relative fluxes

[Randy Thompson]

Alberto Micol wrote:
> I can report that ESO stores spectra in 1D image format.
>
> It would indeed be nice to know which other data providers use the 1D 
> FITS IMAGE format
> for their 1D spectra in their archives...
>
Hi Alberto,
    I've seen the term 1-D FITS used a lot lately, but have never seen a 
definition. Does it refer to
a file with an array of fluxes stored as a primary array and (linear) 
wavelengths defined with keywords
(e.g., WUPPE)? Does it include data where an array of wavelengths are 
stored in one file and an
array of fluxes in another (e.g., FOS, GHRS)?  Does it includes files 
where arrays of flux, wavelength,
error estimates, and sigmas are all merged together into one 
non-homogeneous primary array  (e.g., HUT)?
I think you may be grouping a family of file formats under the title 
"1-D FITS".
    We have archived files within MAST in all these formats and more, 
and is the reason we are
creating VO-compatible versions. The conversion of the data itself was 
not difficult using existing IDL
routines. The difficulty is usually in calculating the metadata 
necessary to allow data from one mission
to be compared with that of another;  something that needs to be 
provided with any file format.

Randy