Hi everyone,
The IVOA executive has approved a proposal that the Applications Interest Group extend its mandate to become a Working Group.
The change to a WG means that the group can develop standards within the framework of the IVOA standards process - i.e. to submit 'Proposed Recommendations' to the IVOA executive.
This change is in part motivated by the need for standards for messaging between VO applications. There has been good progress in this area, and an IVOA applications Working Group appears to be the best forum to pursue a VO Applications Messaging standard.
A charter for the Applications Working Group is included at the end of this message. Comments are of course welcome, and the wiki page will also be updated shortly.
-Mark.
The IVOA Applications Working Group is concerned primarily with the software tools that Astronomers use to access VO data and services for doing Astronomy.
The VO is enabling new ways of doing Astronomy. Interoperability between Astronomy data, services and software empowers astronomers to combine these for scientific discovery and analysis. VO Applications may take many forms such as GUI desktop applications, software libraries, web interfaces to services, or other innovative 'portals' to the VO. Legacy Astronomy software is becoming VO enabled and new and novel VO applications are being created. The IVOA Applications Working Group provides a means for VO Applications development and implementation to be closely linked to the standards development in the IVOA, and where necessary to propose and develop standards for VO Applications to interoperate.
The role of the Applications Working Group is to:
Organisation
The Applications Working Group is overseen by a chair and deputy chair approved by the IVOA executive. The chairs organise the interop meeting sessions, and fulfil the normal responsibilities of a WG chair for publishing proposed recommendations.
Standards proposed for development within the Applications Working Group are to be considered within the wider context of the IVOA, and care should be taken to interface appropriately with other working groups. Development of Applications Working Group standards is ideally done by small teams. These teams are required to make a mission plan and to report regularly to the group.
Interop Meetings
Applications sessions at Interop meeting will be organised for
-- Mark G. ALLEN Observatoire de Strasbourg +33 3 90 24 24 87Received on 2007-01-30Z11:12:45