[fitsbits] Suggestions for updating the FITS Standard

[William Pence]

Request for Suggestions
-----------------------

The IAU FITS Working Group recently appointed a small technical panel to
make recommendations on ways to update or clarify the FITS Standard
document, which is the definitive reference for the FITS data format.
The current version of this document is available at
http://fits.gsfc.nasa.gov/standard21b.html. The last major revision took
place in 1999.

This panel is interested in any suggestions from the FITS user
community on ways to improve the FITS Standard document, such as

   - correcting any factual or typographical errors,
   - clarifying sections that are ambiguous or confusing,
   - adding discussion of new topics

Note that suggestions to modify the basic FITS format requirements or to
add new features to FITS are beyond the purview of this panel and cannot
be considered.

An initial list of issues that may be considered is available at
http://fits.gsfc.nasa.gov/std_issues.html.  (Note that we are not
inviting discussion on these issues now; there will be time
for discussions after this panel submits it's recommendations to the IAU
FITS Working Group, hopefully within about 6 months).

Please send any suggestions for improving the FITS Standard document
to the technical panel (preferably before 31 March 2007) at the
following email address:

      fitstg @ olegacy.gsfc.nasa.gov


Sincerely,

Technical Panel Members
-----------------------
Lucio Chiappetti
Clive Page
William Pence
Betty Stobie
Dick Shaw