64-bit integers in FITS

[Steve Allen]

The performance increase for, e.g., database applications experienced
with Dec Alpha processors is rapidly driving Sun, Intel, HP, and
others to produce hardware and software with 64-bit capabilities.

In article <35AA6D3D.44297AB4 at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov>,
William Pence  <pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov> wrote:
>- it would be a fairly trivial job to modify the FITS standard to
>specify the format for 64-bit integer images and binary table columns.

It should be noted that introduction of 64-bit integers will probably
create demand for enhancement of the TFORMn = 'P' (Array Descriptor)
data type.  The Appendix for BINTABLE currently suggests this for a
length and offset into a heap following a table.  It's easy to imagine
heaps of more than 2**32 bytes.

Perhaps something as simple as a new TFORMn = 'Q' (64-bit Array Descriptor)
which consists of two 64-bit integers would do the job.

-- 
Steve Allen          UCO/Lick Observatory       Santa Cruz, CA 95064
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