7 January 2004 Present: MJI, JRL, PSB, DWE, RGM Apologies: STH Agenda ------ 1. Actions from last meeting 2. Comments on WFAU minutes 3. Report from Camera FDR 4. Update on JAC telecons 5. Progress with ISAAC reductions 6. Deliverables for Quarterly report 7. Tasks for 04Q1 8. AOB Minutes ------- 1. Actions from last meeting STH is continuing to check the photometric standards list for contamination by bright stars - ongoing <<<< STH the numbering of documents is ongoing, DWE volunteered to help with this and will discuss with STH tomorrow <<<< MJI has placed the list of suggested lab tests on the internal web pages (http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~wfcam/internal/lab.tests) JRL has not finished the reduction of the UFTI service data - ongoing <<<< STH is up-to-date on acquiring the UFTI service data - ongoing <<<< STH checking the spatial systematics in the UFTI standards data and new test data is an ongoing task. <<<< MJI have provided JPE with budget requirements for the next VDFS bid and STH are providing a current VDFS cost breakdown for Friday's VDMT meeting MJI will yet again raise the issue of the VISTA VDFS Science and User Requirements at the Friday management meeting <<<< JRL is finishing the report on the results of comparisons between UFTI data processed using the Cambridge pipelines and using normal JAC pipeline. A draft will be available by the Friday meeting <<<< JRL have not yet sent an example WFCAM FITS header and dummy data to MJI Benoit and Adam (due date was 1 Feb, both examples exist but JRL wants to add a document wrapper) ongoing <<<< ALL sent in Q4m3 monthly reports and 04Q1 deliverables to STH 2. Comments on WFAU minutes It was noted from the last minutes received (11 Dec) that WFAU were having problems with the SATA RAID array. It was suggested that if end-to-end network bandwidth is still an issue then additional network tests to a third external site (eg. Leicester) might be informative. MJI said that he would raise this at the VDMT meeting. <<<< PSB asked if the WFCAM camera team had produced a fully fledged dummy data file with all the SDF/FITS headers packets in place to enable full end-to-end tests of the VDFS. MJI will make further enquiries at the VDMT meeting. <<<< It was commented upon that our minutes were now being commented on by WFAU. Over to you ...... 3. Report from Camera FDR PSB reported on the VISTA Camera FDR that was held just before Christmas. There will be a chairman's report, but it was not clear whether this would be generally released. The overall impression was that of satisfaction and that the panel's questions had been adequately answered. An attempt to scuttle the inherent simplicity of the full populated MEFs/ compression by hacking out dead bits of arrays was quelled. PSB raised concerns about the commissioning plan, noting that while it rightly should have no dependencies on VDFS status, it currently lacked external input, particularly from CASU. A key issue is how the VDFS commissioning will interface with the camera commissioning. A related issue is continuing to acquire laboratory test data and take part in assessing its characteristics. Both of these are fundmental to the design/construction of the pipeline. MJI to raise this at VDMT meeting <<<< 4. Update on JAC telecons There have been two telecons since the last meeting, one on 16 December and the other last night (6th January 9.30pm - 10.30pm). RGM asked about agendas and minutes/notes from these meetings available on the web. It was pointed out that these telecons were intended to be informal and that there were no formal minutes as such. The topics to be discussed are decided beforehand and kept short so that the meetings are focussed. The major items are reported at the CASU meetings and as such are then noted in these minutes. JRL reported that in the December meeting the main topic for discussion was how to demonstrate that the CASU pipelines perform at least as well as UFTI using the Starlink software, hence the report that he is in the process of writing. It was also noted that JAC said they were happy with CASU's progress with the pipelines. The telecon held last night (attended by JRL, MJI, AA and PH) mainly discussed MSB construction. A draft of the document which contains CASU's guidelines for constructing MSBs was presented and discussed (this was an action from the Oxford UKIDSS meeting with due date mid-January). After a few small changes incorporated as a result of the telecon, this will be updated and sent out to SJW, NCH (and AA, PH) for comment before being released to the unsuspecting world. <<<< JRL said that these telecons were working well. The next one is in 3 weeks. MJI pointed out that the grant needs a hospitality fund to cover these events. 5. Progress with ISAAC reductions JRL reported that the ISAAC reductions were nearly finished. Reporting on this was deferred to the next meeting due to the urgency of other items on his action list. 6. Deliverables for Quarterly report 7. Tasks for 04Q1 These were taken as one item. RGM raised the issue of changing the format of the quarterly report and wanted to add additional columns. MJI said that we've had this format for the best part of a year, most people seem happy enough with it, though it is admittedly not ideal, and the information he wanted was available in the summary Gantt chart anyway. While dealing with VDFS ESO deliverables etc. there was some discussion regarding ESO's CPL and QFITS, the documentation for which had been released. There was some concern about a number of aspects such as: no WCS routines; lack of Rice tile compression; and the equivalent of only very limited boolean confidence maps. If we are to adopt CPL and QFITS (still TBD) these and other issues need raising formally through the WP 2.2 Data Reduction Specification Document. A number of JRL's tasks needed further input from him. He will send the information to STH by tomorrow. <<<< DWE was unclear about how the deliverables had been set out in section 16. He will discuss this with STH tomorrow. <<<< MJI and STH will then finalise these documents, iterate on the budgets and write a summary of 03Q4, in time for Friday's meeting <<<< 8. AOB MJI said that JPE had written a VDFS milestones document (more of a calendar of events actually). The main feature being that there appear to be 4 more reviews planned within one year for the VDFS: PDRs and FDRs for both ESO and UK aspects of VDFS. The documentation for the first of these has to be ready by the end of this quarter. It was felt that having 4 more reviews within a year was a tad excessive. It was also pointed out that until VDUC was up and running and the VDFS Science and User requirements are in place, that there was no point in the UK "added value" reviews. PSB said that there will be a workshop on CPL at ESO sometime in April. This might also include QFITS. Representatives from CASU should attend. In order to facilitate discussion PSB and JRL will compose a short document highlighting missing functionality from CPL/QFITS and set out the advantages/disadvantages compared to using our own modules + CFITSIO. A good starting point would be listing which CFITSIO routines are currently used and seeing if there are equivalents in QFITS <<<< Continuing Actions ------------------ STH finish the bright star checking of the photometric standard fields STH finish off numbering of documents and email authors with the DWE appropriate information, with help from DWE JRL finish reduction of UFTI service data STH acquire UFTI service data as it becomes available and oversee UFTI reduction and comparison STH look at the spatial systematics in the UFTI standards data and new test data MJI raise issue of the VDFS Science and User Requirements document at the Friday management meeting JRL finishing report on the results of comparisons between UFTI data processed using Cambridge pipelines and using normal JAC pipeline JRL send example WFCAM FITS header and dummy data to Benoit and Adam MJI New Actions ----------- MJI suggest to WFAU that if end-to-end network bandwidth is still an issue that they introduce a third site (external) in their network tests MJI enquire whether the WFCAM camera team have fully fledged dummy data files with all the SDF/FITS headers packets in place to enable full end-to-end tests of the VDFS MJI raise concerns about commissioning plans for VISTA and VDFS at upcoming VDMT meeting MJI finish draft of MSB design guidelines document and forward to SJW, NCH JRL (and AA, PH) for comments JRL supply further deliverables information as necessary to STH DWE clarify deliverables set out in Section 16 with STH MJI finish quarterly report, next quarter's deliverables and write summary STH of quarter in time for upcoming VDMT meeting PSB compose a short document highlighting missing functionality from JRL CPL/QFITS and set out advantages/disadvantages compared to using our own modules + CFITSIO. Present at next CASU meeting