Re: meeting summary, next meeting

[Robert Lucas <lucas@iram.fr>]

Gianni Raffi wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> by reading the Minutes Robert has written I bumped into this:
> 
> >  B. Clark will draft a script  language specification.
> >
> This is exactly what we do not need from SSR please. In the case of the
> VLT end-to-end model this
> would have meant to specify Tcl. Leave something for analysis.,design
> and development too pls.

Specifications here meant, at least for me, but I think we understood
each other 
during that teleconf: 
 - what language features/functionalities  are needed 
 - what application 'words' we need and what they should mean and
execute
This is by no means a full specification of the language. 
The general idea  is that the language itself would be choosen by the
analysis team
(of course with feedback from our group)   
   
> > . specify a set of script procedures doing the standard observing modes;
> >   the script language should allow staff astronomers or advanced observers
> >   to edit those procedures.
> 
> I agree on this further qualification. For me what is meant here must
> be:
> 1) Specify standard observing mode scenarios (this corresponds on the
> VLT to the standard scripts
>    which we call Templates + Singature parameters). I assume they must
> depend somehow also on the    receivers, configurations. I assume this
> to be a huge domain.

Fully agreed.

> 2) Specify requirement that staff astronomers or advanced observers
> should be able to
> edit this, if you are sure you want it. By editing I understand that one
> would invent his own observing mode, which is different of course than
> having own parameters with a standard observing mode.
> (By the way we do not allow this in service mode at the VLT; it would
> then be impossible to apply standard quality checks and pipeline
> procedures to the acquired data).

I think we all agree on this requirement. That comes from the fact that
ALMA
is such a jump in collecting area and wavelength from present
millimeter-wave 
interferometers that we cannot fully specify all observing modes at this
date and foresee research on that with the instrument itself.

Best regards

Robert
-- 
Robert LUCAS,            Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique
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