[MOIMS-NAV-EXEC] FW: XML History Question

[Berry, David S (3920)]

All:

This is the message I sought today regarding the use of XML in the Navigation Data Messages (specifically ODM). It may be open to interpretation...

Regards,
David



On 1/12/16, 2:57 PM, "Thomas Gannett" <tomg at aiaa.org> wrote:

    David:
    
    The only thing that jumps out in terms of CMC resolutions is the following:
    
    CMC-R-2002-10-009 The CCSDS resolves to direct Panel P1J to utilize PVL, or preferably XML, in the CCSDS 502.0-R-2 Orbit Data Messages.
    
    That resolution resulted from a P2 recommendation that P1J should utilize PVL or preferably XML, and ODM was the only thing P1J was working on at the time.
    
    At the next meeting (April 2003), by the way, the following comments from Hubertus Wanke were recorded:
    
    "DLR-GSOC Flight Dynamics has concerns about a recommendation of CCSDS for the exclusive use of XML within all future data interfaces. DLR doubts that such a recommendation will be accepted by the navigation community, which considers XML to be an inappropriate tool for the representation of navigation data."
    
    I don't know what "a recommendation of CCSDS for the exclusive use of XML within all future data interfaces" refers to. It may be something P2 was pushing for at the time.
     
    I have CCed Neil Dissinger, who was the CMC Rapporteur back then. He may (but probably won't) remember something.
     
    Tom
    
    
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Berry, David S (3920) [mailto:david.s.berry at jpl.nasa.gov] 
    Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2016 4:57 PM
    To: CCSDS Secretariat
    Subject: History Question
    
    
    Tom:
    
    I'm trying to find something from CCSDS ancient history. The materials available on the CWE don't go back far enough for me to find it, so I thought maybe you'd be able to help.
    
    Specifically, when I became a member of the Navigation WG in December 2003, it was asserted that "the CCSDS top dogs want it [the ODM] to be based on XML, rather than plain ASCII (as it is now)". Given that I was completely new in the group, I took this at face value and didn't question it at all. At some point, I understood that the "top dogs" was the CMC. And I also started working on converting the ODM to XML.
    
    At the most recent meetings in Darmstadt Fall 2015, there was some discussion in the Navigation WG as to the  exact wording of the CMC resolution regarding the use of XML in CCSDS data exchange standards. I indicated that I had looked a bit in the past for the resolution (or edict or action item) from the CMC, but had not been able to find it. I took an action item to make a more concerted effort to find the edict in question.
    
    From the minutes of the P1J Workshop in October 2001, I found the following statement:  "At present P1J is working on Recommendations that benefit ground-to-ground exchanges between agencies.  As a result, we are requiring that our interfaces emphasize human readability with only the simplest text viewers and editors.  XML would be in conflict with that requirement, so we are not considering it at present for the Orbit Data Message Red Book." Based on this, the pronouncement/resolution from the CESG (or TSG?) was well known by that time... so it represents an upper bound on research.
    
    The closest thing I could find was some minutes of the TSG (CESG precursor) from May 2001 (TSG-Report0501.doc). These minutes contained an action item TSG-01-08 which stated "Discuss time and navigation formats w.r.t. language use (e.g. XML) with P1J". These same minutes reference a prior action item TSG-99-11, the content of which I cannot find (it might be the "official" edict/action item, but since it's not a CMC action item maybe not?).
    
    So I guess I have 2 questions, one fairly well defined and one not as well defined.
    
    1. Do you have access to TSG minutes from 1999 which contain the action item TSG-99-11 (and can you send them to me if you do)?
    
    2. Do you have access to CMC resolutions/edicts/pronouncements etc. from around the same time that might contain the direction for the panels (at least P1J) to use XML? I'm trying to find the exact wording due to a discussion with Peter Shames and Erik Barkley.
    
    Thanks!
    David