Re: Collaboration on Source Catalogue DM, ADQL and SkyNodes

Hi Pedro,

I've been lurking on this subject even though it interests me. I downloaded your document and will make a few comments ok, hope you don't mind :-) I think this is a very good step towards uniforming the use and description of most astronomical catalogues. Congratulations!

My comments:

• I the diagram on page 9, could you explain to me how do we include information about what was used to build a catalogue? Some catalogues are built from raw data (eg, XMM, IRAS), others are compilations, involving identification of sources from different catalogues. Take for example a catalogue like Veron's QSO list. It mostly lists optical quantities, but also radio data and data which implies using a model of the universe.
• 3.4.1.7. Perhaps "spectroscopic" would be better that just "spectra", as it involves a certain methodology. The list presented is not closed right?
• Seems to me that the term "celestial sphere" is most commonly used than "sky vault" (at least that's what you find in textbooks). (page 13, point 3.4.1.9)
• in 3.4.1.10 you say varAmplitude, but variation of what [I do know what you mean to say], but it could be variation of size (like in a pulsating giant star), temperature (same case or solar corona), Magnitude/ photometric (which is what you had in mind), etc
• in 3.4.1.11 the name src.varPeriod suggest to me a number, yet what you're describing is more like "variation type" or "variation Nature"

   then, the name Period should be reserved for strictly periodic phenomenae

• 3.4.1.13/14 These quantities only refer to linear polarization, circular polarization is also present and measured
• 3.4.2.1 & 3.4.2.2 I may be picky here, but minorDiameter, majorDiameter but the word Diameter mostly applies to circular/spherical geometries. In the case of ellipsoids it seems more correct to speak of minorAxis or majorAxis (others can comment on this point :-) :-)
• 3.4.2.4 There are several conventions to measure position angle, do you want to leave this one open to interpretation?
• in Section 3.4.3, the use of "helion" suggests orbits where the sun is the center, not at all the case when we're describing orbits in a binary system.
• From the figures in pages 18 to 22, it's not clear to me how do we represent a light curve type of catalogue, ie, a series of observations during a given time interval of any quantity (eg, flux , position, etc).
• I probably missed it in the captions appearing in the UML figures, but how do associate an error to a given quantity?

OK, that for now. I need to print the figures to be able to read the labels properly :-) I didn't examine the part on quantityList Oh, I see errors there. I better get ref [4]

Cheers,

Patricio

On Wed, 21 Dec 2005, Pedro Osuna wrote:

> Dear all,
>
>
> Within the Data Model and ADQL context, ESAVO has initiated a
> collaboration with CDS in order to try to find a reference
> implementation for the usage of the Source Catalogue Data Model
> together with ADQL.
>
> The effort consists on setting up servers that understand ADQL on
> Source Catalogue Data Model aware Basic SkyNodes.
>
> We have set up such servers for our ISO and XMM source catalogues here
> at ESAC, and Inaki Ortiz and Aurelien Stebe have spent a week in
> Strasbourg collaborating with our CDS colleagues, Andre Schaaf et al.,
> in the building of such Basic SkyNodes for some of their catalogues.
>
> Once those servers are available, the idea is to use the Source
> Catalogue Data Model aware server to implement a client-side cross-match
> using ADQL, as a proof-of-concept of the validity or otherwise of the
> model. ESAVO is developing a simple client to try the concept.
>
> Should you want more information on how we have done the translation
> from the Catalogues to a Source DM aware Basic SkyNode, or on any of the
> aforementioned subjects, please do not hesitate to ask.
>
> Best regards,
> Pedro Osuna (ESAVO) and Francois Ochsenbein (CDS)
> --
> Pedro Osuna Alcalaya
>
> ESA
> Science Archives System Engineer
> Science Archive Team
> European Space Astronomy Centre
> (ESAC/ESA)
> e-mail: Pedro.Osuna-at-esa.int
> Tel + 34 91 8131314
> ---------------------------------
> European Space Astronomy Centre
> European Space Agency
> P.O. Box 50727
> E-28080 Villafranca del Castillo
> MADRID - SPAIN
>
>

---
Patricio F. Ortiz			pfo-at-star.le.ac.uk
Department of Physics & Astronomy	Phone: +44 (0)116 252 2015
University of Leicester 
Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK