[fitsbits] FITS status ? {External}

[jaffe]

I belong to category A but only marginally.  I am worried that if there 
is no rigor in the maintainance of the FITS standard, the designers of 
newer instrument packages will, for their own convenience, drift farther 
and farther from the actual standard.  My suggestion for B would be a 
directed contact with the software managers of upcoming new ground or 
space based observatories to convince them of the importance of 
maintaining a rigorous standard including active participation from 
their groups.

Walter

On 2025-05-28 22:18, Seaman, Robert Lewis - (rseaman) via fitsbits 
wrote:
> Hello FITS folks,
> 
> I circulated a thread a couple of weeks ago about a proposed small
> addition to the allowed values for ZCMPTYPE to include “JPEGXL”.
> There are some other small details, but it isn’t much more
> complicated than that, and incrementing the standard
> (https://fits.gsfc.nasa.gov/fits_standard.html) to version 4.01.
> Support in astropy and CFITSIO is in the works.
> 
> Since then, I’ve contacted the latest two IAU FITS WG chairs, who
> are both now retired. The more basic logistical questions are A) who
> remains engaged from the old days in FITS as a standard, and B) how to
> navigate a transition to early (well, earlier) career astronomical
> software professionals.
> 
> Action items:
> 
>  	* Please respond to this ping if you fall under category A
> 	* Please make suggestions about how to do B
> 	* Please consider participating in either:
> 
>  	* the upcoming ADASSx Summer Workshop, August 1-5, 2025, following
> the Rubin Community Workshop in Tucson
> (https://catalina.lpl.arizona.edu/adassx-2025)
> 	* and/or the regular ADASS XXXV, November 9-13, Görlitz, Germany
> (website soon)
> 	* and perhaps even submit FITS-related abstracts!
> 
> FITS governance may need refreshing, but FITS as a day-to-day standard
> in astronomy continues strong.
> 
> Rob Seaman
> 
> Catalina Sky Survey
> 
> University of Arizona
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