NIACOrg

NIAC Organsisation

This section collects decisions on the organisation of NIAC.

NIAC 2003: Ratified Terms of reference NIAC 2003: Approved method for ratifying new NeXus classes

NIAC 2004: Created the position of NeXus Techical Chair to oversee the NeXus-API and utilities

NIAC 2004: Process to construct instrument definitions by instrument editors: 1. Provide a schematic of the instrument 2. Write a brief outline of the purpose of the instrument. List DA/DR reduction packages for this instrument. Also list the information required for DA/DR including calibration data. 3. Ask DA/DR package maintainers for variables which should be in the file 4. Send the document to NIAC which will someone to create a XML description 5. Write a sample NeXus file 6. Test the file, repeating 4,5 for a number of times 7. Request ratification after testing

NIAC 2004: appoint editors for various types of instruments

NIAC 2006: The constitution will be changed to include the technical committee chair in the list of officers to be renewed at each annual meeting

NIAC 2006: The constitution will be changed to provide for a three year term limit for the position of chair and executive secretary.

NIAC 2007: NeXus to collaborate with imgCIF

NIAC 2007HMI: Created a Definition Release Manager role

NIAC 2008: change in meeting organisation: full NIAC meetings in NIAC years, code camps and email votes in between

NIAC 2010: term for all officers chnaged from 1 to 2 years, corresponding to the frequency of NIAC meetings.

NIAC 2012: NeXus guiding statements:

• The main focus of the NeXus community is to further develop the dictionaries, base classes and application definitions.
• The NIAC is a forum for resolving issues.
• The NIAC acts as a custodian for NeXus: definitions, examples, documentation, reference implementations.
• HDF5 is the preferred physical file format.
• NeXus-XML is the currently supported ASCII file format.

NIAC 2012 commitments

• We seek cooperation with IUCr and CIF
• Have a meeting with them to figure out what this means
• Maybe have another NIAC next year to agree on this (in conjunction with ECM)
• MK volunteers to take a lead * We encourage the inclusion of NeXus into CBFlib
• We invest into cleaning up NeXus, remove outdated, old or broken stuff
• We invest into documenting NeXus better through bringing inheritance or composition to NeXus base classes

NIAC 2012: work as closely with PX and DECTRIS to get the EIGER detector into NeXus

NIAC 2012: Changes to base classes must be checked by Tech committe and put for a vote.

NIAC 2012: Terms length for officers to be 2 years. Executive officers can have only two terms.

NIAC 2014: Change constitution to agree with current terms (application definitions and base classes)

NIAC 2014: Remove procedures section from the constitution since it was not used.

NIAC 2014: Roberts Rule to be followed for setting the agenda