	Weekly chat # 15: Friday 26th March 1999
	
Participants: Carol Anne Oxborrow, Peter Kretschmar, Niels Jorgen Westergaard,
	Sami Maisala
	
Subjects discussed: ISDC meeting 30/31 March 1999
	Data structures: chat about, 23rd Aprill 1999
	Countrate packet
	Monthly report.

Action Items

AI990326_1	ALL SDAST 23/4/99	Everyone to read Stephane's proposed
data structures, and make lists of comments etc. so that these structures
can be discussed at a dedicated chat on April 23rd.

AI990326_2	CAO	ASAP		To get NL to send ISDC info on the
countrate packet so that  Preprocessing can get to work on this 
telemetry.



*** IRC session log started at Fri Mar 26 09:28:57 1999.
#jemxadr> Hello Peter!END
<Peter:#jemxadr> Good morning Carol Anne! How's the family? END
#jemxadr> Everyone's fine, at last, thank you. We bought a car last week.....Peter's having fun dri
+ving it around! END
#jemxadr> Allan's in Boston, and Stefan can't make it this morning. I wonder who else will turn up 
+to chat. END
<Peter:#jemxadr> What did you buy? And why is it only Peter having fun? END
#jemxadr> We bought a Renault Kangu (horrible name), and I have to get a Danish driver's license...
+...I lost my american one while I was on a trip to Japan. Wallet went AWOL near Tokyo. END
#jemxadr> The sun's shining here, for once. Ionly hope it lasts the rest of the day. END
<Peter:#jemxadr> For once you have the better weather. Around here it's rainy and grey. END
*** njw <~njw@heao1.dsri.dk> joined channel #jemxadr
#jemxadr> We'll give helsinki a couple more minutes, then we'll begin on the agenda......of which I
+ have no copy.....I always send the
#jemxadr> agenda to you guys and forget to send myself a copy. END
<Peter:#jemxadr> Don't you have an automatic copy of all outgoing mails? END
<njw:#jemxadr> Look in your email box END
#jemxadr> Not that I've noticed. Anyway, I don't need copies of most ofmy mails. END
#jemxadr> Let's get started: any points to bring up at the consortium meeting next week? END
<Peter:#jemxadr> Dunno, mostly it's a success story from the SDAST point of view. END
<njw:#jemxadr> Allan asked about news about hardware/software END
#jemxadr> I think he was addressing his email mostly to the instrument team: NL, SL, IBLR etc.
*** smaisala <~smaisala@taurus.astro.helsinki.fi> joined channel #jemxadr
<smaisala:#jemxadr> Good Morning everyone
#jemxadr> Allan is however due to give an update on the ISSW, and I think he knows pretty well how 
+that's going. END
#jemxadr> Hello sami. We're just discussing the agenda for the consortium meeting next week. Is the
+re anything you and Juhani want discussed at ISDC? END
<smaisala:#jemxadr> No, everything seems to be quite clear .END
#jemxadr> I think we have a fairly good Idea of where we're going at the moment. END
#jemxadr> What's next on the agenda? END
#jemxadr> Data structures! END
#jemxadr> I have not looked at any of the new data structures at all yet. I was sort of waiting for
+ them to stabilise alittle first.
#jemxadr> How stable are the current data structures, Peter, and what's the URL for them? END
<Peter:#jemxadr> The data structures are stable, as far as they are defined.
<Peter:#jemxadr> They are currently used by our PreProcessing people for their S/W development.
#jemxadr> Could I suggest that we all take a look at the new data structures, be cause we need to g
+et on with the iterative process of refining and approving them. END
<Peter:#jemxadr> From Stephane's POV the main problem is that the JEM-X TM is still not completely 
+defined (Countrate packet!!!)
<Peter:#jemxadr> Also he is waiting for _your_ input on several DS, e.g. JMXi-GAIN-CAL END
#jemxadr> I'll bug NL about sending you the countrate packet: I thought it was already defined at t
+he last meeting here in Copenhagen.
#jemxadr> This may just be a communication problem.END
<Peter:#jemxadr> For the URL: try http://isdc.unige.ch/doc/tec/add/add-w/data/list2html.cgi?add-w+J
+MXi
<Peter:#jemxadr> END
#jemxadr> I realise this about the -GAIN-CAL table, but since Ib's changed the binning of the spect
+ra, I'm still not too sure what my output will look like.END
<Peter:#jemxadr> But anyway the idea is good to look at all the data structures and to send me any 
+questions you have. END
#jemxadr> This non-linear binning thing, and the possibility for the users to change the energy bin
+ning at will has made everthing a little more complicated than we'd thought. Even carl was unaware
+ that this was going to happen. 
#jemxadr> I think these problems have arisen simply because of the need to be so frugal with the te
+lemetry. END
#jemxadr> So I'll make that an action item for all of SDAST to look at the data structures. Before 
+we start bugging Stephane, can I suggest that we have one chat devoted to data structures (maybe a
+ longer than usual chat) and get out ideas clear, 
<Peter:#jemxadr> Non-linear binning is no problem. But there should _not_ be a setting at the user'
+s whim. END
#jemxadr> then go to Stephane with our suggestions for changes. END
<Peter:#jemxadr> Re: data structures chat: the next 2 fridays I'll be off on holiday. END
#jemxadr> Yes, I think that we're all agreed here that this should be a very rare thing to do: chan
+ge the energy binning that is. But if the possibility is there, we have to accomodate it. And we d
+o know now that all energy binning will be non-linear
#jemxadr> though my programs will handle any kind of random bin sizes, if that occurs. END
#jemxadr> I'm taking some holiday too around Easter, so how about Friday 23rd for a special chat de
+voted to data structures? Or we could convene a whole separate chat for this subject sometime in w
+eek 16. END
<Peter:#jemxadr> Friday 23rd is OK. NJW and SL plan to be here at ISDC during that time so they cou
+ld also talk directly with SP before and after. END
#jemxadr> So AI is for everyone to read and study the proposed data structures before April 23rd wh
+en a chat meeting will be held to discuss them. END
#jemxadr> I'll also put an AI on myself to get NL to inform ISDC about the countrate packet. END
#jemxadr> Now: any news for teh monthly report (please!!!!)END
<njw:#jemxadr> Maybe it is appropriate to mention that we have this project running of
<Peter:#jemxadr> Well, JCreateSpectrumMode is 99% coded (I have to check with SP regarding the corr
+ect handling of OBT) but completely untested. Documentation at 30% (.txt file). END
<njw:#jemxadr> how to deal with non-uniform background END
#jemxadr> You mean mention it at the consortium meeting? NJW END
<njw:#jemxadr> No, monthly report END
#jemxadr> Great, I'll do that. Under: Ongoing Tasks maybe. END
<njw:#jemxadr> OK END
#jemxadr> Any thing else: documents completed (background handling technical note, NJW?), software 
+tested, delivered, shredded?END
#jemxadr> Meetings convened, cancelled, attended? END
#jemxadr> Of course I'll mention the ISSW school. END
#jemxadr> Okay, I'll make what we've got stretch as far as possible ;-) 
#jemxadr> Now, AOB. Anyone got any AOB? END
<njw:#jemxadr> Background handling note has been in the background but it will come in the foregrou
+nd END
#jemxadr> I'll put that note in `ongoing' as well END
#jemxadr> Our next meeting will be April 16th, and it'll be a general meeting, maybe with news and 
+views from the consortium meeting since only a few of us will be attending that. The meeting after
+ that will be about data structures, and I'd like to 
#jemxadr> stress that we should all be well prepared for that meeting.END
#jemxadr> If no one has any other concerns they'd like to discuss, I think we should call it a day 
+now. END
H smaisala     #jemxadr 0 *real name unknown*   ~smaisala@us.astro.helsinki.fi
H njw          #jemxadr 0 Niels Joergen Westergaard         ~njw@heao1.dsri.dk
H Peter@       #jemxadr 0 KRETSCHMAR Peter         ~pkretsch@isdcul10.unige.ch
H oxborrow     #jemxadr 0 Carol Anne Oxborrow        ~oxborrow@130.226.216.181
315 apollo.dsri.dk * End of /WHO list.      
<Peter:#jemxadr> Fine with me. See you soon. END
#jemxadr> Take care, and have a good weekend everyone! END
<Peter:#jemxadr> Same to you! Bye. END
*** Signoff: Peter (Leaving)
*** Error: Closing Link: oxborrow[~oxborrow@130.226.216.181] () 
*** IRC session log ended at Fri Mar 26 10:12:22 1999.
