ALMA SSR Committee Face-to-face Meeting July 16/17, 2001 Berkeley

Minutes

1. ALMA project news: Brian Glendenning. See Brian's slides (note that the detailed numbers in the "breakdown" slides have changed a bit).
   • The agreement on the ALMA/AIPS++ test is attached to these minutes.
   • ALMA project has inquired about joining the AIPS++ consortium.
   • The role of SSR in ALMA Phase 2 should be defined in the next few months.
2. Report on Calibration PDR and implications for software requirements
   • Meeting summary, see Robert's slides.
   • Official report of review panel is not yet available. According to Mel Wright:
     • a real calibration group will be created, relations with the SSR will be highly important.
     • The calibration accuracy requirement will be relaxed to 1% times the frequency in units of 100GHz.
3. Progress on High level software Analysis, see Joe's slides.
   • The HLA adds the possibility to share calibrations between short snapshot programs. The was felt needed after the Grenoble meeting, though not yet included in the requirements. We could enter a SPR to change this point in the requirements.
   • The question of time accounting of those shared calibrations is posed (logically the time should be shared between the projects that need them).
   • It was noted by Brian that a final image need not be computed after each session, only when a breakpoint is encountered (though the requirements say so). This could lead to another SPR.
4. Pipeline and off-line analysis requirements
   1. Pipeline requirements:
      • We had a discussion mainly on semantic issues -- are the calibration, quicklook and science data pipelines really pipelines? We decided to keep the name pipeline only for the whole thing, and separate the various pipeline operations by their nature and urgency: telescope/array calibration operations (quasi real time), processing of phase calibrators, quicklook operations, science imaging operations.
      • Should the quick look images be saved? the question arose but was not settled.
      • By default the image inserted into the archive should be the image as requested by the observer, not an image reduced in a simplified and standard way.
      • In order to ensure consistency of the requirements It was finally determined (by consensus) that the the pipeline requirements should be inserted in the General requirements (software memo 11) in place of the current section on the pipeline.
      • The original requirements should find their place in the new section.
      • Detailed comments should be handed to Frederic and Peter.
   2. Off-line analysis requirements:
      • We managed to discuss in some detail most of the requirements. They will be updated by S. Myers.
5. Other issues:
   1. Connection to calibration group (to be formed): John Richer, Perter Schilke, Jeff Mangum, R. Lucas
   2. Operational Issues ASAC has started working on science operations (Neal Evans committee). John Richer participates; R. Lucas attends the phone meetings to present SSR views.
   3. Participation of SSR in reviewing the ALMA/AIPS++ test (this will be needed at the end of Phase I, november, and of Phase II, april): S. Myers, F. Viallefond, NN.
   4. Archive requirements will be revised and detailed by Ken Tatematsu + NN. This is in order to precise the relationship with the pipeline. These updated requirements too will go into the corresponding section of memo 11. This is distinct from the conceptual design of the archive (under way inside the computer group).
   5. Added Requirements linked to project extensions (ACA, future correlator) may have to be written. We will very probably have to start action on these issues in the fall.
   6. Next face to face meeting: in the beginning of 2002 (January?) i.e. after first work on pipeline concept, scheduling studies, ... the meeting place was not discussed yet. Any propositions?
   7. Next phone meeting in second half of August. I propose August 22 at 1500 UT

Action List

1. R. Lucas to collect requirements updates in order to submit SPR's.
2. S. Myers et al. to update Off-line requirements, before next phone meeting.
3. P. Shilke and F. Gueth to update pipeline requirements (as a section in software memo 11), before next phone meeting.