IVOA Roadmap for 2021B

This outlines the roadmap for development activities by the various IVOA working and interest groups between the Nov 2021 and May 2022 Interops.

• IVOA Roadmap for 2021B
  • Applications WG
  • Data Access Layer WG
  • Data Model WG
  • Grid and Web Services WG
  • Registry WG
  • Semantics WG
  • Data Curation & Preservation IG
  • Education IG
  • Knowledge Discovery IG
  • Operations IG
  • Radio IG
  • Solar System IG
  • Theory IG
  • Time Domain IG
  • Standard and Processes
  • Science Priorities

Applications WG

Python

• Support open development in PyVO
  • Convene coordination meetings for maintainers, contributors and anyone interested.
  • Help get TAPPlus into PyVO
• Maintain votable parsing in Astropy core

Standards and Other Business

• MOC 2.0: Work towards standardizing Space-Time MOCs.
  • Complete RFC period and move to REC
• Migrate HiPS and SAMP documents to Github
• Clean up applications WG wiki pages.
  • Remove stale links and make sure all information is current
• VOTable 1.5
  • Stimulate discussion of existing issues (https://github.com/ivoa-std/VOTable/issues).

Data Access Layer WG

Data Model WG

• DM workshop follow-up
  • Meas/Coord-> Rec
  • Mapping syntax common proposal
    • Work on the doc in progress (can be followed on GitHub)
    • Work on libraries in progress
  • MANGO to be updated after the workshop
  • Resume working on Cube/MetaData
  • PhotDM1.1 ( VODML + others small improvements)
• Obscore evolution (TD, Radio)
• EPN-TAP (see DAL)

Grid and Web Services WG

Authentication and Authorization

• Group Membership Service is in RFC we expect to conclude for the end of the year.
  • it has two reference implementations: CADC and IA2

• • Describe the approach for obtaining token credentials (SSO)
  • Describe the approach for validating token credentials (SSO)
  • Define an IVOA "Realm" and how it determines the scope of services for which a token is applicable. (SSO)
• Credential Delegation Protocol: we should introduce delegation based on tokens. We need an editor.

VOSpace

VOSpace 2.1: an update of the standard is under discussion with some minor (and major) proposed changes.

Science Platforms

Registry WG

• Complete SimpleDalRegExt 1.2 RFC and approve to REC if possible (https://wiki.ivoa.net/twiki/bin/view/IVOA/SimpleDALRegExtV12RFC)
• Explore registration of documentation and tutorial notebooks: there is an existing Note about this, which could be endorsed or converted to a proposed recommendation, given takeup
• pyvo coordination: expand registry search for simplified data discovery options and test backward compatibility of search changes, not just for errors but for general returned results(see https://wiki.ivoa.net/twiki/bin/view/IVOA/IVOANov3RegistryEtherpad)
• Ongoing validation and curation efforts among registry maintainers, resource curators, and validator and standards authors
• Explore space-time coverage that was deferred from VODataService 1.2, approved in 2021A.

Semantics WG

On the UCD end of things, we are hoping to have a PEN for version 1.5 of the UCD list ready for TCG review by early 2022. This will include a few statistical concepts, and possibly MOCs, projection and a means to identify oscillation periods from other periodic phenomena; there is also a generic concept for PIDs considered. See https://wiki.ivoa.net/twiki/bin/view/IVOA/UCDList_1-5_RFM for details.

Also regarding UCDs, we will prepare two Errata (to SSAP and SLAP) regarding malformed UCDs used in these standards.

For SimpleDALRegExt RFC, the vocabulary http://www.ivoa.net/rdf/refframe is under review; we believe it is largely in shape.

This cannot be said for http://www.ivoa.net/rdf/product-type, which is up for adoption by Datalink. We will provide a new prototype based on SKOS before the end of 2021 and evaluate whether it better fits the use cases envisioned.

We have also produced a draft of a vocabulary of object types at http://www.ivoa.net/rdf/object-type. There is no fixed schedule on which this should be evaluated and developed, except that having it for the next revision of obscore would clearly be very useful.

Also, we should revive the process of getting the note on the adoption of the UAT as an IVOA vocabulary endorsed by the TCG.

Data Curation Preservation IG

Education IG

Knowledge Discovery IG

Operations IG

• Tackle non-compliant services
  • Review specific items noted in Nov 2021 Euro-VO Registry Weather Report
  • Chase up common/persistent issues
  • Support service operators to use validation and improve services
• Develop/maintain/curate validation tools
  • Ensure validators are available for all standards (esp. during REC process)
  • Pursue automatic invocation capability for validation tools
  • Understand discrepancies between different validators
• Work with other WGs:
  • DAL: monitor follow up of issues reported May 2021 (in progress)
  • Semantics: monitor UCD/VOUnit compliance changes since report Nov 2021
• Ongoing activities:
  • Monitor VO health (conformance, reliability, performance)
  • Provide forum for discussion of operational issues

Radio IG

• exposing Radio Astronomy Implementation review note
• continue discussion on ObsCore extension for visibility data and push it as EndorsedNote proposal or WD
• Running meeting with TDIG on discovery/acces to pulsar/time domain data in radio
• Running meeting on discovery/access for single dish data

Solar System IG

Theory IG

Time Domain IG

Standard and Processes

Science Priorities

Keep up with community feedback

Participate to the running meetings

Evaluate the need of SLAP V2

Collect use cases for LineTAP