IVOA VOTable

VOTable is an XML format defined for the exchange of tabular data in the context of the Virtual Observatory.

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VOTable working document of Version 1.2 (in preparation)
Definition	XML Schema (VOTable 1.2-beta 2009-06-12)	proposed new version of the XML-Schema for VOTable (following the Strasbourg discussions)
Documentation 2009-06-12	PDF VOTable1.2 Recommendation Draft	HTML VOTable1.2 Recommendation Draft
VOTable/STC Note V1.03	PDF	html

VOTable latest release: Version 1.1 - August 11, 2004
Definition	XML Schema (standard reference)	DTD (approximation derived from schema)
Documentation	HTML	PDF

VOTable previous release: Version 1.0 - April 15, 2002
Definition	DTD (standard reference)	XML Schema (derived from DTD)	XSL (basic stylesheet)</ td>
Documentation	HTML	PDF	LaTex</ td>

Working Document

• RfcPage where essential comments about the Proposed Recommendation should be added during the RFC period (10 July to 21 August 2009).
• Recommendation draft of VOTable1.2 (PDF or html), and schema.
• Proposal for VOTable 1.2 (2008-10-21): (PDF) Draft version of VOTable1.2 Proposed Standard, to be discussed in Baltimore
• Referencing STC in VOTable, V1.01 (HTML) corrects the errors mentioned (thank to Mark Taylor) (to be discusssed in Baltimore)
• Proposal for VOTable 1.2: votable-1.2 (PDF) Draft version of VOTable1.2 Proposed Standard (superseded)
• Referencing STC in VOTable (V0.8, 10-Sep-2008): (PDF) (superseded)
• Proposed XML-Schema XML Schema (VOTable 1.2-beta)
• Referencing STC in VOTable (V0.5, 14-Sep-2007): (HTML) (PDF) (obsolete)

XML-Schemas

• VOTable 1.2-beta is the proposed new version of the XML-Schema for VOTable. It includes the modifications proposed for VOTable1.2 (essentially about INFO). It was tested on several code generators.

Votable Sessions at Interop meetings

• Strasbourg (F), May 2009; InterOpMay2009VOTable
• Baltimore (US), October 2008: InterOpOct2008VOTable
• Cambridge (UK), September 2007: InterOpSep2007VOTable
• Beijing (China), May 2007: InterOpMay2007VOTable
• Moscow (Russia), September 2006: InterOpSep2006VOTable
• Victoria (Canada), May 2006: InterOpMay2006VOTable
• Madrid (Spain), October 2005: InterOpOct2005VOTable
• Kyoto (Japan), May 2005: InterOpMay2005VOTable
• Cambridge (Mass., USA), May 24/27 2004: InterOpMay2004VOTable
• Strasbourg, Oct. 2003: InterOpOct2003VOTable
• Cambridge (UK), May 2003: InterOpMay2003VOTable

VOTable Software

VOTable available I/O libraries and tools

Mailing-list

• General working-group discussion archive.

Model-based Alternative

A spin-off effort has begun to develop a data model-based alternative data exchange mechanism. This new standard is (tentatively) titled the VODaX (Virtual Observatory Data eXchange) format. Since VODaX will be reliant upon an xml schema-based representation of the developing data model, a parallel effort has begun to develop this: see VODMX.