AIPS:  2004 Quarter 1

Key Developments

1.   Changed the VLA data format translation task (FILLM) to handle
a wider range of data as now provided by the archive.  In particular,
different configurations are recognized and kept separate.

2.   Provided support for data-reduction pipeline and other
procedures.  Tasks that now return their results to allow procedures
to use them include SETFC to set suitable image and cell sizes for
imaging, IMFIT and JMFIT to fit Gaussians to images, and RLDIF (new)
to measure the phase difference between the parallel polarizations in
order to calibrate linear polarization.

3.   Changed the basic calibration (CALIB) and fringe-fitting tasks
(FRING) to allow for overlapping solution intervals, which should
resolve phase ambiguities.  CALIB also now allows for different
calibrator fluxes in "RR" and "LL" polarizations in case the
calibrator source has real circular polarization.  This trick allows
the Westerbork telescope to calibrate its linearly-polarized total
intensity channels.

4.   Added the concept of a read-only data area, thereby enabling the
use of read-only DVD data devices for data transfer.

5.   Changed handling of tape device assignments inside AIPS to allow
for more devices without breaking other parts of the code.
Unfortunately, this means that the 31DEC04 and previous versions of
AIPS cannot share the remote tape daemons.

6.   Improved the astrometric task DELZN to make delay and clock error
and rate solutions available to other programs including AIPS' CLCOR.

7.   Worked on documentation, completing all adverb help files,
updating the cross-referencing files used by ABOUT and APROPOS, and
making minor revisions to the CookBook.  XHELP was made to work again;
Charlottesville's web site no longer provided needed support.  Its
functioning was also corrected and improved.

8.   A task to renumber sources (DSORC) was written.

9.   In the first quarter of 2004, 93 sites downloaded the 31DEC03
(frozen) version of AIPS and 268 downloaded the 31DEC04 (development)
version.  A total of 297 different sites (separate IP addresses) made
some use of the AIPS cvs facility, either during installation of
31DEC04 or running the "midnight job" to update their copy of 31DEC04.


Goals for the Second Quarter 2004

1.   Continue user support and bug fixes, as the major portion of AIPS 
effort.

2.   Complete update of CookBook including html and pdf forms with
full cross-referencing.

3.   Consider methods to include source models with AIPS
distributions.

4.   Continue the moderate-term project to explore improved troposphere 
calibration.

5.   Provide support for pipeline data reduction, especially new
automatic editing algorithms.

6.   Investigate calibration by phase referencing with two calibration
sources.

7.   Add weight-based flagging to be able to use flag tables.

8.   Begin investigations of new/improved imaging algorithms,
including those dealing with spectral index and multiple pointings.