AML, a new format for astronomy based on SGML

[Damien GUILLAUME]

> You can't replace FITS unless you do handle large binary images.

There's no reason why my system would not be able to handle large
binary images (which is the common case in astronomy).


> Perhaps you could use FITS as your image format, which would be
> referenced from AML.

Yes, it's exactly what I'm doing now. But the meta-information
is duplicated: it is both in the AML file and in the FITS header.
I can also delete the header of the FITS file, but I prefer to
give the two possiblities: pointing from AML to a FITS file,
or pointing only to the raw data. The risk is that someone
may change the FITS file with a usual image processing program
without changing the AML file accordingly. So, my software will
have to check the FITS file each time it loads a corresponding
AML file. But it's not really a problem: the AML files will always
be used with a software, for transfert, translations or browsing.

Damien