As new and more complex telescopes come on-line, telescope time applications are becoming more complex, too, with requirements for machine-readable target lists, guide star selections, detailed exposure estimates, and specifications on sky conditions. Learning to use new tools for each observatory just to submit proposals may well become a daunting and time-consuming task for all of us.
To try to prevent this situation from arising, representatives of several observatories, including NOAO, Gemini, STScI, McDonald Observatory and the HET, the MMT Observatory, the CFHT, the National Research Council of Canada, the AAO, and JACH, met at a Proposal Process Workshop, hosted by NOAO in August. The goals of the workshop were:
Through discussions at the Workshop, a broad consensus emerged. First, the proposal process should include an option for web-based proposal preparation and submission that does not require the distribution of software. For now this was the best option for the US community, but we will need to continually re-evaluate the situation as new tools and methods become available.
Second, the proposal process should be as simple as possible for users, with required information kept to a minimum, while allowing investigators to present their case in a suitable manner. Wherever possible, observatories should share common and familiar tools for developing proposals.
Finally, the process should minimize the effort required at each observatory to support TAC evaluation and observing. The process should allow integration of proposals for the variety of telescope time available through each observatory.
Actions resulting from the Workshop include:
Caty Pilachowski, Jeannette Barnes