IVOA Interoperability MeetingConcluding Remarks

Fabio PasianChair , International Virtual Observatory Alliance

IVOA Interoperability Workshop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 2009

Conclusions

• Mine are personal feelings, but ... • This meeting has been a roaring success.• This Interop will probably be remembered as a

major turning point for IVOA.• A change of pace has taken place.

Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09 2

IVOA priority

• The IVOA is about enabling astronomical research

• Fulfilling the requirements from the astronomical community has key importance

• Excellent work on standards done up to now• Near term: get useful tools & services to

astronomers now• Dave De Young’s talk

Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09 3

Monday

25th May

2009

A turning point ...

• Take-Up Committee meeting• Take-Up discussion

Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09 4

Tuesday

26th May

2009

• Exec meeting

Wednesday

27th May

2009

... and a change in pace ...

Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09 5

On the initiative of the Take-Up Committee, proposal identifying a prioritisation path for the IVOA to follow, based on 3 elements:

a) TAP to be finalised within summer 09 as a powerful tool for data access;

b) generation of a “Use Cases Group” planned to produce a set of example queries at a level of completeness sufficient to ensure that “good enough” data queries are possible;

c) Observation Data Model and UTypes to be brought to a higher priority and aimed to be finalized by May 2010 Interop.

To move forward, this proposal needs the support from major data producers.

... approved by ExecLooping mechanism between the Exec and the TCG,

with the involvement of the relevant WGs :Use cases set requirements vs standards and protocols, which shall be pushed to an acceptable level with the support of the projects, which are committed

to collaborate in this effort. Use cases shall then be refined and prioritised.

This mechanism shall not follow a waterfall approach, but rather be iterative and interactive, especially in the definition of requirements.

Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09 6

... approved by ExecFurthermore, this mechanism shall not force the WGs

to derail from their “normal” way of working: it is focussing on additional “non-usual” prioritisation

work (c/o Exec and TCG). Several WGs, in particular DAL and DM, will be

involved. Data centres should also be involved to define the level

which can be implemented.A list of interdependencies and interrelations among

standards will be produced.

Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09 7

Highlights

• (Positive) reaction from WGs • Initial collection of Use Cases• TAP ! v1.0 is within reach (at long last!) using

both ADQL and PQL – RFC to start 5th June• VOTable v1.2 (including connections to TAP

and STC) – RFC to start 1st July• UTypes draft issued

Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09 8

Highlights• SIAP v1.1 in RFC – work started for v2.0• SAMP success• VOSpace essential capability • Mature applications• Registry Curation Tools → awareness of their

importance– for Data Centres to manage/cleanup – for users to find the data they are

• Special meetings gathering interest• Started thinking about metrics

Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09 9

Issues

• Do what we have decided – schedule – resources

• Quality of data and services, ...• Logging → Metrics

Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09 10

What IVOA is about

We are about sharing, reciprocity, consensus.– To reach agreements, compromises are needed.

• Rather than showing strong leadership, anyone of us should act as a facilitator. – Being a facilitator is a sign of leadership!

• This was done during this Interop. You guys have been great!

11Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09

Next Interop: Garching

8th – 13th Nov 2009

See you there !

Thanks to:

• The Program Organizing Committee(Séverin Gaudet, Nic Walton)

• The Local Organizing Committee (Françoise Genova, Mark Allen, Sébastien

Derrière, Thomas Boch, Chantal Bruneau)

• You all, for attending!

13Fabio Pasian - Concluding Remarks - IVOA Interop, Strasbourg, 24-29 May 09