NRAO AIPS++ Users Group Meeting - PRELIMINARY AGENDA Date: 2003-8-13 (Wednesday) Time: 1300 MDT Video Hub: CV-conf Rooms: SOC317/CV311/GB241/TUCN505 AIPS++ Threat Level is: Yellow = Elevated [We have some breathing space, but the pressure is on.] Agenda: 1. AIPS++/ISD Status Report (Joe, Steve) o Reorganization report - The AIPS++ IPT is now under Socorro Ops with Jim U. and Brian G. at the helm. This buys some much-needed stability for the developers, and also gives us strong advocates (who also want results!) up above. o What is the role of the NAUG in the New World? It appears that since software development at NRAO is now "project driven", so should our testing be. Of course, thats the approach we have taken already over the past 2 years, so other than more coordiation with ALMA and EVLA project plans, we pretty much stay the course... o Green Bank - as part of the reorganization, Green Bank has been at least temporarily been seconded Jim Braatz and Bob Garwood to work under the Software Development division on whatever. For time being, the NAUG is out of the loop for GBT stuff. We will still need to deal with single dish issues for (E)VLA+GBT and ALMA however. Discussion point - is GB forever a lost tribe, or is reunification possible/desirable sometime down the road given the somewhat acrimonious split? o Part of the motivation for moving the AIPS++ IPT from DM to SOC-ops was to put it under the same line as AIPS. We are optimistic that this will enable better cooperation between the two Science Software projects. A particular area of overlap will be in EVLA development, where it makes sense to develop and prototype the hard stuff in whichever package is appropriate and port to the other. Discussion point - should the NAUG integrate AIPS testing (if only informally) also? o Project Office - updated and revamped: http://projectoffice.aips2.nrao.edu/ o Benchmarking - the target is to be withing a factor of 2 of equivalent packages (AIPS & GILDAS) by 1.1. Sanjay and the team have been making good progress, and it looks like are already there in imaging and calibration for moderately sized problems. Stay tuned. o The new stable snapshot is v1.9 Build 047 out this week, see http://aips2.nrao.edu/docs/reference/updates.html (Note - we have uprev'd from 1.8 to 1.9.) 2. NAUG Plan 2003 (Steve) o NAUG activities in the coming year will be focused on pre-testing and input on ALMA development, and monitoring of progress of the performance and robustness improvements. Also on the horizon is EVLA support, particularly in thinking about the hard stuff like wide-field, wide-band, high dynamic range imaging, and RFI. o I am revising the 2003 NAUG Plan, which is similar to the previous version, though with GBT stuff removed and synthesis stuff expanded. A draft can be found at http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~smyers/aips++/plan/NAUGplan2003.pdf http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~smyers/aips++/plan/NAUGplan2003.ps http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~smyers/aips++/plan/NAUGplan2003.xls This plan is written as if the whole of 2003 is scheduled, but only the last 4 months are now available (e.g. 33% of the hours scheduled). o The new plan has everyone "assigned" to a requirements task area (corresponding to the sections in the ALMA and EVLA offline req docs). Leads and seconds in each area are: - 1.0 General [Myers] - 2.0 Interface & Documentation [Van Moorsel?, Shepherd] - 3.0 Data Handling [Myers, EVLAx] - 4.0 Calibration & Editing [EVLAx, Hibbard?] - 5.0 Imaging [Fomalont] - 6.0 Analysis [Hibbard?] - 7.0 Visualization [Brisken] - 8.0 Simulation & Special Modes [various] We will try to set up a system where the NAUG members are notified of stuff in each area to be tested (sort of like defect assignment within AIPS++, but more informal). o The biggest need is for pre-testing of ALMA deliverables for Release 1.0 (Oct03) and 1.1 (Feb03). Testing periods should be Aug-Sep 2003 and Nov-Dec 2003 respectively. 3. ALMA (Kumar, Steve, Joe) o Debra Shepherd is now Brian G.'s deputy and is the Offline Subsystem scientist in charge of Offline requirements and testing. She has drawn up an ALMA Offline Testing Plan covering 2003-2006. This will rely upon NAUG pre-testing of things, and thus coordination is needed between our testing and the ALMA testing. o Early focus of ALMA development is on performance, robustness, and core classes for pipeline use. Much of the interface (e.g. GUI) work is deferred until later cycles. o ALMA CDR1 review was conducted in June. Minutes are at: http://aips2.nrao.edu/projectoffice/alma/cdr1_minutes.pdf o ALMA design is proceeding (toward CDR2 in June) - Kumar & Joe have drawn up an Offline Software Development Plan: http://aips2.nrao.edu/projectoffice/alma/offline_plan.pdf - Lindsey is working on pipeline use cases o Requirements Audit: (latest version) http://aips2.nrao.edu/projectoffice/ALMAoffline_audit.pdf 4. EVLA (George, Steve, Joe) o EVLA Software Project Scientist job has been advertised internally, and some interviews have occurred. I hope that whoever takes this jobs will have substantial NAUG involvement. o Use Cases - I have some prototype use cases, which I will try to massage into shape in the next month. 1.0 VLA Single-Pointing Narrow-Field Continuum 1.1 Intensity only 1.2 Polarimetry (circular feeds) 2.0 VLA Single-Pointing Narrow-Field Spectral Line 1.1 Intensity only Are there others that would be ready to go? o Requirements: (latest version) http://aips2.nrao.edu/projectoffice/evla_offline.pdf 5. AIPS++ Developments (Joe, Kumar, George, David, Sanjay) o Viewer - more MS editing functionality, blinking, zoom fixes o "SPLIT" capability - input needed o What is in SS1 o Items that need NAUG help 6. Upcoming meetings and deadlines: o 2003 Aug 10-17 Single Dish Summer School (GB) o 2003 Aug 25 ANASAC (ALMA) face-to-face meeting (O'Hare) o 2003 Sep 5-6 ASAC (ALMA) Meeting (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) o 2003 Sep 8-9 EVLA Advisory Committee Meeting (SOC) o 2003 Oct 1 ALMA Release 1.0 o 2004 Apr 1 ALMA Release 1.1 o 2004 Jun 1 ALMA CDR2 = Judgement Day! The agendas for past NAUG meetings are archived at: http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~smyers/aips++/agenda/ The minutes for past NAUG meetings are archived at: http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~smyers/aips++/minutes/