IVOA Executive Committee Meeting (TM27)

Thurs Apr 24 2008 @ 15.00-16.30 GMT

Logistics

Telecon:

Agenda

1. Roll Call and Agenda
2. Minutes of TM26
3. Project Reports - Significant events only
4. Review of Actions - [NW]
5. Approval of new IVOA Recommendation(s) [Standing Item]
6. WG and IG Updates
   • DAL
   • VOTable
   • Registry
7. Review of WG/IG Chair Rotations - DD
8. Term of IVOA Chair - DD
9. Report of Assessment Committee - DD
10. Final Approval of Documents and Stds Document - BH
11. TCG Charter Status - RW, CA
12. Review of forthcoming recommendation - RW
13. Draft Policy on Inactive Members - DD
14. Seaman Report of UTC - MO
15. May Interop Status - FP
16. Fall Interop Status - BH
17. AOB
18. Review of New Action Items

Reports from the Projects

ArVO

AstroGrid

We announced (1 Apr 2008) our release of the AstroGrid Desktop Suite : get it from http://www.astrogrid.org This was time to coincide with the UK National Astronomy meeting in Belfast.

After various prototypes over several years, this is the first release of a complete set of software and working services. From the user's point of view we released three applications that run on the desktop - VODesktop; Topcat; and AstroGrid Python - and provided links to other Euro-VO tools that interoperate seamlessly - Aladin, VOSpec, SPLAT-VO. We also link to other VO tools - NVO services, VOPlot, etc.

In the background we are operating a number of services - Registry, VOSpace, and Community - in several sites - and we have used our own DSA component to help UK data centres establish working data services. Of course VODesktop also provides access to the thousands of services worldwide

Australia-VO

China-VO

CVO

Euro-VO

France VO

GAVO

HVO

Japan-VO

Korean VO

NVO

RVO

SVO

VObs.it

VO-India

Reports from WGs & IGs(follows order as at http://www.ivoa.net/forum/)

Applications WG

Data Access Layer WG

Data Models WG (MireilleLouys)

• Spectral Line Model: identification of two levels of use-cases and definition of two packages with two levels of complexity and goals:
  1. Simple Spectral Line Data Model, focused on spectral lines recognition in observed spectra, and matching the requirements for tools like VOSpec and the SLAP protocol.
  2. Atomic and Molecular Line Data Model, (for observations and simulations), encompassing more general uses-cases for physics (fine descriptions of molecular physics, atmosphere, etc.). Both packages currently finalised, with description of the existing implementations.
• Provenance DM and relationship with advanced levels of Characterization DM II.
• Syntax definition of UTypes : on going

Interaction with the Theory IG :

• Simulation DM ( numerical simulations), transfered to the DM group for dissemination in the IVOA and standardisation process. Planned the definition of guide-lines for building up models, automated generation for XML serialisations and documentation.

Models in action :

• CAMEA : a user-friendly tool to help to publish observation datasets via their XML characterisation metadata.
• Building up of an interactive mapper from data base columns to Characterisation Utypes in the case of ad hoc heterogeneous data sets in the SAADA environment.

Grid and Web Services Working Group

Registry WG

Semantics/UCD WG

Vocabularies: A WD v1.0 on Vocabularies in the Virtual Observatory has been published recently (March 20, 2008). The WD is the result of a lively discussion, and it seems ready to move on to PR status in May. Cross-matching between vocabularies and use cases are the current open issues, and they will be debated in the coming InterOpMay2008.

VOEvent

VOQL WG

VOTable WG

Astro-RG IG

• The Astro-RG session will be held during the coming OGF23 meeting in Barcelona, Spain. Its schedule will be announced soon by the OGF program committee - see http://www.ogf.org.

Data Curation and Preservation IG

Theory IG

-- NicholasWalton - 14 Jan 2008