I've posted a News article asking for volunteers to help us track topics of importance to the AstroGrid project. Each topic will have two or three people assigned: one main contact plus a secondary (and backup if possible).

They will be reponsible for maintaining a wiki page or set of pages covering that topic and for keeping them up to date with the latest advances in that area. They will also run workshops or focus meetings for the rest of the team, identify where links exist with other topics and make sure the linkages are properly tracked, contribute to the appropriate working groups and mailing lists and they will, of course, get first call on the budget to attend meetings on those topics.

If you want to put your name down for one or more topics, please email TonyLinde a prioritised list of the topics you are interested in.

Topic List

Topic	Main Contact	Secondary Contact	Backup Contact	Wiki Page
Agent technology	ElizabethAuden	DavidGiaretta	TonyLinde	AgentTracking
Astronomical apps & functions	AnitaRichards	MartinHill	NicholasWalton	FunctionsTracking
Data centres, Archives, Catalogs		ElizabethAuden, AnitaRichards	NicholasWalton, BobMann	DataCentreTracking
Database querying, Mining	BobMann	ClivePage	MartinHill	DataMiningTracking
Grid accounting, commerce			TonyLinde	GridAccountingTracking
Grid databases, DAI, Replication	MartinHill			GridDatabaseTracking
Grid implementation, Firewalls				GridImplementationTracking
Grid infrastructure software: Globus/OGSA, GSI	GuyRixon			GridInfrastructureTracking
Grid IAA	GuyRixon			GridIAATracking
Java technologies	MartinHill			JavaTracking
Ontology, Semantics, Metadata, Data model	TonyLinde	AnitaRichards	ElizabethAuden	OntologyTracking
Portal technologies	TonyLinde		DavidGiaretta	PortalTracking
Query Language, AQL		TonyLinde		QueryLanguageTracking
Resource discovery, Registries	DavidGiaretta	CliveDavenhall	GuyRixon	RegistryTracking
Scheduling, Resource Reservation & Management				SchedulingTracking
Visualisation	PeterAllan	ElizabethAuden	AnitaRichards	VisualisationTracking
VOTable	CliveDavenhall	ClivePage		VOTableTracking
Web page accessibility	AnitaRichards	GuyRixon	KeithNoddle	WebPageAccessibility
Workflow	NicholasWalton	TonyLinde	ElizabethAuden	WorkflowTracking
XML Technologies				XmlTracking

Coverage

• Agent technology
  What agent projects are around, what they're trying to achieve, technologies used, languages under development, usefulness to project.
• Astronomical apps & functions
  What functions we need to convert to AstroGrid usage, tips on conversion.
• Data centres, Archives, Catalogs
  What data is stored at centres, how are they stored (flat files, database), software needed to access them, whether data is original or replica, frequency of replication.
• Database querying, Mining
  Issues of AQL: SQL based or not, whether CLI or only web-based. Techniques of data mining. Data warehousing, whether applicable to VO.
• Grid accounting, commerce
  Tracking activity by person, group etc, charging for usage, accounting models.
• Grid databases, DAI, Replication
  Work done by OGSA-DAI, how databases are replicated on grid.
• Grid implementation, Firewalls
  How to install and implement grids; key topic is getting around or through firewalls.
• Grid infrastructure software: Globus/OGSA, GSI
  Activities of Globus project, impact of commercialisation, non-Globus technologies.
• Grid IAA
  Work of Globus CAS project, social impact of CAS-style authorisation, how data centres will permission data.
• Java technologies
  Tracking all the Java technologies in use on the project plus those that might be of use.
• Ontology, Semantics, Metadata, Data model
  Whether VO needs ontology-based services, what technologies available, adding semantics to metadata without ontologies.
• Portal technologies
  Technologies available and whether useful on grid, integration of workflow and visualisation.
• Query Language, AQL
  Can we create a generic query language or query mechanism for astronomical queries
• Resource discovery, Registries
  Metadata for describing resources, how can they be 'discovered', structure of registry, registry interface signature standard.
• Scheduling, Resource Reservation & Management
  How to reserve and schedule scarce resources, metadata, switching to underused resources.
• Visualisation
  How visualisation can be achieved by server/browser, projects underway, technologies available.
• VOTable
  Tracking the development of the VOTable standard & ensuring other topics take it into account.
• Web page accessibility
  Standards, models etc. for good design generally and access for people with disabilities who are likely to use AstroGrid.
• Workflow
  Software available, projects underway, links to ontology and agent work, progress on BPEL-WS and its possibility for scientific use, other workflow languages.
• XML Technologies
  Tracking XML tools, libraries and associated technologies.

-- TonyLinde - 14 Oct 2002