Re: Yesterday's meeting

[Francois Viallefond <fviallef@maat.obspm.fr>]

> Hello everyone:
> 
> Here is a draft for the minutes of yesterday's meeting. Please comment
> and
> complete ...
> 
> Regards
> 
> Robert

Hi Robert,

I have a few comments and some thinking reading that draft:

> . it's clear that word of mouth is not enough for the information on
>    fields already observed; the data base available to proposers should
>    include source coordinates and frequencies, observing technique, and
>    how much observing time was used.

I think that it is necessary to go beyond these few parameters! This should be 
possible because the pipeline will produce in an homogeneous and systematic way 
parameters such as the rms phase noise, atmospheric phase noise, rms pointing 
errors, receiver noises sidelobe levels and aperture filling factor, map noise 
(for natural or quasi-natural weighting). Although the total observing time is 
useful, because of dynamic scheduling and the various different observing modes, 
it could be misleading.
Actually all these parameters, because they can be obtained in a rather 
systematic way, as well as other such as calibrator fluxes, positions and sizes 
etc. should go systematicly in a data base which will build-up progressively 
during the life-time of the array. This data base will be a feed-back to 
optimize the efficiency in operating the array (feed-back into the software 
which will determine the dynamic scheduling) and establishing those observing 
modes which give the best results for a given objective. I would suggest that 
not only the staff has access to that data base but also the astronomer when 
working for the 1st or the 2nd step in the proposal submission.
In this two steps approach for the proposal submission, for the 2nd step these 
elements from the data base could be used to recommend (an automatic feed-back 
from the "ALMA institute" to the astronomer) the best observing mode for his 
requirements (noise level, image size, angular resolution dynamic range etc...).
This would allow the make the experiences from expert people more profitable to 
the whole community.

> - Is dynamic scheduling to be used ?

I have always been thinking in the context of dynamic scheduling, is it not a 
MUST?

Francois