[fitsbits] ADASS FITS BoF {External}

[Seaman, Robert Lewis - (rseaman)]

Howdy,

The abstract deadline for ADASS BoFs is past. We have about a 2x oversubscription. I submitted a placeholder abstract, see below, which, in early scoring, is doing okay. There’s another FITS-related abstract that could likely be merged – of course, perhaps that one (“FITS Data Displays for Observatory Operations”) will gobble up this one.

Suggestions for topics? Wordsmithing? Is anybody for throwing in the towel and returning to IRAF OIF format?

The session will need a chair since I’m likely to be juggling conference shenanigans. Volunteers?

Rob


Title: FITS or not FITS, that is the question

Abstract: The FITS data standard has served astronomers well for four decades. The original integer image format has been revised to support additional pixel data types, to support world coordinates and other scientific metadata, to include an integrated data compression framework, and to support generalized binary tables, among other features.

In the intervening years, a variety of alternative scientific data standards have been proposed. If used operationally, these usually reach only a limited audience specific to a particular project or community. No other format has ever garnered the widespread support of FITS.
Where do we go from here? How can a mature standard like FITS continue to evolve? What formal standardization process should be followed?

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