= Mini Technical Meeting, 2004 AAS meeting in Denver =

The following are various notes and reports from the 2004 AAS/SPD meeting in Denver, including a BoF session.

{{{
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 16:59:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: Joseph Hourcle <oneiros@...>
To: vso@...
Subject: notes from the AAS meeting


Before I forget, here are my notes on what I took from talking to people
at the meeting:

[these are just new things -- I'll try to merge this into the existing
todo list in the coming week, but I have a feeling that I'll have my hands
full on Monday, with an intern starting]

-Joe



Things to do:

    Better distinction on 'Comments' and 'Feedback' links on
    VSO webpage.

    Aggregated data returned:
        eg. MLSO's 'calendar' display.

    Better organized initial search page --
        researchers didn't seem to care for the instrument listings
        by data provider.

    Explaination of the need for e-mail addr in data retrieval.
        Possible inclusion of privacy statements?

    Data retrieval -- ensure easy identification of datasets,
        and prevent duplication of filenames between data providers
        for non-identical data.

    Perform user testing of the interfaces.


Other sites to look at:
    European Grid of Solar Observations:
        http://www.egso.org/demo
    Sun Earth Connector:
        http://cosec.lmsal.com/
    Digital Library for Earth System Education:
        http://www.dlese.org/dds/index.jsp
}}}

{{{
Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2004 13:02:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: Joseph Hourcle <oneiros@...>
To: vso@...
Subject: Re: notes from the AAS meeting



I've attempted to update the priority list from April with the new items
that came up last week.

[of course, I just arbitrarily assigned priorities, and re-arranged things
by my own personal opinion, somewhat to group things together]

The only major item I see in the short term in the Data Provider's Kit --
the next two major events are the next programmer's meeting (which we
haven't yet mentioned to Karen, but we'd like to have about 6-8 weeks
after she delivers the baby, assuming no complications), and then the AGU
meeting in December.

Anyway, here's the list, as I see it:

-Joe


-----

Key:

# : item from the April Programmer's meeting
@ : item from the June AAS meeting


Completed Tasks:
----------------

#   Redo all data providers using the new API
        (Keiji, Igor, Karen, Joe H.)
#   Update the VSO 'core' to use the new API
        (Karen)
#   Implement the new Registry
        (Alisdair)
#   WSDL description of new APIs
        (Karen)


Current Priority Tasks:
-----------------------

#   Data Provider's Kit
        (Alisdair, et al.)
@   Better distinction on 'Comments' and 'Feedback' links on
        VSO webpage.
        (Joe H. to provide modified page design)

@   Get MLSO Data Provider into VSO
        (Joe H. w/

#   Centralized Server (logging, store/retrieve queries)
        (Joe H.)
#   Monitoring of Data Providers
        (Igor, Joe H.)

#   Complex VSO queries
        (Karen)
    @   Aggregated data returned:
            eg. MLSO's 'calendar' display.
            (may require additional API info for passing data to
            aggregate on ... deal with at the next Programmer's meeting)

#   Updated Shopping Cart
        (Igor; work in progress)
    @   Explaination of the need for e-mail addr in data retrieval.
            Possible inclusion of privacy statements? (need to link to
            privacy statements for each data provider?)

#   Nickname User Query Interface
        (dependant on other task completion -- too early to
        assign)


For the future:
---------------
( try to complete before Dec. AGU meeting? )

@   VSO Business Cards
    (or some other handouts as reminders w/ VSO URLs)


#   New User Query Interfaces (VOTable and other translations)
        (dependant on other task completion -- too early to
        assign)
    @   Better organized initial search page --
            researchers didn't seem to care for the instrument listings
            by data provider.
            (I guess anyone's free to come up with User Interfaces, as
            they have time  ... Joe H. to do something before the AGU
            meeting in December)
    @   Perform user testing of the interfaces.
            (two parts -- find people to perform testing; run the
            testing)

#   'Get Data' prototype / proof of concept
        (Joe H.)
    @   Data retrieval -- ensure easy identification of datasets,
            and prevent duplication of filenames between data providers
            for non-identical data.
            (Either save for brainstorming at the programmer's meeting,
            and/or include with 'Get Data' prototype)
}}}

{{{
Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2004 10:43:28 -0700
From: Igor Suarez-Sola <igor@...>
To: vso@...
Subject: Re: notes from the AAS meeting

There are a couple of things I'd like to add to the list.

@ Provide a unique VSO search interface as opposed to a list of href to 
search pages.
    I think EGSO has taken notice of this and they already provide a one 
single point of entry, complex though.

    I'm planning to have meetings with solar physicist here at NSO and 
get some input about how/what they would like to see in our input screen.


@ The other is a self impose one. Here at NSO we would like to give a 
face lift to our Digital Library interface, but we would like it to be 
low cost!. So we thought that the VSO could well do it. If we make the 
VSO customizable, a provider could use it as a front end for their own 
products. The extra features will be added and coded by the provider 
using the VSO framework.
    So additional features that the VSO should handle are:
       @ the ability to pass non VSO standard parameters to the VSO core.
                .- The VSO will pass this along to the provider without 
interpreting it (this might be the case already)
       @ display of thumbnails
       @ display of comments
                This might include
                .- Product quality information
                .- Code version , location , etc
                .- General comments
}}}

{{{
Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2004 10:56:27 -0700
From: Igor Suarez-Sola <igor@...>
To: vso@...
Subject: Re: notes from the AAS meeting

Actually I forgot to mentioned that the first point was raised by some 
people among them Jack Harvey. Their comments went along the way of us 
(VSO) providing a more refined one stop search interface.
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