Agenda

CASA/JIVE VLBI Coordination Meeting

2021 Dec 15 @ 1500UTC

Logistics

• Future Meeting dates:
  
  • 2022 Jan 12 @ 1500 UTC Technical meeting
    
  • 2022 Jan 26 @ 1500 UTC Coordination meeting
    

General Admin

• General Status w.r.t. Coronavirus measures
  • NRAO/ALMA:
    
    • NRAO in North America now officially fully-vaccinated and "back to work", with masking/SD protocols still in place. ALMA now back to ~near-normal, w/ care. Remaining cautious...
      
  • ASTRON/JIVE
    • ASTRON (and JIVE) working mainly from home. (Netherlands on lockdown a few days later...)
      
• Upcoming CASA Release Schedule
  
  • (6.4.2 reserved for pipeline flexibility)
  • CASA 6.4.3: mid/late-Jan 2022
    
  • CASA 6.4.4: March ~1
    
  • Release version OS/python matrix
• (Justin) Stakeholder prioritization
  • CASA 6.5 prioritization underway
  • CASA 6.5 development work to formally begin ~March 2022
• Documentation and related
  • (Mark) Collated requirements (2021 July 02) ...status?
    
    • Finished, linked (pdf) to main CASA/JIVE VLBI Coord page. Mark will add to JIVE git repo (where ancillary data scripts live) so we can better keep track of versions
  • (Des/George) Fringefit memo...status? George to add some general calibration context (cf for CASA VLBI paper)
    
  • (Justin) VLBA CASA Recipe complete: VLBA Scientific Memo 38 (pdf)
    
    • Justin appreciates the comments received!
  • (Ilse) CASA VLBI Paper planning...status?
    
    • Last meeting Nov 30, another coming on Dec 21
      
    • Nearing a reasonably complete first draft
    • To be submitted to PASP, likely following genera CASA paper. (PASP editor Jeff Mangum on board and encouraing)
• CASA repo/build logistics
  • (Ryan/George) CASA repo re-org for sunset of CASA 5 (CAS-13461)
    
    • remember to migrate c++ tests as needed.
  • Building c++ unit tests in CASA 6 from Darrell (CAS-13461) (still some issues with google tests?)
    • George to systematically organize calibration-related tests (mostly google tests) in synthesis/MeasurementComponents (including VLBI-related)
  • VLBI Integration Branch: TBD
  • casa6 build instructions via vmware (from Ville)
    
    • Need clarity on building plotms, etc., in casa6 context. (From tech mtg)
• Misc. Admin
  
  • (Ryan) Recruitment process for new VLBI developer complete; offer accepted!
    • Victor Desouza, lately of IRAM. Likely arrival late (N) spring, 2022.
  • (Ryan) New JIRA ticket conventions (see casa-staff Dec 9 email)
• (Ryan) CNGI/ngCASA Status?
  • Demo 'release' of prototype package. CNGI info on casa webpage.
  • FYI: CNGI Development instructions
  • Some casa6 development to be considered using new technologies ("CNGI tech transition"), if adequately isolate-able.
    • Is there a tech-transfer doc materializing to guide planning of this in casa6 for 2022?
• Meetings/workshops of relevance
  
  • SKA VLBI virtual meeting (2022 Feb 14-18). Ilse giving invited talk; Mark contributing on VLBI DR futures (incl. ngCASA-style technology).
• Other admin?
  • JIVE soon to submit "Horizon 2020" proposal for tech development, possibly providing additional funding for CASA VLBI work a JIVE. May need letter of support from NRAO.

Development

• CASA 6.3+6.4 prioritization
• Ongoing maintenance/development CASA 6.3/6.4 JIRA (VLBI) Status
  
  • Finished:
    • Mark, CAS-13622) FITS-IDI filler does not always update OBSERVATION table correctly (6.4.3)
      • Merged to 6.4.3.
  • Ongoing for 6.4.3
    
    • (Mark, CAS-13628) Dysco ("lossy" compression of MeasurementSets) (6.4.3)
      
      • Merged to 6.4.3
        
    • (Mark, CAS-13266) Per-scan interpolation via overloading per-obs mechanism. (6.4.3)
      • Good discussion on Nov 17 Tech meeting; some internal semantic changes pending (George)
        
    • (Des, CAS-13361) Polarization combination for fringefit. (6.4.3)
      
      • Under review by George (looks good, maybe some minor details to clean up...)
        
      • Short tech meeting followed this meeting; see CAS-13361 ticket for details.
    • (Des, CAS-13056) Overlapping solution intervals (6.4.4)
      
      • Awaiting review by George - plan to discuss at next Tech mtg (Jan 12)
        
    • (Des, ticket?) Turn on uvrange parameter in fringefit? (probably trivial to add)
      • Des to make ticket for 6.4.x
    • (Mark, CAS-13003). EOP update (6.4).
      • Anything to report?
        
  • Other/Miscellaneous
    
    • (George/Justin) CASR-463 (TEC) Need to follow-up on Justin's initial testing, which indicated edge (near-horizon) effects, spurious but cosmetic VLA-specificity, scientific differences in details? (Also some MeerKAT testing, via Bietenholz?)
    • (George, CAS-13287) AveragingTvi2 problems for certain conditions; under separate investigation (cf CAS-13466)
    • CAS-12485: OTF weight munging for solve (Can we complete validation and deploy? Des seeking interested users at JIVE)
    • (Mark, CAS-13700) Export/import UVFITS with Nant > 255. For 6.4.x
      • Mark has introduced required casacore fixes; will need proper validation at NRAO for AIPS compatibility. George to contact Urvashi.

AOB

• n/a