VLA imaging rollout

The 2020.1 pipeline will include VLA imaging, this page describes how the imaging will be rolled out for SRDP in 2021.

• The target date for the start of testing VLA pipeline imaging is the start of D-configuration, currently 5th March 2021 (though a few runs of the pipeline and workflow may be carried out in the test environment before then).
• If user-defined imaging (VUDI) is available for testing, tests will be carried out using both new data in the regular pipeline workflow, and the VUDI workflow (which can use older archival data).
• Testing of the pipeline workflows can be performed on the production side if tests in the test environment are successful. Users can access this "pre-pilot" pipeline imaging if the images pass QA.
• Assuming bands C, X, Ku, Ka and Q (as well as Multiband datasets) are available, and ~20 SRDP calibrateable datasets per week,  we would aim to image ~2 datasets per week (10%) spread evenly between bands. This should give us reasonable coverage after ~ 1 month of operations, in time to feed back to the pipeline.
• Less clear is how/when VUDI will start - if it also starts in March 2021, this will allow likely result in more parameter space for testing, but adds an unpredictable amount of extra work. Also, as set up now, there is no way to restrict VUDI imaging to calibrations that pass SRDP, this may result in QA being much more difficult.