[fitsbits] Question(s) regarding development of proprietary FITS manipulation software. . .

[Michael Williams]

Thierry,

I certainly appreciate your input, and apologize for the frustration,  
but we're obviously speaking terribly different languages here.  I am  
a software developer;  nothing more, nothing less.  I have a client  
that is interested in opening and editing FITS files.  We've been  
provided with nothing more than FITS example files, a FITS  
specification, and a few line items like "the ability to view a  
histogram".  You're right, a class in astronomy might certainly be  
helpful, but you have certainly *not* answered my questions.  You've  
answered my questions in the same manner you say I'm asking them;   
according to your preconception of what you *think* I should be asking.

You obviously have a good grasp of FITS.  I simply need that  
knowledge translated.  All of these techno-philosophical answers do  
nothing for a software developer.  Again, I am not a scientist.  I  
asked other questions in a different post.  Perhaps you can answer  
them.  My apologies for re-posts.  Feel free to only answer the ones  
that don't try your patience:


1)  Is a FITS file really similar to, say, a Microsoft Word  
document. . .in that it can store *any* kind of data (images, mp3s,  
pdfs, minivans) with the only thing that can be counted on being the  
"standard" header?  It seems that my problem is the fact that I'm  
expecting FITS to actually *fit* (pun intended) into some specific  
category with absolutely specific syntactical and semantic requirements.


2) What is the significance of *any* imagery in FITS?  Are the images  
literally live pictures that were taken, or some arbitrary graphical  
representation of data?


3) How do I determine what type of image manipulations are legitimate  
for any type of image data?  Should I allow sepia toning?  Should I  
allow them to run photoshop filters on the pictures?  I mean, what,  
really is the usefulness of any manipulation on the image and what  
are the most common techniques?


4) What is the goal of scientists when it comes to examining  
another's FITS files?  What kind of "information" is truly gathered  
from the "data"?


Regards,
Michael



On Aug 27, 2007, at 11:12 AM, Thierry Forveille wrote:

> Michael Williams a écrit :
>> Basically I asked if these astronomers images were literally live   
>> images (perhaps of the stars, or nieces and nephews), or if they  
>> were  simply arbitrary graphical representations of data that had  
>> no  reference in reality.
> Please read what has actually been written, by others as well as
> by myself, rather than your preconceptions: the images are not
> "graphical representations of data", they are the data themselves.
> Whether those data have any reference in reality or not is a
> philosophical issue, and irrelevant for all practical display
> purposes that I can see.
>
>> Also, given the fact that, as you said,  reverse transformation  
>> isn't always possible, why in the world does  it matter if the  
>> user can perform image manipulations of any type?  I  mean, if  
>> there is no consistent way to produce an image, then why do  we care?
> Well, that's very much a question for you, which has been
> repeatedly asked on the forum and which you never answered:
> why do YOU care about FITS images, and what do YOU want to
> do with them?
>
> We've all tried to explain what they actually are, but without
> any productive reaction on your side I've personally reached
> a point where the only useful suggestion I can have is that
> you attend/read an Astronomy 101/Philosophy of Science 101
> class/book.

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