File contents

18 June 2003 

Present  : MJI, STH, JRL, PSB, DWE

Agenda
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1. Actions from previous minutes
2. Comments on recent WFAU minutes
3. Review of last week's WFCAM meeting
4. ESO and WFCAM and FITS headers
5. Work package progress with regard to upcoming quarterly review
6. AOB 


Minutes
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1. Actions from previous minutes

MJI  There is no need to carry out further tests on Rice compression since
JRL  the data will be integer*4 for which the compression is lossless.

STH  has contacted AA and decided that there is no need to use the one
     service night available. Much of the photometry data needed is
     available in XL spreadsheets. STH will contact Sandy Leggett.         <<<<

JRL  has compared dark sky flats with the twilight ones. This has 
     highlighted a few problems with UFTI, however, the main result 
     was to establish that there is a window of a 3-5 minutes available at 
     twilight to take flats with WFCAM.

MJI  and AA have discussed the survey manager post. This will now probably
     be a whole post based at JAC. AA is applying for funding for this post 
     which will probably be filled with a current staff member.

DWE  has not obtained the data for the different seeing/offsets test of
     Ian Bond's software. Ongoing action.                                  <<<<

DWE  contacted Ian Bond regarding MEFs and his software. He has modified the
     software which can now work on an extension of a MEF and generate a SEF
     output. It is intended that the output will eventually be also MEF.

JRL  has generated simulated data by placing WFCAM headers onto CIRSI data.
     It was requested that this data be made generally available, with a
     link to it from the diary page.                                       <<<<

STH  action to investigate SDSS (and other) software for generating  
     synthetic data is ongoing.                                            <<<<

DWE  action to use WFC data to simulate undersampled offset data for
     interpolation and difference imaging tests is also ongoing. MJI said 
     that he would provide the WFC data products server web address so that 
     DWE could browse for suitable data.                                   <<<<

STH  prepared the pre-meeting documents for the Edinburgh WFCAM meeting
MJI
JRL

All  had read the pre-meeting documents for the Edinburgh meeting (honest!)

PSB  investigated what quality control measurements will be required during 
     the in-lab commissioning for VISTA. 
    "Following Steven Beard's (SMB) original suggestion to test the VISTA IR
     Camera to data-flow software interface in Q2 2005, JPE & CASU believe
     the pipeline would be usable in time, providing the data-dictionary
     requirements of the test data are met.
     Malcolm Stewart (JMS) comments that he is wary of making the Camera
     project dependent of the Pipeline project, and would use interactive
     tools.  He doubts a star projection' system would be available, but
     there will be a TCS simulator so full FITS headers can be provided.
     SMB suggests that towards the end of the Assembly Integration Tests
     (AIT) we could avoid duplication of effort by using pipeline tools to 
     measure image quality and throughput. There will be a device which 
     simulates the telescope beam.
     JPE endorses the idea of exercising the data flow system with real data.
     In conclusion, the camera and VDFS projects are decoupled beyond AIT/4,
     but software and data should flow both ways to possible mutual benefit."

MJI  said that the APM building refurbishment would probably take place in
     January 2004

PSB  has not rack-mounted JRL's SUN equipment since he has to wait for JRL 
     to get a replacement desktop. Future equipment needs were discussed.  <<<<
     STH and JRL need new new desktops. STH requested a tape drive (DDS4). 
     STH also needs to get his disc storage sorted out. PSB said that he 
     would cost all of this.                                               <<<<


2. Comments on recent WFAU minutes

There were none.


3. Review of last week's WFCAM meeting

The notes written by DWE were checked to see if there were any actions on us:

STH  to check up on nightly extinction variations (actioned above) and to 
     continue work to set up standard fields                               <<<<
MJI  to continue checks on astrometric distortion since there is currently 
     a factor of 3 ambiguity in the supplied model distortions             <<<<
MJI  to do more accurate Monte Carlo simulation of detection limits/
     completeness for WFCAM-like data (dependent on model simulation 
     investigation actioned above)                                         <<<<

It was suggested that these notes be released on the web after comparing
notes with Andy Vick.                                                      <<<<


4. ESO and WFCAM and FITS headers

A brief discussion on the pros and cons of adopting ESO-style FITS headers
for WFCAM ensued.  MJI will summarise the discussion and write a reply
to AL and JPE summarising our views.                                       <<<<


5. Work package progress with regard to upcoming quarterly review

The quarterly review of progress on WP deliverables will take place at
the management meeting on July 7th.  From the point of view of presentation
to external panels it is better to have finished as many tasks, or sub-tasks
as possible, rather than to have half-finished everything.

Although the VISTA software PDR has been shifted to December 2003 it is 
still crucial to finish the outline drafts of the 3 documents by the end
of this quarter.  These are pre-requisite discussion documents needed prior
to any visit to ESO to discuss these issues.  Progressing this item would
benefit from a round-table meeting of JPE, WJS and PSB together with 
MJI/JRL.  It was noted that there is also a software status review at RAL
in September for which a full draft of the PDR documents will be required. <<<<

Detailed discussion of remaining work package quarterly deliverables 
followed and various tasks highlighted that can (and should) be finished
by the end of the quarter.                                                 <<<<


6. AOB 

Timing of meetings viz-a-viz before or after coffee or after lunch ?  As
almost as many opinions as attendees.  As a trial the next meeting will
start at 10am Wednesday 2nd July.

It was suggested that we place the Power Point presentations, that the group
gave at the Edinburgh WFCAM meeting, on the web (accessed from the diary
web page).                                                                 <<<<


Continuing actions
------------------

STH  contact Sandy Leggett to obtain photometric monitoring data

DWE  test Ian Bond's software on data with different seeing and offsets

JRL  place simulated data (WFCAM headers on CIRSI data) on web via a link 
     from the diary page

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

MJI  provide web address to DWE in order to obtain above data

PSB  cost desktop requirements etc. of JRL and STH 

PSB  Organise rack mounting of JRL's SUN equipment for move to APM building
MJI

New actions
------------

STH  finish setting up photometric standard fields

MJI  finish astrometric distortion tests

DWE  release notes of Edinburgh meeting on the web

MJI  reply to Andy Lawrence summarizing our views on ESO FITS headers

PSB  organize meeting in Cambridge to sort out outline draft documents

MJI  place Power Point presentations from Edinburgh meeting on the web
STH
JRL

ALL  progress and finish off as many of Q2 work packages and deliverables
     as possible by the date of the next meeting