[alma-config] telecon tomorrow

[Min Yun]

Dear ALMA configuration working group members:

Given the current time table for the ALMA project, our configuration
effort needs to produce some results and decisions in the relatively
near future.  This was the main motivation for forming the ALMA
configuration working group and having a series of phone and
face-to-face meetings for the next several months.  The two key
future events are the first face-to-face meeting in Tucson
("pre-PDR", tentatively on March 20-21) and the configuration
PDR sometime this summer.  The "pre-PDR" is rapidly approaching,
and there is some urgency to make tangible progress.  Therefore
the focus of the phone meeting this week is to sign everyone up for
this general goal and plan some definite activities in preparation
for the face-to-face meeting in Tucson.

There is also a face-to-face ASAC meeting in Leiden on March 10-11,
and they want to hear a report from our group.  Several of us will
be at the meeting, and it will be good if we can report some
positive progresses -- at least a report of our plan since this
meeting is before our Tucson meeting.

Phone meeting on ALMA Configurations
======================================================================
Date:  January 19th, 2000

Time:   12:00 pm EST    (1700 UT, 1800 CET, 0900 PST)

The U.S. callers will dial:  1-888-469-0793

International callers will dial 712-257-2483

The passcode for this call is:  1234 - each caller will need to know
this passcode and conference leader, Al Wootten.

AGENDA:
======================================================================
Date:  January 19th, 2000

Time:   12:00 pm EST    (1700 UT, 1800 CET, 0900 PST)

The U.S. callers will dial:  1-888-469-0793

International callers will dial 712-257-2483

The passcode for this call is:  1234 - each caller will need to know
this passcode and conference leader, Al Wootten.

AGENDA:
======================================================================

1. The first face-to-face meeting will be on March 20-21, 2000, in
   Tucson, AZ.  If these dates are not convenient, please speak up
   now, so we will try to accommodate as many people as possible.  
   The local organizers (S. Radford and J. Neighbours) need to know
   how many people to expect very soon.  Jennifer has reserved a
   conference room and a block of rooms at the Varsity Suites.

2. Setting up subcommittees on specific issues.  Some of the
   configuration issues I list below serve as fundamental tools for
   future works, and a more rapid progress may be achieved by dedicated
   and smaller subcommittees.  I would like to have 3-4 people
   volunteer or be assigned to each of the topics.  Ultimately, I would
   like to have the each subcommittee (leader) to
   make a presentation at the face-to-face meeting and perhaps make
   a recommendation for the rest of the group.  Please let me know
   if there are other issues that may be best addressed this way.
   The proposed topics are:
	a) topographic constraints and digital masks
	b) test images for imaging simulation
	c)  quality metrics for judging imaging simulations
	d) N-S elongation (e.g. multiple compact configurations?)
	e) full synthesis vs. snapshots


3. Some implicit agreements on the basic configuration parameters such as
   the need for a compact configuration and a 10+ km configuration
   have been reached at the Toronto workshop.  The remaining key question 
   is the overall style and the mode of operation of the "intermediate" 
   configurations.  Does everyone agree to these statements?  I hope 
   we can turn these into an explicit agreement within entire working group.  
   The debate over the "intermediate" configurations is rather 
   complex and expected to be contentious issue. It clearly needs more
   work and discussions involving everybody, hopefully using the set
   of rules and tools provided by the subcommittees above.  I hope we
   will come to a mutual understand on this and start working
   towards a healthy debate at the Tucson meeting, with lots more
   facts in hand.


Stephane Guilloteau has circulated a fairly extensive e-mail message
addressing several of these issues previously.  I will forward it
to everyone in this working group shortly since some of you are not
included in the mmaimcal distribution list.  I think it is a good
starting point for several of the discussions.  There were also 
active e-mail exchanges recently concerning the site characterization
and topographical constraints.  Please review some of those discussions
as well if possible.

At the request of several working group members, I will compile a
list of relevant memos and publications.  In my last checking, there
are many tens of memos in the MMA Memo Series alone.  I will
try to highlight only the most relevant ones.  Can someone alert me
to any relevant LSA or LMSA memos if there are any?  For a more
updated agenda and relevant memos and publications, check my web
site, www.aoc.nrao.edu/~myun/mma/config_wg.html, later today.




					Min S. Yun