IVOA Roadmap for the 2025B time span

Working Groups

Applications WG [from 2025A]

• HATS Note
  • support finishing and publishing the Note

• VOTable
  • stimulate discussions around issues
  • support work towards REC1.6

• Miscellaneous:
  • Migrate HiPS and SAMP repos to Github
  • Initiate and support cleaning up VOTable related code in astropy
  • Organize telecoms as needed
  • 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

• 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

High Energy IG [from 2025A]

HEIG Goals:

1. ObsCore continuation - Continue with HEIG Note on Obscore extension for HE data; coordination with DM WG & others to move this to WG level
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