GROUPS AND CLUSTERS IN THE NEAR-INFRARED

Massive multicolor digital surveys in the near infrared provide new op portunities for statistical analyses of the properties of groups and c lusters. These galaxy systems provide a natural laboratory for studyin g dynamical processes and galaxy evolution, and serve as powerful cosm ological diagnostics. The immediate scientific returns to be expected from near-infrared surveys such as DENIS and 2MASS are presented, and illustrated with simulated images of a Coma-like rich cluster.