Subject: WFC Annual Report

From: dwells at fits.CV.NRAO.EDU (Don Wells)
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1993 23:11:20 GMT

On Monday June 7, in the annual business session of the WGAS [Working
Group for Astronomical Software] at the summer meeting of the AAS in
Berkeley, I delivered the report for 1993 in my role as Chair of the
WGAS FITS Committee. I grouped items into four categories: meetings,
communication tools, WGAS FITS Committee and work-in-progress. Here
are the items that were on my single viewgraph:

    -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

                -=- Meetings -=-

- NOST Data Formats Comparison Workshop, held June 92 at GSFC. Bob
    Hanisch and I (and Barry Schlesinger) represented astronomy. A
    report will appear eventually. 

- FITS BOF at ADASS'92, held November 92 in Boston. I perceived that a
    consensus for WCS development existed at this meeting. 

- FITS BOF at data handling workshop held April 93 at Trieste.

                -=- Communication Tools -=-

- sci.astro.fits (fitsbits) has been effective in 92-93. In May 93 the
    newsgroup/exploder set a new traffic record, 163 KB.

- HEAFITS exploder, activated March 93.

                -=- WGAS FITS Committee -=-

- WFC voting membership was selected by Hanisch and Wells, is
    representative of North American observational astronomy, the
    committee officially formed in November 92.  

- formal voting process conducted on BINTABLE/IMAGE/Blocking, with two
    cycles of revisions to BINTABLE draft during Nov92-May93, final
    vote unanimous 20-0 on June 1, 93. The Japanese will vote soon,
    and then the IAU FITS Working Group will consider the proposals. I
    noted that the whole WGAS will never again vote on a FITS proposal.

                -=- Work-In-Progress -=-

- fits.cv.nrao.edu anonymousFTP server reorganized somewhat in May93.
    WAIS server "nrao-fits" is now operational.

- Greisen-Calabretta-?? WCS draft circulating. Astronomy needs this! 

- continuation of strings issue

    -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Bob Hanisch, in his role as WGAS Chair, prefaced my FITS Committee
report with remarks about the purpose, philosophy and evolution of
FITS.  The last item on my viewgraph (the string continuation issue)
naturally stimulated a further discussion of FITS philosophy and
strategy for our community.  One person at the WGAS meeting expressed
a worry that the expressive power (the flexibility) of the BINTABLE
extension will lead to anarchy, a strategic loss of interoperability.
--

  Donald C. Wells           Associate Scientist       dwells at nrao.edu
  National Radio Astronomy Observatory                +1-804-296-0277
  520 Edgemont Road                              Fax= +1-804-296-0278
  Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-2475 USA         78:31.1W, 38:02.2N