AG-SAG - Full Meeting #15

Date and Location: Imperial College London: Weds 17 Sept 2008, 10.00-16.00

Supporting Paperwork:

Agenda:

Notes:

1. Please see http://www.votcuk.org/wiki/CambridgeKickoff for details of a meeting in Cambridge 25+26 Sept 2008 to discuss a future VO initiative in the UK. All SAG members are invited.
2. PAVONE is a VO extension to incorporate AstroParticles data whilst VAMDC is extension for Atomic and Molecular databases.

Present

• NicholasWalton (NW) (AstroGrid)
• AndrewJaffe (AJ)
• BillChaplin (BC)
• DuganWitherick (DW) (attending on behalf of Jeremy Yates)
• SebOliver [will not get there until late, possibly p.m. for family reasons]
• KeithNoddle (KN)
• NialTanvir (NT)
• AlanAylward (AA)

Apologies

• JeremyYates(JY)
• ChristianKnigge (CK)
• SteveMaddox (SM)
• CarltonBaugh (CB)
• LyndsayFletcher (LF)

Possible ...

• MikeWatson (MGW) (AstroGrid)
• Iain Steele (IS)
• Tom Marsh (TM)

Expenses

Claims for expenses can be made on the Leicester Expenses Claim Form (pdf) (Excel version - can be completed digitally). Please download, fill in, attach receipts (Leics will reject claims without receipts unless 'no receipt' is explicitly stated against an item), and send to:

Janet Bee
University of Leicester,
Dept of Physics & Astronomy,
University Road,
Leicester
LE1 7RH

Please mark the Claim as 'AstroGrid: Science Advisory Group Meeting'

Travel and Accommodation

Blackett Laboratory is the Physics Department Building at Imperial, at the corner of Prince Consort Road and Queen's Gate. Nearest tube is Gloucester Road (Circle, District and Picadilly lines). More information is here.

If you require accommodation, please check http://www.imperial-accommodationlink.com/.

Meeting Room

630 Blackett Lab, Imperial College (see http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics/ for more information)

Wireless and Network Connections

The conference ID is conf-31794.

Ideally before arrival, people should go to https://guestaccess.imperial.ac.uk [Currently you may get a certificate warning which you can ameliorate by downloading the certificate or "adding an exception" in Firefox.]

click Guest Login, & then put that ID in as the "Unique ID" requested.

Answer the questions asked (name, email, MAC address, etc) & they'll get their own username & password.

NB MAC address isn't actually necessary if they only want to use the wireless.

They can then use this ID & password to log on to the wireless system: see http://www.qurl.com/8yzt6 (link to ICT page with unfeasibly long URL) under "How to Connect" for wireless setup instructions.

Notes

Morning Session (Review and Future)

• Action from AGSAG FM 14 - links to previous tools call added
• Felt that it would be useful to have a new AGOC meeting
  • Anything that is important from this meeting should be fed to Paul Watson (chair of AGOC meeting)

• Wrap up AG as speedily as possible but ensure that there is a good return.
• All feedback comments will be available online (none so much from students/scientist inferring AG is critical tool).
• Input from people using as infrastructure. Supportive letter from Paul Watson.
• Recognised that what was released was showing to be useful.

• Discussions on going with STFC - constant project to Xmas and then ramp down by summer 2009.
• Original end date was end of 2009.

• Software components need to be wrapped up and packaged up.
• KTN looking after infrastructure components.
• More details in June 08 meeting.

• New concept VO Technology Centre (VOTC:UK)
  • Meeting the requirements of current and future missions/facilities
  • Central AG user portal will be maintained for the present time and then cease at some point
  • AR - astro-runtime will be maintained in the long run(KTN)
    • Used for scripting access to the VO (i.e. real science)
    • Will be modified hopefully to run as a server side component.
  • VODesktop is GUI front end to VO and will not be maintained. (KTN)
    • Likely that sites will use the server side AR for accessing their data.
    • Analogy - Topcat built on top of STILTS. (NW)

• • There are standards for both back end and user side components. (KTN)
    • Anyone who publishes their data with the AG components will be VO Compliant and will be accessible by VO Compliant tools.
  • Will anyone be making any VO Compliant tools? (AJ)

• • Formal collaboration board.
    • Invite people from interested missions - identify the priorities of what needs to be done for facilities/missions

• • Need a core number of people for development etc. to begin with.
  • Perhaps more attractive model for STFC would be for groups to request for VO funding in their grants instead of trying to initially fund a large number of people. (NT)
  • Perhaps it should be the model the project should evolve to.

• • Should be sold as enabling science processing rather than just serving up VOTables. (AJ)
    • Should encourage STFC to encourage people to do this.

• • Maintain role within IVOA (standards)
  • Maintain leadership of Euro-VO technology
  • Extend the VO to AstroParticle^? and Atomic and Molecular domains

• AG worked but ran out of time
• New focus: exploit investment in infrastructure
• Support core infrastructure

• AstroGrid Tools call
  • Call programme successfully delivering value

• UKVOTC could form element of a data policy.
• Aim at SoI^? to PPAN (by 28th October 2008) - ACTION NW change presentation
• Route is then for potential consideration at Feb 09 PPRP

Morning Session (Science Calls)

• LOFAR (Fender) - Radio sky monitor
• Radio (Jackson) - US Castles project, gravitational lens database
• Solar (Labrosse) - identification of prominences - implement as CEA and access with Taverna workflow

Afternoon Session (From Closed Session)

• Need letters of support from missions/facilities at UKVOTC meeting
• Extent of missions already committed to VO to provide to STFC
• Some sort of quasi independent science advice will still be required - should not just be the collaboration board (collaboration board advisory group)
• To maximise chances of success it must not look like a simple AG continuation, but must clearly take the AG s/w and expertise for the benefit of the missions/ facilities.
• List of worldwide projects which are likely to be VO compliant - danger of the UK being left behind.

Afternoon Session (Continued)

• 2008.2 release on 3rd Oct 2008
• Everything to go into sourceforge?
• Now won't be able to make point and click install
• Won't make AR multi user multi threaded
• IDL AR interface
• Taverna on hold

-- NicholasWalton - 05 Aug 2008