EVLA Advisory Committee Meeting

1
Project Overview

• Mark McKinnon
• EVLA Project Manager

2
Outline

• Project Definition/Objectives
• Status Highlights
• Management
• Budget
• Schedule
• Project Goals in FY06 and FY07
• Action on 2004 EAC Recommendations

3
Project Objectives

• Design, prototype, and install on 2 antennas new
  feeds, receivers, and structural modifications.
• Design, prototype, and test on 2 antennas new LO,
  IF, and fiber optic systems.
• After testing, install all of the above on all
  antennas.
• Design, build, and test a new MC system. Must
  allow operation of new and old antennas in
  transition.
• Design, prototype, test, and produce a new
  correlator.
• Design and implement new data management
  software.
• Perform careful astronomical observations to
  verify EVLA hardware and software function
  properly.
• Contribute to EPO to advance public science
  education.

4
Summary Status of EVLA Antennas
5
Highlights

• Successful redesign of digitizer in DTS module
  allowed antenna retrofitting to proceed.
• Developed monitor and control (MC) software for
  EVLA/VLA transition mode observing
• Developed MC software for reference pointing of
  EVLA antennas
• 1.75M received from Mexican partner
• NRAO notified in December 2005 that NSF was
  unable to support request for EVLA Phase 2

6
Management Project Organization
7
ManagementWork Breakdown Structure
8
Management Cost Scope Control

• Project book defines project scope
• Semiannual updates of work breakdown structure
• Change control board approval required on WBS
  updates and changes to project book (gt50K)
• Budget status summarized monthly
• High level decisions act on advice of NRAO upper
  management and advisory committees.

9
Management Track Progress

• Weekly milestone update
• Reporting
• Quarterly reports to AUI/NSF
• Semiannual progress reports to NSF
• Annual GPRA report to NSF
• Annual reports to AUI Visiting Committee and NRAO
  Users Committee

10
Budget

• Funding 85.07M (FY06)
• NSF project funds 56.34M
• NRAO contributed effort 15.85M
• Canadian partner 11.13M
• Mexican partner 1.75M
• Estimated cost 82.24M
• Contingency 2.83M

11
Schedule Key Milestones Completed

• Start installation of fiber optics on
  wye 11-04-02
• Start prototype system lab integration
  test 01-15-03
• Install prototype system on antenna 04-14-03
• Start electronics production 04-05-04
• Complete electronics CDRs 05-21-04
• Start retrofitting antennas with new
  system 10-05-04

12
Schedule Key Milestones Remaining

• Start observing in transition mode 06-01-06
• Test prototype correlator on 3-4
  antennas 03-30-07
• Start installing parts of final
  correlator 10-31-07
• Start tests of correlator subset at VLA 05-15-08
• Shared risk science with new correlator
  subset 10-01-08
• New correlator operational 11-13-09
• Last antenna retrofitted to EVLA design 07-29-10
• Last receiver installed 06-01-12

13
Project Goals FY06

• Retrofit 6 antennas to EVLA design and return to
  array for transition observations
• Complete identification of first science
  observing modes and prioritize project tasks to
  complete them
• Refine project schedule to insure close coupling
  between hardware and software deliverables where
  appropriate
• Help clarify/define the final structure of the
  new e2e Division and its interaction with NRAO
  operations and projects
• Repeat contingency and risk analyses with finer
  level of detail

14
Project Goals FY07

• Retrofit 6 antennas to EVLA design and return to
  array for transition observations (for a total of
  12 EVLA antennas)
• Install prototype WIDAR correlator and begin test
  observations
• Commission a science advisory committee to
  evaluate/prioritize potential descope options
• Select final design of 3-bit, 4Gsps sampler and
  initiate its production

15
Actions on 2004 EAC Recommendations - 1

• Overrun in contributed effort from the operations
  budget to the EVLA project
• 2.1M charged to the project
• Inadequate resources for EVLA e2e effort
• 10 FTE years (1M ) provided by the project.
• e2e Division created for entire Observatory
• Additional effort devoted from operations budget.
• Complete refinement of L-band OMT design
• Done. Test results presented at recent FE CDR

16
Actions on 2004 EAC Recommendations - 2

• Conduct a careful scientific trade-off study of
  descope options
• Contingency comparable to last year, but low.
• Detailed contingency analysis and scientific
  study of descope options will be undertaken in
  FY07.
• Bring younger NRAO staff into debugging and
  commissioning activities.
• Additional, younger staff actively engaged.
• Additional staff to be hired in FY06-07.

17
Actions on 2004 EAC Recommendations - 3

• For system tests, two sets of antenna electronics
  need to operate simultaneously in the electronics
  lab
• Can currently simulate 2 central reference
  sources and 2 LO fiber links in the lab.
• Opted to install modules in antennas for testing
  and observations.
• Many problems are VLA-EVLA transition issues.
• Scope of the MC system, its science
  requirements, interfaces are not clearly
  defined
• MC design document is nearing completion.
  Includes internal interface definition.
• Software development plan completed (identifies
  code description, developer, and timeline).
• Completed report characterizing information
  distributed in MC system.

18
Actions on 2004 EAC Recommendations - 4

• No standards for MC design and coding.
• Biweekly code reviews.
• CVS used for source and version control.
• Maven for build environment. Standard nightly
  code builds.
• No MC test and integration (TI) plan
• In transition from VLA to EVLA, EVLA antennas
  work must work with existing MC system
• Longstanding TI procedure in place and being
  used
• Will develop formal TI plan for correlator in
  the final MC system.

19
Actions on 2004 EAC Recommendations - 5

• Adequate design of the e2e system is lacking.
• More resources assigned to e2e, and High Level
  Architecture (HLA) team has started the e2e
  design.
• Identify and prioritize EVLA-specific
  requirements for CASA so that required resources
  can be identified
• Post-processing requirements common and unique to
  ALMA and EVLA have been identified (e.g.
  wide-field imaging and calibration).