[iaufwg] FITS Registry Proposal

[Robert Hanisch]

> Shouldn't a FITS conventions be more definitely available in the same
> manner as an ivo:// resource?
> 
> In summary, is there some way to make use of VO technologies for
> this short of starting a new focus group within the IVOA?

The VO registries could certainly be extended to cover things like FITS
conventions, as we are already planning to extend them to cover software.  I
can image a ResourceType "STANDARD" and/or "CONVENTION".  (See
http://nvo.stsci.edu/VORegistry/publish.aspx if you are unfamiliar with VO
ResourceTypes).  The existing metadata tags Title, Shortname, Identifier,
ContactName, ContactEmail, Creator, Publisher, Contributor, Subject,
Description, RelatedResources, Type, Date, Version, ReferenceURL, and
ContentLevel would all apply, and are probably sufficient to enable location
of documents of interest.  Then, as I suggested previously, ValidationLevel
could be used by registry curators to denote the level of acceptance.

Bill might set up a small registry at GSFC using one of the
registry-in-a-box software packages we have and thus be able to do the
curation.

I am happy to take this idea forward within the VO (we have an NVO team
meeting coming up in early April and an IVOA Interop meeting in mid-May) if
others are interested.

Bob