VALD-Uppsala meeting 7 May 2009 10-12

Participants: Nik, Ulrike, Eric, Oleg, Paul

Agenda:

VALD status

• VALD team news - Eric now in Uppsala; Vienna group will change (Luca -> Open University, Marlene -> Canada, Nicole -> job in medicin/image processing); Friedrich now in Meudon

• new server in Vienna - server and file system was shown by Ulrike; comment: file structure should be same on all servers - Nik etc. will look into this.
• VALD2 software (Nik)
  • showline bugs in Vienna: references, reference strings
  • ftp extraction error
  • statistics program in Vienna has a problem
• VALD3 software
  • naming convention for terms for molecules to be done (needed for merging); suggestion from Moscow exists
  • Q: is VALD3 backward compatible to VALD2 ? A: output format should be the same.
  • suggestion: build in more warnings for users in output
  • make VALD more user friendly for physicists (extraction options etc. - look at NIST)
• location of line lists

  • predicted line lists not in default configuration file -> Oleg

  • new final lists are in the vald directory structure
  • new preliminary lists (being tested by Tanya) are in Moscow and Nik gets copies

• molecular data: Ulrike is working on TiO, some first lists have been tested by Nik and seem to work; merging of non-resolved lambda-doubled lines was discussed -> extraction tools should have an output option to "unmerge" these lines (for physicists)

• new web interface (php-based) was demonstrated by Eric, running now in Uppsala
• miscellaneous
  • suggestion to move VALD main site from Vienna to Uppsala with release of VALD3 (argument: more people around in case of emergencies)
  • hardware: new dedicated computer will be acquired for Uppsala (Nik); Moscow will also get a new VALD computer soon.

VAMDC

• timeline
  • telecon 14 May 2009 (Nik): negotiation with EU, Consortium Agreement, ...
  • start of project: 1 July 2009
  • preparation meeting: 3 July 2009, Paris (Marie Lise Dubernet, Nigel Mason, Nic Walton, Nik)
  • kick-off meeting in September, Paris
  • 1st year: several independent work packages in parallel

  • Sep 2010: report results -> demonstration using VALD as prototype

• Uppsala contribution:
  • specifications for transport protocol
  • specifications for user interface
  • VAMDC interface to VALD3
  • Quality control - make sure there is no information loss through transport protocol
• involvement of Uppsala people
  • Nik: Uppsala VAMDC manager
  • Ulrike: VALD data, quality control, policy working group(s)
  • Eric: interface
  • Paul: data/parameters advice
  • Oleg: all the rest

• Moscow: work on data, document methodology of quality for new data in VALD -> adopt for VAMDC; dissemination (user interface usage)

• Vienna: organize conferences, meetings, workshops; might need help from Uppsala