Anita Richards wrote:
> Dear radio astronomer,
>
> The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA,
> http://www.ivoa.net) wants to help its affiliated Virtual
> Observatories to ensure that they will be able to provide access to
> radio data and interferometry data at all wavelengths. We apologise if
> you have received this email more than once or if you are not the
> appropriate person. If necessary please pass this on to the relevant
> person e.g. the archivist at your establishment, and let us know the
> appropriate contacts.
>
> Development documents and discussions of the IVOA are available via
> http://www.ivoa.net/twiki/bin/view/IVOA/.
>
> Further development of data models and other mechanisms suitable for
> radio/interferometry data will take place in the appropriate working
> groups and forums
> http://www.ivoa.net/forum/index.html
> and in particular Radio Astronomy, http://www.ivoa.net/forum/radiovo/
> and Data Models - see introductory email there,
> http://www.ivoa.net/forum/dm/0101.htm
>
> We welcome your participation and urge you to subscribe and take part
> in discussions via radiovo-at-ivoa.net dm-at-ivoa.net and so on as
> appropriate
>
> As a first step, we have drawn up a questionnaire to establish the
> current state and needs of radio/interferometry archives. Please fill
> this in and return it to radiovo-at-ivoa.net (only). You can view sample
> completed questionnaires as the 3rd and 4th messages under
> http://www.ivoa.net/forum/radiovo/
>
> Thank-you very much.
>
> Peter Lamb <Peter.Lamb-at-csiro.au> Anita Richards <amsr-at-jb.man.ac.uk>
>
> 1. Name and nature of observatory and/or facility
>
> 2. Current archive status and description:
> a) How are data stored?
>
> b) How are data catalogued?
>
> c) Do you provide information about sources (as distinct from about
> observations) e.g. calibrator lists, target properties, and if so
> is this:
> i) catalogued information?
>
> ii) plots?
>
> 3. What can be accessed on-line?
>
> 4. Who can access it?
>
> 5. What are the methods of access?
>
> 6. What search parameters are available?
>
> 7. What is your Archive Policy?
>
> 8. What software do you use?
>
> 9. What software do users need, and can you provide it?
>
> 10.What format(s) are your data in (or can be translated into)?
>
> 11.Do you use pipelines?
>
> 12.How far are data normally reduced before being supplied to the
> user?
>
> 13.Are these stages:
> a) documented?
>
> b) reversible?
>
> 14.Can data be processed remotely?
>
> 15.What Virtual Observatory projects (if any) are you involved in?
>
> 16.Do you use explicitly any interoperability tools, e.g. data models,
> UCDs, VOTable?
>
> 17.Do you publish any data via existing VO-like facilities e.g. CDS,
> MAST?
>
> 18.Making data acess easier for a wider range of astronomers - what are
> your views on whether/how these suggestions should be impliments:
> a) Using a VO interface to radio observatories/data centres to run
> hidden software to provide required image, light curve,
> visibilities etc.?
>
> b) Supplying information about hidden processing (software, versions,
> parameterisation, etc)?
>
> c) Standardising the software in use at radio observatories/ data
> centres?
>
> d) Standardising the format of data products?
>
> 19.What do you think astronomers want from your data?
>
> 20.What are your plans for archive development or any other relevant
> suggestions?
>
> THANK-YOU
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> Dr. Anita M. S. Richards, AVO Astronomer
> MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, University of Manchester,
> Jodrell Bank Observatory, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 9DL, U.K.
> tel +44 (0)1477 572683 (direct); 571321 (switchboard); 571618 (fax).
-- Friso M. Olnon, Senior Software Scientist Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe e-mail: olnon-at-jive.nl Postbus 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo Dwingeloo Tel: +31 (0)521 596500 (Oude Hoogeveensedijk 4, 7991 PD Dwingeloo) Fax: +31 (0)521 597332 The Netherlands Web: www.jive.nlReceived on 2003-06-19Z15:45:561. Name and nature of observatory and/or facility - JIVE (Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe). JIVE is the location of the central data processor (correlator) of the European VLBI Network, providing high resolution radio wavelength observations. 2. Current archive status and description: a) How are data stored? - Official products -- data in FITS files, standard plots for quality assessment, and output from the EVN Pipeline Processing (calibration tables and diagnostic plots plus images) -- are stored as files on our 2-Tbyte RAID archive machine. b) How are data catalogued? - Via the file names which can be viewed in various ways on the web pages via php files. Access is possible via the experiment name and/or source name. c) Do you provide information about sources (as distinct from about observations) e.g. calibrator lists, target properties, and if so is this: i) catalogued information? - The user will have source-oriented access to the JIVE Data archive via the EVN Project database in Bologna. ii) plots? - Yes. 3. What can be accessed on-line? - Fits files of raw data. Calibration tables. Plots of pipeline-calibrated and uncalibrated data. Images of calibrators. 4. Who can access it? - Everyone can access the standard plots and the pipeline output apart from target source maps. PI's will be able to access data and target maps for their own experiments as of September 2003. After the prescribed grace period all these data will be publicly available. 5. What are the methods of access? - HTTP protocols including authorization where needed. 6. What search parameters are available? - Project name, source name, the names of the Primary Investigator and the Support Scientist at JIVE, and the dates of observation and distribution. 7. What is your Archive Policy? - Archive all data and metadata as soon as the data analysis and the pipeline processing is complete. - Make all these data instantly available via the web page to whoever is allowed to access them. 8. What software do you use? - Local software to maintain the archive and the access to it, mostly Perl and PHP scripts. - Local software to convert correlator data to AIPS++ MeasurementSets, in glish and C++. - AIPS++ to make FITS files and standard plots. - AIPS to do the pipelining. 9. What software do users need, and can you provide it? - Any astronomical package that understands IDI-FITS. 10.What format(s) are your data in (or can be translated into)? - Local format for correlator output. - IDI-FITS for exported data files and calibration tables. - PostScript, PNG and tar for figures. 11.Do you use pipelines? - Our own brand of AIPS pipeline for the "EVN Pipeline". - Assembly of local scripts for writing into the archive. 12.How far are data normally reduced before being supplied to the user? - The local correlator output data are transformed into AIPS++ MeasurementSets and from there written in IDI_FITS files. - Calibration tables are also provided which can be easily applied to give an absolute flux density and first-order phase calibration of the correlator visibilities. Preliminary maps are also provided. 13.Are these stages: a) documented? - A "Making FITS" guide describes primarily the mechanics of the conversions. - The pipeline script used is made available with the pipeline products. The pipeline output is described in the accompanying HTML page. There is a short document describing how to apply the pipeline-calibration tables to the raw data to produce partially calibrated data. b) reversible? - The FITS file can not be transformed back to local correlator output. The pipeline calibration tables can be easily applied or ignored as desired. 14.Can data be processed remotely? - No. 15.What Virtual Observatory projects (if any) are you involved in? - Formally none. 16.Do you use explicitly any interoperability tools, e.g. data models, UCDs, VOTable? - No. 17.Do you publish any data via existing VO-like facilities e.g. CDS, MAST? - No. 18.Making data acess easier for a wider range of astronomers - what are your views on whether/how these suggestions should be impliments: a) Using a VO interface to radio observatories/data centres to run hidden software to provide required image, light curve, visibilities etc.? - Yes. Every user, at any level of experience, should be able to find out quickly what products he/she would want to get and how to get the best suitable. The range of possible products must be very wide and the interface to the processing must allow everyone to really choose from what is available and use it properly. b) Supplying information about hidden processing (software, versions, parameterisation, etc)? - Tell people what they want to know and don't tell them what they don't need to know (see: experience level). c) Standardising the software in use at radio observatories/ data centres? - I am not sure we want that (see: wide range). Standardisation of the user interfaces is far more important (see: proper use) d) Standardising the format of data products? - Similarly, that is less important than a standardisation of the viewing of the data products. 19.What do you think astronomers want from your data? - Easy, quick and trustworthy processing to easily understandable output products. The meaning of these words depend on the level of experience of the astronomer with the kind of data involved. 20.What are your plans for archive development or any other relevant suggestions? - Make our data archive and associated products accessible via a single web page, with authorisation filters where needed (target September 2003). - Do standard pipeline processing on all experiments and put the results and reports in the archive (essentially done now). - Connect our archive to other archives and data centres (connection with Bologna almost in place).