Cone search interface data

[Ray Plante]

Hey Matthew,

I too would like to see our cone search resources as well as our SIAs more 
fully described.  With the NCSA registry, we intended to have the 
registry fill in the extra information about parameters automatically for 
the registrant when the service is registered.

In the case of Cone Search, the spec is ambiguous as to whether parameters 
other than RA, DEC, SR, and VERB are allowed/meaningful.  At the very 
least, however, a registry could fill in the description of the required 
parameters (RA, DEC, & SR).

For SIA, the spec explicitly indicates that the support for input 
parameters should be described in the VOTable that is returned in response 
to a "metadata" query (FORMAT=METADATA).  Thus, when an SIA is registered, 
the registry could automatically do a metadata query and fill in the 
parameter information into the resource description.  

By making this information optional, we do not over-burden either the 
registrant or the registry with having to provide this info from the 
get-go.  The description is still useful (as DataScope demonstrates) 
because as standard services, we know what minimum parameters they must 
support (and that they will ignore parameters they don't support).  

Of course, if you don't provide this info for non-standard services, the 
description is essentially useless--caveat emptor.  The NCSA registration 
portal does provide the necessary interface to enter this (as I'm sure 
Carnivore does as well).

cheers,
Ray