Open Organization for FASE

It is important that a Future Astronomical Software Environment is shared by the community and open in nature so all astronomers can use and contribute to it.

The current OPTICON Network 3.6 with participation of people North America (e.g. through NVO) and other regions serves as a very useful forum for discussions of a Future Astronomical Software Environment. However, the Network has limited duration and is somewhat biased towards OPTICON and EU who are the main sponsors. In the long run, it would be better to have a neutral organization which would act as keeper of documents, and standards such as common requirements, architecture, and interface specifications.

This page is the starting point for the creation of such an organization which as time goes on should contain:

1. definition of the name
2. mission statement and/or main charter
3. other organization which sponsor it
4. Internet site etc.

Possible names

It is always difficult to come up with a good name for such an organization that is one which both sounds good and has the right meaning. Below is an initial list. *You are welcome to add more names to the end of it*. Sometime in early 2007 we should select the one we prefer.

Acronym	Full name
openADAS	Open Astronomical Data Analysis Systems
openAPRE	Open Astronomical PRocessing Environment
openCARE	Open Common Astronomical Reduction Environment
openDAE	Open Data Analysis Environment
openDAF	Open Data Analysis Facility
openDAS	Open Data Analysis Systems
openDAS	Open Data Analysis Systems
openDPE	Open Data Processing Environment
openDPS	Open Data Processing Systems
openDRAF	Open Data Reduction and Analysis Facility
openOBS	Open OBservatory data Systems
openODAS	Open Observatory Data Analysis Systems
openODP	Open Observatory Data Processing
openODS	Open Observatory Data Systems
openSDAS	Open Science Data Analysis Systems
openSDS	Open Science Data Systems
openSODP	Open Systems for Observatory Data Processing

where the different letters are used for:

• A - Astronomical, Analysis
• C - Common
• D - Data
• E - Environment
• F - Facility
• I - Information, Image
• M - MultiWavelength
• O - Open, Observatory
• P - Processing
• S - Systems

While it is difficult to come up with a nice sounding name for such an organization, Open Observatory Data Systems conveys the scope of the standards organization we have in mind. A key issue is to define the relationship of this effort to the international VO efforts (under IVOA), which also seek to define standards for desktop data analysis systems. While anything we do in this area will need to be coordinated with the related IVOA efforts, the scope of observatory data systems is not quite the same as that of VO, focusing more on interactive and pipeline data processing of astronomical data, e.g., the actual production of astronomical data products. The charter for the group, and the eventual choice of a name for the effort, should reflect these considerations.

-- DougTody and PrebenGrosbol - 19 Dec 2006
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