[wfc] Reminder! Bintables: Call for votes! (November 8)

[Arnold Rots]

This is a reminder that there are two days left to cast your vote!
Thank you,

  - Arnold

Forwarded message:
> Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 09:57:50 -0500 (EST)
> 
> Dear WFC members,
> 
> As I pointed out last week, we have had two minor proposals on Binary
> Tables up for consideration for almost a year.  At the time there was
> some discussion, but not on the substance of the proposals.  And not
> having heard any objection after last week's E-mail, I am now putting
> these two up for a vote.  The text of the proposals and rationale
> submitted by Bill Pence et al. is attached.
> 
> The first proposal ("Proposal 1") is to elevate Appendix B.1 of the
> FITS standards document (variable length array) to standard status.
> 
> The second proposal ("Proposal 2") is to elevate Appendix B.2 of the
> FITS standards document (multidimensional array/TDIMn) array) to
> standard status.
> 
> Please respond to this message, no later than Friday November 8, with
> your position concerning proposals 1 and 2.
> 
> Thank you,
> 
>   - Arnold Rots
> 
> 
> ___ I approve of Proposal 1 to incorporate the variable length array
>     facility in binary tables, as described in Appendix B.1 of NOST
>     100-2.0, into the FITS standard
> 
> ___ I do not approve of Proposal 1
> 
> 
> ___ I approve of Proposal 2 to incorporate the mulri-dimensional array
>     convention in binary tables, as described in Appendix B.2 of NOST
>     100-2.0, into the FITS standard
> 
> ___ I do not approve of Proposal 2
> 
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Arnold H. Rots                                Chandra X-ray Science Center
> Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory                tel:  +1 617 496 7701
> 60 Garden Street, MS 67                              fax:  +1 617 495 7356
> Cambridge, MA 02138                             arots at head-cfa.harvard.edu
> USA                                     http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~arots/
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Subject: [fitsbits] Bintable proposals
> Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 11:25:28 -0500
> From: William Pence <pence at tetra.gsfc.nasa.gov>
> Organization: NASA/GSFC
> To: "Teuben, Peter" <teuben at astro.umd.edu>
> CC: "Tody, Doug" <tody at noao.edu>, "Cotton, Bill" <bcotton at nrao.edu>,"Wells,
> Don" <dwells at nrao.edu>
> 
> Peter,
> 
> We hereby formally submit these 2 proposals for consideration by the WGAS
> FITS committee.
> 
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Bill Pence, NASA/GSFC
> Doug Tody, NOAO
> Bill Cotton, NRAO
> 
> 
> Proposal 1:
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>        Recommendation to Incorporate the "Variable Length Array" 
>           Facility in Binary Tables into the FITS Standard
> 
>      W.D. Pence (NASA/GSFC), D. Tody (NOAO), and W.D. Cotton (NRAO)
>                            2 November 2001
> 
> 
> The "Variable Length Array" FITS data format that is described in Appendix
> B.1 of the FITS Standard is now used by a number of major data analysis
> packages.  Examples of current usage include the "Redistribution Matrix
> Files" (RMF), widely used in X-ray astronomy to store calibration
> information about the instrumental detector gain and detector energy
> resolution, and the pixel mask files used in the IRAF system.   Several
> software systems provide general capabilities for reading and writing data
> in this variable length array format, including the CFITSIO library
> (maintained by the HEASARC at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) and IRAF.
> 
> Appendix B.1 is not an official part of the FITS Standard and is included in
> that document for informational purposes only.  We believe that the
> implementations described above have now fully demonstrated the usefulness
> and importance of the Variable Length Array Facility, and thus we hereby
> propose that Appendix B.1  be officially approved and incorporated into the
> FITS Standard in its entirety.
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Proposal 2:
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>        Recommendation to Incorporate the "Multidimensional Array" 
>           Convention in Binary Tables into the FITS Standard
> 
>      W.D. Pence (NASA/GSFC), D. Tody (NOAO), and W.D. Cotton (NRAO) 
>                            2 November 2001
> 
> Appendix B.2 in the FITS Standard describes a "Multidimensional array"
> convention that uses the TDIMn keyword to define the dimensionality of
> arrays that are contained in binary table columns.  Many FITS files now use
> this convention and contain the TDIMn keyword.  Appendix B.2 is not an
> official part of the FITS Standard, however, and is included in that
> document for informational purposes only.  We believe that the widespread
> usage of the TDIMn keyword demonstrates the usefulness and importance of the
> this convention, and thus we hereby propose that the "Multidimensional
> array" convention described in Appendix B.2 be officially approved and
> incorporated into the FITS Standard.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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> 

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Arnold H. Rots                                Chandra X-ray Science Center
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory                tel:  +1 617 496 7701
60 Garden Street, MS 67                              fax:  +1 617 495 7356
Cambridge, MA 02138                             arots at head-cfa.harvard.edu
USA                                     http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~arots/
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