[alma_na] ALMA System Architect

[Dick Sramek]

To:       ALMA staff
From:     R. Sramek, C. Haupt, ALMA System Engineering IPT
Subject:  ALMA System Architect
Date:     2003-April-02

We are pleased to announce that Larry D'Addario has agreed to accept the
job of ALMA System Architect within the System Engineering IPT.  In this
position Larry will be responsible for the system-level design of the
ALMA telescope.  Details of the scope of this position are given below.

This is both a critically important and extremely difficult task for a
project as complex and dispersed as ALMA.  Please give Larry the support
he needs in this work.

*********************************

ALMA System Architect - Responsibilities 

The ALMA System Architect reports to the leaders of the Systems IPT and
is responsible for:

1.  establishing and maintaining the system-level design of the ALMA
telescope;

2.  establishing and maintaining performance specifications for each
subsystem, and allocating error budgets across subsystems where
appropriate;

3.  maintaining documents that describe the system-level design and the
subsystem specifications;

4.  reviewing interfaces between and within subsystems for effects on
performance; reviewing interfaces between subsystems for best use of
resources.

5.  monitoring the detailed designs to ensure conformity to the 
system-level design.

Here "system-level design" includes:

1.  the topology of the main signal path (Antenna, FE, BE, Correlator)
2.  the general structure of all supporting subsystems (e.g. LO, M/C,
    OSF & AOS infrastructure, array configuration, etc).
3.  signal processing algorithms and techniques;
4.  choices of frequencies, bandwidths, and signal levels
5.  software, high-level specifications only

It does not include component selection, circuit design, or software design.


2003-April-02
R. Sramek
C. Haupt