The WIYN Queue Rules: Fall 1999 (1999B)

The following rules describe the basic scheduling and execution process for the WIYN Queue Experiment.

1. WIYN Long Program (LP) proposals will be reviewed and graded by the same KPNO TAC that reviews and grades 4m proposals.

2. WIYN Short ("2hr") Program (SP) proposals will be reviewed and graded internally.

3. After the proposals are reviewed by the TAC, WIYN observing programs will either be scheduled classically (i.e., assigned specific nights), placed in the WIYN observing queue, or denied observing time at the discretion of the KPNO Director or the Director's designee.

4. WIYN programs assigned to the WIYN queue will be further divided into two classes by the KPNO Director or the Director's designee. Class 1 (highest TAC grades) programs will be given "highest priority". Class 2 (lower TAC grades) will be given "best effort" status and only scheduled and executed if no Class 1 program can be scheduled or executed. Note that programs with otherwise excellent TAC grades are sometimes assigned to the Class 2 queue due to targeting conflicts with programs with a higher TAC grade.

5. The WIYN observing queues will be managed by "program" not "object".

6. LP programs will be executed primarily by TAC grade and then by:
   • celestial coordinates
   • acceptable lunar phase
   • angular distance from Moon
   • LST
   • delivered image quality ("seeing")
   • sky conditions (photometric/spectroscopic)
   • spectroscopic configuration
   • level of completion (i.e., in general, completing programs or at least providing a scientifically useful dataset has higher weight than initiating a new program, unless the new program has a significantly higher TAC grade)

   These secondary ranking criteria will be applied dynamically.

7. Total time allotted to the Class 1 queue will be approximately equal to 60% of the total time made available to NOAO by the WIYN Consortium. This percentage is roughly equivalent to the mean percentage of photometric and spectroscopic nights per semester at KPNO.

8. Total time allotted to the Class 2 queue will be approximately equal to 50% of the total time made available to NOAO by the WIYN Consortium. This overallocation of time allows for uncertainties in the exact mixture of actual observing conditions in the real semester.

9. Objects will only be observed when they are at 1.5 or lower airmasses, unless higher airmasses are acceptable in order to complete the program, as specified by the PI, or a target never satisfies this criterion.

10. LP programs will be initiated as followed:

    A = ABSOLUTE number of NOAO hours left in current semester,

    B = number of CLEAR hours that meet the secondary criteria required to complete currently ACTIVE LP program(s),

    C = number of CLEAR hours that meet the secondary criteria required to complete the NEXT LP program in the TAC grade ordered queue,

    if (B+C <= A): start next LP program,

    else: do NOT start next LP program.

11. Program allocation time is defined to be the time necessary to complete the scientific objectives of a program as recommended by the TAC and reviewed by the KPNO Director.

12. LP program execution time will be allowed to exceed allocated time only if: (1) the queue observing team elected to observe certain targets under less than optimal conditions (as defined on the approved program WIYN queue form) and further integration time was needed to satisfy the PI specified figure of merit for those targets; or (2) the queue observing team makes a technical error which requires repeating or extending the observation of certain targets.

13. In general, individual LP program execution time will not be allowed to exceed the allocation time. Once program execution time equals allocation time, the program will be terminated as soon as reasonably possible (e.g., programs will not be terminated in mid-exposure). Note that program execution time includes both integration time and all overheads associated with executing the program (e.g., CCD readout time, Hydra configuration time, telescope slew time, etc.)

14. Preference will be given to meeting the PI specified figure of merit per object. If it appears these specified figures of merit are in error, jeopardizing the completion of the entire program within the allocated time, the PI will be informed and asked to re-prioritize their program.

15. Programs initiated and at least 75% completed, but not fully completed, during the current semester may be completed during the next contiguous semester at the discretion of the KPNO Director. Otherwise, all uncompleted programs will be terminated at the end of each semester and will not be re-started until they are again reviewed and graded by the TAC.

16. Programs not initiated by the end of the current semester will NOT be scheduled in any subsequent semester unless the proposal is re-submitted to the TAC for review and grading.

17. When multiple LP programs are active, the LP program with the best TAC grade and which meets the secondary criteria listed above will have highest priority.

18. On nights when the R-band WIYN delivered image quality is 0.8" or better, preference will be given to programs which require these excellent seeing conditions.

19. Night-time Bench Spectrograph configuration changes will be discouraged and only one per night will be allowed. Note that for certain programs the Bench Spectrograph configuration should NOT be changed until the program is completed.

20. Night-time Bench Spectrograph CAMERA changes will NOT be allowed.

21. Once "passed", SP ("2hrQ") programs will be initiated randomly, except as modified below.

22. When a Hydra LP program is selected, Hydra SP programs will be executed concurrently if there are SP programs which closely match the current Bench configuration subject to the standard secondary criteria.

23. On nights when the DIQ <= 0.6", one (1) Imager SP program which requires exceptional DIQ conditions will be executed.

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Last Updated: 6/18/99, wiynq@noao.edu