1st July 2003 Present: MJI, STH, JRL, PSB, DWE Agenda ------ 1. Actions from previous minutes 2. Comments on recent WFAU minutes 3. Work package reports for Q2 review 4. Work package planning for Q3 5. Recent VDFS meeting issues 6. AOB Minutes ------- 1. Actions from previous minutes STH still needs to contact Sandy Leggett to obtain photometric monitoring data <<<< DWE has tested Ian Bond's software on data with different seeing and offsets. This needs to be compared with other methods being tested by JMI and MJI. <<<< JRL has placed simulated data (WFCAM headers on CIRSI data) on web (see diary page) STH has started investigating SDSS (and other) software for generating synthetic data (ongoing) <<<< DWE has selected some WFC data to simulate undersampled offset data for interpolation and difference imaging tests. Concern was expressed that the data may be too poor seeing quality and that better quality data needing less rebinning would be better (ongoing) <<<< MJI provided web address to DWE in order to obtain above data PSB did get hold of the costs for desktop requirements etc. for JRL and STH, but not enough time was available before the deadline for these special offers ran out. The cost was about 2k per "package" with an additional 1k for an external DDS5 tape drive. PSB the rack mounting of JRL's SUN equipment has been put on hold due to MJI the lack of suitable metal sheet material in the workshop. Revised completion for this is end of July. JRL requested that this be done before the asbestos lining around heating system is removed from his office (doesn't want asbestos dust getting into the machines, or him). PSB/JRL/MJI need to liaise with the workshop to make sure that this gets done in the correct order. <<<< STH has finished setting up photometric standard fields MJI has finished the astrometric distortion tests after receiving further data from Mark Casali. The results are that shifts within a 10 arcsec zone is fine, but anything larger than that will require resampling. DWE has released his notes of Edinburgh meeting on the web MJI has contacted Andy Lawrence and JPE summarizing our views on converting to ESO-style FITS headers. JPE will contact Peter Quinn. PSB organized a meeting in Cambridge to sort out outline draft documents MJI some Power Point presentations from Edinburgh meeting have been placed STH on the web. JRL still needs to place his there. <<<< JRL ALL good progress has been made on many of the Q2 work packages 2. Comments on recent WFAU minutes A number of issues were raised: The use of Python by WFAU - this has no impact on CASU and is thus not really an issue. LT0-2 drives - there was a general discussion about WFAU's purchase and the fact that JAC have purchased LTO-1 units. We need to doublecheck that LTO-2 drives can read LTO-1 tapes before purchasing any LTO-2 systems. 3. Work package reports for Q2 review To save time it was decided for everyone to send "one line" summaries to STH on their progress of tasks in the Q2 deliverables list, rather than go through them in the meeting. <<<< Several outstanding issues raised from the Q2 WP deliverables were then additionally discussed. Work packages 1.3-1.5 have been completed as far as possible from the CASU end, but cannot be officially signed off until final joint agreement with the ATC, WFAU, and the JAC. This should be noted in some way in the Q2 report. <<<< All the public documentation needs to be listed in documentation.html and this VDFS web subspace reorganized. This should be completed before the MCM documents are sent out since many of the deliverables need to accessible externally. Internal documents also need to have a similar page set up. DWE to organize <<<< It was agreed that calling the current state of the VISTA documents 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 "outline drafts" rather than "first drafts" was a reasonable policy in the light of short lead time for these tasks and concommittant recent change in the deliverable dates for the VDFS software PDR. It was suggested that the comparison between manual and automatic processing be deferred until real WFCAM data was available. STH will email SJW to see if he agrees with this idea. If not SJW will be encouraged to provide some suitable test data. <<<< It was agreed that remaining issues should be done off-line since STH wanted detailed answers from specific people. 4. Work package planning for Q3 The following tasks were noted during the meeting the remainder will be organised offline: Management WP spreadsheets, risk assessments (eg. powercuts, theft - see AOB), and Gantt charts need updating for Q3. <<<< The real first draft of the ESO (VISTA) documents (2.1,2.2,2.3) will need to be finished in time for the September (internal) camera software status review meeting at RAL. Several VDSF ESO deliverables depend on WP 2.5 the DID (ie. FITS header specification etc.). This WP needs to be brought forward and started in Q3 with a goal to have a first draft of this document by the September meeting since it also impacts on the camera FDR. The consensus is that this is a VDFS task with contributions from the telescope and instrument teams. The Q3 plan needs to be finalised by Thursday. For this we all need to propose deliverables for Q3 in the light of Q2 results and experience and send to STH by lunchtime Wednesday. <<<< 5. Recent VDFS meeting issues The report PSB wrote on the recent VDFS meeting should be placed in the documents directory. <<<< Several relevant issues were highlighted as a result of this meeting that require further action: the urgent need for a draft DID document (see above); the predicted astrometric distortion is not available yet to CASU and WJS was asked to chase up the necessary information to enable dither offsets/resmpling issues to be addressed; PSB asked about the difference between ESO and UK pipeline requirements for VISTA. The information was required so that we can sensibly plan both the VDFS ESO documentation and also highlight any VISTA-specific pipeline and archive requirements not covered by the current WFCAM-driven plan. MJI will raise the above issue at the upcoming management meeting; <<<< PSB still needs to know which parts of the science case and user requirements are specific to the NIR camera only. An updated VDFS UR doc is needed in time for the camera software status review. Clarification was sought about the term super-resolution (used in some of the VISTA documentation). This was felt to be misleading since additional resolution will not be the outcome, rather improved sampling. This would be a less evocative term to use. In the light of various comments made at the VDFS meeting MJI suggested that there was a need to improve liaison between the VISTA IR camera development team and CASU. To facilitate communication between the groups he has forwarded the WFCAM "concerns/issues" document to them via WJS. PSB noted that he has recently obtained the most recent draft IR Camera Software Functional Specification document and would place it in the CASU internal web pages <<<< 6. AOB UPS: is there a need for a UPS for our system? The general feeling was that there was not. UPS systems can be large and expensive. PSB pointed out that the power from a UPS system can even be less reliable than that from the mains. It was decided that power cuts (causing downtime and possible loss of equipment) should be added to the risk assessment and possible theft of machines should also be included. Grant status: Paul Aslin has received a letter announcing the grant from PPARC and he is in the process of checking the details. Continuing actions ------------------ STH contact Sandy Leggett to obtain photometric monitoring data DWE compare the three software packages for differencing imaging MJI STH investigate SDSS (and other) software for generating synthetic data DWE use WFC data to simulate undersampled offset data for interpolation and difference imaging tests PSB liaise with the workshop to make sure that the rack mounting of JRL's JRL SUN equipment happens before his office upheaval. MJI JRL place Power Point presentation from Edinburgh meeting on the web. New actions ------------ STH update management WP spreadsheets; update risk assessments to include power cuts (downtime and equipment loss) and theft; and update Gantt charts ALL send one line summaries to STH on the progress made in the Q2 work packages list DWE list all the public documentation in documentation.html and carry out a reorganization (by Thursday afternoon). Also do similar reorganization of internal documents. STH email SJW to see if he agrees with the idea of deferring the comparison between manual and automatic processing until real data is available (or get him to suggest some suitable data for intercomparison) PSB place VISTA PDFs (softlinks) in docs subdirectory JRL place CIRDR documentation (softlinks) in docs subdirectory ALL email suggested Q3 deliverables (to STH) by lunchtime Wednesday. PSB place VDFS meeting report in docs subdirectory MJI ask about the difference between ESO and UK requirements for VISTA at the forthcoming management meeting. PSB put document from the VISTA IR camera development team in docs subdir