IVOA Roadmap for 2020B

This outlines the roadmap for development activities by the various IVOA working and interest groups in 2020/2021 between the Nov and May Interops.

• IVOA Roadmap for 2020B
  • 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

Standards

• MOC 2.0: Work towards standardizing Space-Time MOCs.
  • Working Draft published Nov 2020 (https://www.ivoa.net/documents/MOC/20201112/WD-MOC-2.0-20201112.pdf)
  • Aiming for PR prior to May 2021 Interop. Need:
    • Two interoperable implementations of each feature
    • Validation tool(s)
    • Ivoatex version in github
• VOTable 1.5
  • Would love to demonstrate that a new minor version can be turned around fairly quickly.
  • Stimulate diiscussion of existing issues (https://github.com/ivoa-std/VOTable/issues).
  • Continue improving contributors' comfort level with the change process within github.
• Clean up applications WG wiki pages.
  • Remove stale links
  • Ensure guidance on current work is up to date

Python

• Continue to engage with Astropy community
• Support open development in PyVO
• Maintain votable parsing in Astropy core
  • Includes supporting VOTable 1.4

HiPS

• With other WGs, discuss metadata and integration with other standards.
• Continue to encourage HiPS providers to declare their services in the VO registry according to the HiPS Standard.

Data Access Layer WG

standards on the recommendation path

• DataLink-1.1
  • WD progressing, new WD release (Q1-2021) after closing a few Pull Requests
    • this might set the line for v.1.1
  • further issues/features identified already for subsequent revision
• ADQL-2.1
  • UDF Catalogue EN pending
  • issues progressing, a few to close before next Proposed REC (Q1 2021)
  • REC by/at Spring Interop
• DALI-1.2
  • multipolygon still pending
  • otherwise ready for PRec+RFC (Q1-2021)
• ConeSearch-1.1 [in connection with TD IG]
  • work will progress to close issues
  • a new WD before Spring 2021 Interop
• ObjVisSAP
  • PR-1.0 nearly there (Q1-2021 at max)
  • implementations ready, RFC & REC should be possible by/at Spring Interop
• ProvTAP
  • continues work towards mature WD status (by Spring Interop)
• TAPRegExt [in connection with Registry WD]
  • started move to GitHub repo
  • WD release in Q1/Q2-2021
• SIAP-2.0 / SODA-1.0
  • moving to GitHub repo (partly already there, including issues)
  • work on new WDs based on existing feedback (WDs by 2021 Spring Interop)
• EPN-TAP [DM WG connection]
  • WD-2.0 ready for the community
  • progress depending on feedback
• ObsLocTAP [managed by DM WG]
  • RFC for PR-1.0 should finish by end 2020, REC by begining of 2021

• SLAP-2.0 -> LineTAP solution
  • preliminary internal (to authors) WD
  • progress expected to be reported at Spring 2021 Interop
• ProvSAP (idle)
• Following Radio IG, TD IG activities for requirements
  • refer to the roadmaps of these IGs for details
• Spectroscopy data access could potentially lead new revisions
• file-oriented catalog data access: start of discussion

Data Model WG

Ongoing Standards

• Measurements to REC ( RFC page)
• Coordinates to REC ( RFC page)
• ObsLocTap to REC ( RFC page)
• Transform to RFC ( RFC page)
• Model for source data Mango to RFC ( Github page)
• Votable Annotation ModelInstToVot ( Github page)

• Running a workshop to build a concensus on the model usage in the VO. The outcomes of this workshop might impact ongoing standards.

Grid and Web Services WG

Science Platforms

• Towards a Theory IG and GWS workshop on science platforms at Interop "gemini" 2021
  • Encourage collaboration. Share knowledge, code and resources with similar institutes. Organic convergence.
  • Identify possible ideas for standards on SP (e.g. common libraries to read/write data)
  • Describe POSIX access to a platform. New VOResource Interface Type?
  • How can we remote execute codes on data? What infrastructure and information did you need? What problems did you face?
• Encouraged groups to use Kubernetes. Data centres will be running services as containers. Natural step to run user code in containers. Standards after more experience.

Authentication and Authorization

• Group Membership Service move to PR
  • it has two reference implementations: CADC and IA2
  • we need a validator
• SSO version 1.2 needs to be discussed
  • Describe approach for obtaining token credentials (SSO)
  • Describe 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 under discussion: introduce delegation based on token.

Registry WG

Operations:

• Ongoing validation: check all registry contents for standards validation and consistency
• Encourage takeup of altIdentifier information, especially DOIs, and consistent facility/instrument metadata, across publishing registries
• Facilitate creation and updates of VOResource versions of standards records as we update the GitHub repository, and provide them to the Registry of Registries

• VODataService 1.2 through PR
• SimpleDALRegExt 1.2: make PR, identify roadblocks with SSAP time series and work on additional reference implementations as required

Semantics WG

We will move Vocabularies in the VO 2 to PR in early January, followed by RFC. Probably in parallel, we will hold an RFC for the related PEN on the adoption of the UAT.

Together with Registry, we will then try to work out what needs to be done in terms of updates to VOResource 1.1 in order to clarify the use of the UAT in the Registry; at this point, we believe a largely explanatory erratum should do.

We will continue to maintain the vocabulary repository with possible RFCs; in particular, we expect the vocabularies on messengers and on data product types to move ahead with the definining standards (VODataService 1.2 and SimpleDALRegExt, respectively).

We would still like to move ahead with a vocabulary of object types, although no concrete plans exist at this point.

Data Curation Preservation IG

Education IG

• Initiation of the partnership between the IVOA and IAU OAD
• Co-organization of the IAUS367, “Education and Heritage in the Era of Big Data in Astronomy”

Knowledge Discovery IG

Operations IG

• Tackle service validation failures:
  • Target: significantly improve service compliance reports compiled by Euro-VO/PADC by May 2021 Interop
  • Involve: validator operators + authors, service operators + authors
  • Joint activity with DAL
• SoftID Note
  • Operational identification of (client/server) operational software in the VO
  • Note currently undergoing review
• Continuing activities:
  • Monitor VO health
  • Curate list of validation tools (especially for new/revised standards)
  • Provide forum for discussion of operational activities
  • Participate in and give feedback on standards development in support of upcoming operational missions

Radio IG

Continuing work on implementation note, content gathering mostly complete, but needs to be tidied up.

Solar System IG

Theory IG

Time Domain IG

• ConeSearch-1.1 [in connection with DAL WG]
  • Work will progress to close issues
  • A new WD before Spring 2021 Interop
• MOC-2.0 [in connection with Apps WG]
  • Need to adapt the 2 implementations to recent modifications
  • In WD, aimed for a RFC before Spring 2021 Interop
• ObsCore extension for timeseries [in connection with DM WG]
  • Have a running meeting on this topic.
  • Draft a note to expose the elements before Spring 2021 Interop

Standard and Processes

Science Priorities