Cycle 5: Cruz - Specutils development

[kelle]

Added project details for Cruz as Specutils maintainer, including scope of work, deliverables, budget, and performance period.

[kelle]

Please react to this comment to vote on this proposal (👍, 👎, or no reaction for +0).

[bsipocz]

How does the spectrum DM part of this proposal work, and what's its relationship to the same content of other proposal(s)?

[hamogu]

While work on spectra is important, I share @bsipocz concerns about the VO implementation and also "other data models". I would feel more confident (1) with a proposal team that has demonstrated experience with the VO data model, which can be hard to understand at first and (2) if the "other data models" were spelled out to see how common their usage is or how relevant they are to the ecosystem.

[kelle]

I would have appreciated these comments during the discussion period but hey, better late than never!

I am experienced with the SpectrumDM and the IVOA Data model working group. I have been active in their mailing list and in the relevant github repository. For example, ivoa-std/SpectrumDM#8

I have also had multiple discussions with folks at STScI about how the MAST spectrum data model used for HLSPs is in conflict with the IVOA one.

I'm not exactly sure what the "same content of other proposals" is referring to. Can you be more specific?

[bsipocz]

Overlap is with #502 some of which Derek cleared up. Yet in future FR rounds it would be great to include the need of coordination or xref/comments on how multiple proposals relate to one each other when they are addressing the same roadmap item.

[kelle]

Yes, my vision is to work with the other specutils maintainers and contributors (like Derek) to improve the package. Derek, for example, is more familiar with the guts of the package than I am and will be a crucial collaborator when it comes down to the actual implementation, review of PRs, identification of edge cases, etc. It will take a village!

[bsipocz]

Then the development funding should go to the village. The whole problem around SpecrumDM in specutils was that no one was picking up the develpment side and still with this FR I don't feel that is being addressed if it keeps relying on others to do the work.

[eteq]

The Cycle 5 funding request process has been hugely successful! On the downside, that means our funds are severely oversubscribed. Even after the Finance Committee and SPOC have taken into consideration community feedback/voting and alignment with the roadmap, there are still more funding requests than we can afford in 2026.

We would like to stretch the budget as far as possible, and to fund as many activities as possible, while making sure the Project remains volunteer-driven. Hence, we would like to know if this project will still meet its deliverables if minimum your budget is reduced by 25%, 50%, or 100%. Or if there’s some other minimum, feel free to specify that instead.

As a reminder, there will be more funding for 2027 and we expect the Cycle 6 call for 2027 funding requests to begin in the Fall of 2026.

Thank you for your engagement and understanding as we continue to optimize our funding and budgeting processes and the balance of volunteer vs funded work! (@kelle)

[kelle]

@bsipocz - My plan is to do the development work, just not to do it alone.

@eteq - I will still do this work even if un-funded. The budget can be cut up to 100%.