be removed from the observatory's member list
Adding or removing users from the organization automatically updates their observatory access
Organization membership changes are logged in the observatory's history

See Observatory Administration — Organization Members for step-by-step management instructions.

External Storage¶

Organizations can configure shared external storage destinations (Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Cloud Storage) that are available to all members when creating observations. This is managed from the organization's edit dialog under the External Storage tab.

For setup instructions and configuration details, see the External Storage Guide.

Transferring Ownership¶

Only the current owner can transfer ownership:

Go to Organizations → Select your organization
Click Settings tab
Click Transfer Ownership
Select the new owner from current members
Confirm the transfer

Ownership Transfer is Permanent

Once transferred, you will lose owner privileges unless the new owner grants them back to you.

Announcements¶

Organization owners and admins can send announcements to all organization members. Click the announcement button on the Organization Management page to create an announcement with a title, message, severity level, and optional expiration date.

Announcements support email delivery and require member acknowledgment. Organization members with indirect access to observatories or projects through the organization will also receive relevant announcements.

For full details on announcement features (severity levels, acknowledgment tracking, cancellation, status lifecycle), see Observatory Administration — Announcements.

Multi-Organization Membership¶

Users can belong to multiple organizations simultaneously. This is useful for:

Consultants working with multiple astronomy groups
Researchers collaborating across institutions
Educators supporting multiple schools or clubs

Each organization membership has its own set of permissions, allowing different levels of access in different organizations.

API Access¶

Organizations can be managed programmatically via the API. The following endpoints are available:

GET /organizations - List your organizations
POST /organizations - Create a new organization
GET /organizations/{id} - Get organization details
PUT /organizations/{id} - Update organization settings
GET /organizations/{id}/members - List members
POST /organizations/{id}/members - Add a member
PUT /organizations/{id}/members/{userId} - Update member permissions
DELETE /organizations/{id}/members/{userId} - Remove a member
POST /organizations/{id}/transfer-ownership - Transfer ownership