This agenda is available at https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/ALMA/NaascMinutes2009Oct07

NAASC Organizational Meeting: Wednesday Oct 07, 2009 1-2:30pm ET (1700-1830UT), CV-ER209/TUC-N525/Soc280(SO-conf2)/JAO-Alsacia/JAO-OSF(Science)/NRC:

Meeting Information

  • Call date: 2009-10-07 (Wednesday)
  • Call time 13:00 ET or 17:00 UT
  • Duration: 1.5 hr
  • Connection for Video:
    • From NRAO select "Conf Hub IVR"
    • hub ip=192.33.117.12
    • alternative ip for Chile only, if above drops: 192.33.117.17
  • Non toll-free number: 434-244-6834
  • USA toll-free Number: 866-675-5385
  • Outside USA Number: +1 517-444-6916
  • Passcode: 8445333#
  • Leader: Hibbard

Attendees

  • CV: KS, RF, SB, CL, JM, HL, BK, ML, JH
  • Soc:
  • GB:
  • Canada: DJ, GS, JdF
  • Tuc:
  • JAO:
  • Other:

Action Items from past meetings (RED=OPEN)

  • ACTION: Deploy new NAASC web pages and remove http://www.alma.nrao.edu/ when relevant material identified by AWootten is posted elsewhere.
    • WHO: SciWeb
    • DUE: Dec2008
    • DONE:
    • NOTES: new design planned to roll out in Dec2009
  • ACTION: Follow up with UMd on SOW for Casa Carma filler/pathway
    • WHO: JHibbard
    • DUE: 1/07/09
    • DONE:
    • NOTES: Visit by P.Teuben Feb5 & Apr29 & Aug. A. Bolatto said he would follow up
  • ACTION: have Tuesday meeting to decide if we should use google calendars for work schedules
    • WHO: CLonsdale/JHibbard
    • DUE:
    • DONE:
  • ACTION: post AAS demos someplace (simulator, obstool, splatalogue).
    • WHO: SciWeb
    • DUE: ASAP
    • DONE:
    • NOTES: Being incorporated into new NAASC webpages
  • ACTION: Send possible CSV support travel dates for CY2010 to JHibbard
    • WHO: Brogan, Hunter, Indebetouw, Mangum, Lacy, Liszt, Sci13-15
    • DUE: November 21, 2009
    • DONE:
    • NOTES: see NAASC2Chile
  • ACTION: Set up agenda for ANASAC f2f meeting
    • WHO: Al
    • DUE: 9/12/2009
    • DONE: 9/14/2009

Action Items from this meeting:

  • ACTION: Collect input from all NAASC for update to ALMA primer
    • WHO: DJ/GS
    • DUE: ?
    • DONE:
  • ACTION: Send any changes made to ALMA primer material as it is incorporated in NAASC webpages to DJ/GS
    • WHO: A.Evans
    • DUE: ?
    • DONE:

Agenda

  • NRC News (Schieven)
    • Gerald S. will be at AAS. Will hand out copies of primer. We can suggest updates
    • AI on DJ/GS to collect input for primer. AE should send any updates he is making (as he incorporates material in new NAASC webpages)
    • Brenda M. will start working on CASA
    • Doug J. says science paper on Band 1 will be posted tomorrow

  • ANASAC (AWootten)
    • f2f meeting Sep 25-26 in CV. Agenda. It would be appropriate for all NAASC staff to read all of their assigned reading material and review the charges.
    • New chair: A. Blain
    • A. Baker is at OSF working with AIVC team

  • Main Event: Science Operations Implementation Plan Review, Sept 29-30, 2009, Santiago
    • Panel
      • Chair: George Helou (IPAC Executive Director/SSC Deputy Director)
      • Michitoshi Yoshida (Director of Okayama Astrophysical Observatory)
      • Roy Booth (Director of Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory)
      • Jessica Chapman (ATNF Operations Research Program Leader)
    • NAm Attendees: JH, CL, P. Jewell, A. Remijan, P. Puxley
    • Presentations are on a protected site. We will attach the ones we gave:
    • Main take-away messages:
      • SciOps needs to be much more proactive in tracking development of software, and from an integrated rather than subsystem perspective. Don't treat CIPT or construction deliverables as things we are not connected to
      • ALMA is coming!! Next year will have something new rolling out every month (see preliminary SciOps Gantt chart), and we have to be organized to efficiently and effectively take part in testing, feedback, documenting, promoting
      • Both this panel and the ANASAC were very concerned about who is writing what documentation and when. We need a document plan & writing assignments. Planned documents:
        • Observing with ALMA (ALMA from start to end with a FAQ on where to find information)
        • Observing Tool User Manual
        • Observing Tool Use Cases
        • CASA Cookbook
        • CASA Reduction Use Cases
        • Proposing for ALMA for Dummies (e.g. do I need ACA, TP, OTF, Mosaic)
        • Observing Tool quick start guide

  • Reports from Working Groups
    • Pipeline (from eSSR wiki)
      • User Test 6 (UT6) is on schedule to start in November. UT6 is the primary focus for pipeline testing right now. Pretesting (done by the developer) is expected to finish up this month (this is a critical step in test preparation). The test scope includes calibration, imaging improvements, small mosaics, and will involve outside users. There may be 6-8 testers (very preliminary number). Once a precise test date is firm, Chris will begin identifying testers (hopefully this month). There has also been significant changes to the user documentation, which will certainly result in user feedback to improve it.
    • CASA (Crystal)
      • New group leader, N. Elias, started Sept 21
      • Next release (3.0) will be December. This is a VERY IMPORTANT release, as it will be the version used for EVLA early science. Will need LOTS of real-world testing. Developer freeze in Oct, test in Nov.
    • ObsPrep (incl. ObsTool=OT) (Harvey)
      • User Test 6.0: test of Phase I June 1-26. Test report and more details available from eSSR wiki
      • Beta release has slipped to April 2010. May be an internal version for testing in Feb.
    • Technical Assessment WG (Harvey, Todd, Jeff, Crystal):
    • Casapy simulator (Remy)
      • Eelco Van Kampen (EU ARC at ESO) wishes a working visit in Nov, to discuss European simulation efforts & organizing the development of an ALMA simulator database
    • ALMA Archive (Mark L)
      • Defining 3 hires that will be posted ASAP - applications developer (interviews this week), DBA, Archive Tech.
    • Splatalogue (Tony)
      • API for splatalogue will be developed in-house
      • Should have a discussion at Koln meeting about what the proper subset of spectral lines that should be included in CASA & Obstool for offline use (email from CIPT).
    • EPO (J. Stoke)
    • Science User Outreach/Webpages (M. Adams/A.Evans)
      • Interviewing for Web Content Manager; last candidate will visit this month
      • Aaron is working on level 2 science pages. Will roll out new pages for trail later this month
      • AAS meeting:
        • Jan 5-9 in DC. Will be NRAO Town Hall on Tuesday
        • ALMA poster session. See 215AAS
    • NAASC Workshops (Aaron)
      • Went very well. 171 participants, more than 1/3 (>60) student or postdoc
      • Presentations are posted on-line at http://www.cv.nrao.edu/php/meetings/galaxies09/program.php
      • Article for eNews being worked on. Aaron is writing up "Lessons Learned"
      • Topic and timescale for next meeting was discussed by ANASAC. Will address at some future meeting
    • Upcoming Science Meetings: (Al)
    • Upcoming NAASC Science Visitors (see google calendar NAASC Visitors)

Additional Supporting Material

NAASC items submitted to JAO for September Monthly report

Hiring activities
  • Shortlist finalized for a Software Application Developer (to work on ALMA helpdesk and User Portal solutions)
  • Interviews for a Web Content Manager continue
  • NAASC CASA post-doc Rachel Friesen started. She will work on scientific use of CASA especially for heterogeneous imaging
JAO support
  • CSV liaison duties continued in Chile including a turno at the OSF
  • Performed thermal analysis of holography data for the characterization of the surface of the Vertex antennas
  • Preparation for Science Operations review: Wrote NAASC Implementation plan, presentations on ALMA from users perspective, ALMA Science Operations Software, and the NAASC. Worked on ALMA Project Plan
Software Development & testing
  • Designed a prototype ALMA proposal summary page
  • CASA pre-release testing
  • CASA development on new 2-D Gaussian fitting application. Added such features such as support for writing residual and model images
  • Updates to splatalogue
  • Evaluated ALMA archive and data rate requirements on planned NRAO Data Center in Charlottesville
Conferences and workshops
  • 4th NAASC workshop "Assembly, Gas Content and Star Formation History of Galaxies" was held Sep 21-24. There were 170+ participants, including more than 60 students and postdocs
Other
  • Prepared for & held ANASAC f2f meeting Sept 25, include background material for ASAC charges on ARC preparedness, ALMA development program, ALMA proposal review process
  • prototype design of NAASC science web finalized
  • Filed FCC comments responding to Toyota's petition to allow higher power 76 GHz radars on US motor vehicles (has long-range implications for spectrum management in Chile)

-- JohnHibbard - 2009-10-06
Topic attachments
I Attachment Action Size Date Who Comment
ALMAusersview.pdfpdf ALMAusersview.pdf manage 4 MB 2009-10-06 - 04:41 JohnHibbard "ALMA from a Users Perspective" (presentation by J. Hibbard at SciOps Implmentation Review, Sept 29 2009)
SciOpsImp_naarc_CL.pdfpdf SciOpsImp_naarc_CL.pdf manage 5 MB 2009-10-06 - 04:47 JohnHibbard NAASC presentation by C. Lonsdale for SciOps Implementation Review, Sept 30 2009
SciOps_Gantt.pdfpdf SciOps_Gantt.pdf manage 103 K 2009-10-14 - 12:44 JohnHibbard Draft Gantt chart for 2010 ALMA s/w deliverables, tests, documentation etc (updated Oct14 2009)
Topic revision: r4 - 2009-10-28, JohnHibbard
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