IVOA Roadmap for the 2025B time span

This outlines the roadmap for development activities by the various IVOA Working and Interest Groups between the November 2025 (Görlitz) and the June 2026 (Strasbourg) Interops.

Working Groups

Applications WG

• Documents:
  
  • VOTable REC1.6 - still a number of issues to fix
  • MOC3.0 - to start
  • HiPS2.0 (3D) - to move to GitHub and start
  • HATS1.1 - in progress

• Miscellaneous:
  • Migrate SAMP repo to Github
  • Initiate and support cleaning up VOTable related code in astropy
  • PyVO maintenance and evolution

Data Access Layer WG [Draft]

Primary

• DALI
  • REC-1.2 by June 2026
• ObjObsSAP
  • PR-1.0 by June 2026
  • One client implementation (+ more server impl. if possible)
  • One additional validator (already having EuroVO one)
• Conesearch
  • WD-1.1 early 2026
  • !OpenAPI document
  • PR-1.1 by Nov. 2026
  • v2.0 to be actively discussed
• SLAP
  • WD-2.0 by June 2026
  • Import use cases from LineTAP
  • Change from SSLDM to the set of columns proposed in LineTAP
  • Fix some UCDs
  • One implementation is expected
• TAP
  • WD-1.2 by June 2026
  • Complete OpenAPI (along with VOSI)
  • Finish Persistent upload tables
  • Clarify TAP_SCHEMA.columns.unit: explicitly use VOUnit

Secondary

• ADQL
  • WD-2.2
  • Move from BNF to PEG grammar
  • Review the optional status of some features
  • Support arrays/vectors
  • Study support of MOC
• TAPRegExt
  • WD-1.1
  • Allow feature support and limits per mode (async vs sync)
  • Deprecate data model declaration
  • DALIInterface
• Datalink
  • WD-1.2
  • Restructure the document (Service Descriptor in DataLink doc, VOTable resource for Datalink maybe as appendix of VOTable ?)
  • Get a solution to provide data across multiple locations

• DAP (Data Access Protocol)
  • WD-1.0
  • Proceed with renaming, expansion of supported data product types
  • Miscellaneous changes
• SODA
  • Return extended metadata
  • New transformation types

Data Model WG

• MANGO 1.0: Model for ANnotating Generic Objects
  • Complete RFC process.
• CAOM 2.5 Integration
  • Complete remaining open issues and documentation updates.
  • Discuss possible deprecation of unused ObsCore fields (deprecation candidates)
  • Submit document and implementations for community review in preparation for RFC
• ObsCore
  • Complete port of ObsCore -1.1 document to ivoatex and apply tag
  • Make branch for v1.2 updates
  • Begin pushing content changes to PRs for discussion.
• ObsCore Extensions
  • Do final sweep of Notes and submit to TCG as PENs as ready.
  • Work migration of model changes for ObsCore proper
  • Work migration of extended content to (TBD)
• VO-DML 1.1
  
  • Review PRs internally
  • prioritize updates required for CAOM/ObsCore work.
• Spectrum 1.2: Submitted RFEs
  • File Erratum for VOCLASS examples
  • Close discussion for adding DATE-BEG/END (DATE-OBS) as options for the 'observation start/end time'
• Monitor
  • LineTap: Stay in the loop of DM portion of this standard update (DAL led)
  • Provenance: Increasing interest and work in expressing provenance in data products (One-step Prov, DataOrigin)
  • VOEvent 2.2: General VOEvent activities

Distributed Services Protocols WG [from 2025A]

• Execution Broker (previously known as Execution Planner)

https://githuhttps://github.com/ivoa-std/ExecutionBroker

- Dave Morris working on prototype as part of SRCNet, integrating with CANFAR. To be presented in Gorlitz

• AuthVO

https://github.com/ivoa-std/AuthVO/

Main discussions on the inclusion of bearer tokens. Expected agreement and presentation in Gorlitz

• VOSpace

Project stopped due to work conflicts with other activities

• SSO

• Software Discovery

Registry WG [from 2025A]

• CURRENT FOCUS
  • Investigate "Serving Simulated Data in VO Services/Collections"
    • cf https://wiki.ivoa.net/internal/IVOA/InterOpNov2024DAL/DAL_at_IRSA_Laity.pdf
    • Open question: reuse SSAP datasources for VODataService ?
  • Support data publishers towards filling coverage information as MOCs in publishing registries according to REC RegTAP -1.2
  • Participate in "alternative links" in DataLink effort with DAL WG to publish cloud-based data products - cf https://github.com/ivoa-std/DataLink/issues/117. Also investigate with DPS (ex GWS) WG if necessary to have such metadata in the Registry.
  • Prepare future RegTAP -1.3 to facilitate searching by product type served after VODataService -1.3

• STANDARDS IN PROGRESS
  • [P1] VODataService -1.3 (editor: MD) "A VOResource Schema Extension for Describing Collections and Services"
    • https://github.com/ivoa-std/VODataService
    • Status: WD https://ivoa.net/documents/VODataService/20241113/index.html
    • adding a productTypeServed element child to to DataService
    • working on mechanism to discover simulated data
  • [P1] RegTAP -1.3
    • facilitate searching by product type served
    • finish editing, write RFC
  • [P2] DocRegExt -1.0 (editor: MD) "Educational Resources in the Virtual Observatory"
    • https://github.com/ivoa-std/DocRegExt
    • Status: WD https://ivoa.net/documents/DocRegExt/20230426/index.html
    • finish editing, write RFC
  • [P0] StandardsRegExt -1.1 (editor: RS) "A VOResource Schema Extension for Describing IVOA Standards"
    • https://github.com/ivoa-std/StandardsRegExt
    • Status: WD https://ivoa.net/documents/StandardsRegExt/20240125/index.html
    • finish RFC and vote

• CONTINUOUS WORK
  • Implementation: Continue developing and maintaining the new PyVO Registry search and discovery API
  • Curation and Validation: follow-up project board to correct Registry issues introduced at College Park Interop in June 2025 [on hold]
  • On-boarding Effort: Prepare and fund a workshop to discuss and disseminate best practices for registry publishing
  • Continue discussions on �Linking capabilities with tablesets� (cf https://wiki.ivoa.net/internal/IVOA/202404InteropRegistry/InterOpMay2024Reg_linking_capabilities_tablesets.pdf)
  • Continue involvement with DCP IG, esp. on the note �Data Origin and the VO� https://www.ivoa.net/documents/DataOrigin/

Semantics WG [from 2025A]

• Vocabularies :
  • <nop>ObsFacility Vocabulary (Liza Fretel, Obs. Paris) : build a consolidated vocabulary
  • Small bodies classification : EPNcore vocabulary
  • Reference Frames : extension to Reference Frames in Heliophysics (E. David, Obs. Paris & R. Weigel, NASA)
• Increasing FAIR for heliophysics metadata : mapping from SPASE to schema.org and DataCite (Z. Boquet)
• UCD list v1.7 preparation : see the GitHub page and UCDList_1-7_RFM
  • work on an "IVOA vocabulary" version of the UCD list.
• Work on OntoPortal-Astro
  • Consolidate Advisory and User Group
  • Develop new version with : ontology FAIR evaluation, recommender/annotator, ontology browsing and mappings, advanced APIs

The current roadmap has strong interaction with the Solar System IG.

Interest Groups

Data Curation Preservation IG [from 2025A]

• Continue efforts on a DOI note
• Promote Data Origin (see http://ivoa.net/documents/DataOrigin/) to working Group ( Data Model, DALI?) in order to have a basic Provenance in the VO
  astropy astropy.io.votable.dataorigin module available in version 7.1
• Investigate standard used in scientific community (eg DCAT). Make the bridge with Open Science
• Promote Bibliographic Interfaces (see https://www.ivoa.net/documents/Notes/BibVO/20240214/index.html)
• Investigate data curation aspects to feed AI: legal aspects, citation, etc.

Education IG

1. ObsCore extension
   1. HEIG Obscore extension Notes in near final form; need to get it out for review
   2. Obscore extension coordination with DM WG & others to move this to WG level
   3. ObsCore extension prototypes - CTAO using simulation data; CXC using Chandra Source Catalog data access
2. VOEvent - followup/continuation from the side-meeting we had in Malta; form a plan
3. DataModel /Event List/High Energy data formats - pursue next steps

Knowledge Discovery IG [from 2025A]

Operations IG [from 2025A]

Ongoing activity:

• Monitor VO health:
  • Coordinate "weather reports" (service compliance)
• Address non-compliancy:
  • Identify common/persistent errors
  • Support/encourage service operators to improve service compliance
  • Work with WGs on standards-related issues
• Validation:
  • Ensure validators are available (IvoaValidatorsSummary)
  • Encourage use of validators:
    • on deployed services
    • during standard development
• Communication:
  • Provide forum for discussion of operational issues
  • Host/invite "site reports"
  • Encourage feedback communication between ops services and data providers

• Work with DAL on standards issues:
  • ConeSearch: UCD1+
  • DALI: Sexagesimal markup standards
  • SSA: A couple of Errata suggested
• Push for service metadata improvements:
  • VOUnits, UCDs
• Operations in the cloud
• Security in VO services
  • Encourage TAP validators developers to add checks for sql injection susceptibility
• Authentication as an operational necessity
• User agents used in VO services clients

Radio IG

• Finish ObsCore Radio Extension note
• Bring implementations in alignment with note
• Contribute to ObsCore update in collaboration with DM WG
• Engage with ADPCG (Advanced Data Products Coordination Group) to improve support for radio data products beyond visibilities and (raw) images in the VO.

Solar System IG [from 2025A]

EPN-TAP 2.1

• progress in various domains (sort out heliophysics and body-fixed coordinate frames, start small bodies taxonomy)

• Installation tests, mock-up service

• Collect some in planetary science & heliophysics
• start generating more tutorials / education actions

EPN-TAP support in pyvo

Time Domain IG [from 2025A]

Committees

Standard and Processes

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• DALI

• REC-1.2 by May 2026

• ObjObsSAP

• PR-1.0 by May 2026

• Implementations and validators

• Conesearch

• WD-2.0 by May 2026

• Modernize required UCDs (UCD 1.0-> UCD 1+)

• Align with DALI (e.g. RESPONSEFORMAT, MAXREC)

• Deal with unknown parameters (e.g. warning in VOTable response)

• OpenAPI description

• SLAP

• WD-2.0 by May 2026

• Import use cases from LineTAP

• Change from SSLDM to the set of columns proposed in LineTAP

• Fix some UCDs

• One implementation is expected

• TAP

• WD-1.2 by May 2026

• Add OpenAPI (along with VOSI)

• Allow Persistent upload tables

• Clarify TAP_SCHEMA.columns.unit: explicitly use VOUnit