lifetime of standards

[Tony Linde]

> as long as ... we will have an IVOA, Virginia.

:)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Hanisch [mailto:rjhanisch at worldnet.att.net] 
> Sent: 16 April 2003 19:26
> To: Elizabeth Auden; registry at ivoa.net
> Subject: Re: lifetime of standards
> 
> 
> > I was asked a few questions that I couldn't answer today:
> Who's asking...?
> >
> > 1. Once IVOA releases standards this December for the registry and 
> > other workgroups, will anyone maintain them after December 31st?
> >
> > 2. How long will IVOA as an entity exist?
> >
> > 3. Depending on the answers to 1 and 2, could maintenance 
> of standards 
> > be passed to another, longer term group (such as W3, IEEE, or GGF)?
> I think the answers to 1, 2, and 3 all lie in creating a VO 
> oversight body within other long-lived organizations, such as 
> the IAU.  In fact with this summer's IAU General Assembly, we 
> will be creating a working group in Commission 5 
> (Astronomical Data) to deal with VO.  The idea is to have a 
> situation somewhat similar to that for the FITS standard 
> (though with a more flexible review process), in which we 
> have both national and international committees whose job it 
> is to maintain the standard.
> 
> This somewhat begs the issue of what the VO will look like in 
> a few years. On the east side of the Atlantic things are 
> moving toward Euro-VO, and over here things are still 
> unsettled as to how NSF and NASA ultimately come to terms 
> with an operating VO, as opposed to short-term development 
> projects. It is looking somewhat optimistic, however, that 
> NASA will begin supporting development complementary to the 
> NSF-funded NVO project next year.  So, to answer question 2 
> more explicitly, I think as long as we have national projects 
> and are willing to work together to build common standards, 
> we will have an IVOA.
> 
> Cheers,
> Bob
>