The abstract observatory: an interface for networking telescopes

We discuss a generalised model for representing a telescope of arbitrary complexity as a networked resource that could be scheduled by a remote entity. We describe the five interfaces that enable such a telescope to i) accept authorised projects, ii) receive and update a schedule of observations, iii) report progress of ongoing observations, iv) propagate operational telemetry and v) produce retrievable science products. We are using this model to integrate the SOAR 4.1m into the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCOGT) robotic telescope network, and see it as a general approach that could be applied to other telescopes in the future.