1. Update on Operations planning & Data rights Robert Blum Acting Director for LSST Operations 12 August 2019

2. Status of LSST Operations
New Operations Funding and Data Rights Model
Pre-Operations and Commissioning

3. LSST Survey is coming over the horizon

4. LSST Operations: Pre-operations
Pre-operations began 2018 October 01
LSST, AURA, and SLAC developed a 16 year proposal for operations submitted to NSF in 2017 under AURA and to DOE from SLAC. Proposal was positively reviewed by DOE and NSF
Pre-operations is a 4 year program to stand up the LSST operations team, develop the full operations survey plan, and begin supporting the LSST science community in advance of the full survey by serving existing data sets, commissioning, and science verification data products.
NSF has awarded AURA a three year CSA for pre-operations (FY19-21) based on 2017 proposal. DOE is fully supporting pre-operations.
We expect to have a Joint Operations Review in early CY20 to gain approval for the full survey operations

5. LSST Operations: Pre-ops Team
Current team members
Bob Blum, Acting Director of Operations
Phil Marshall, Deputy Director of Operations at SLAC
Wil O’Mullane, Associate Director for Science Operations
Michelle Butler, Associate Director for Data Facility
Amanda Bauer, Head of Education and Public Outreach
Cathy Petry and Christine Soldahl, program coordinators
Other effort for FY20
Chuck Claver, John Swinbank, Leanne Guy, Margaret Johnson, various pipeline and data facility scientists (NCSA, SLAC, BNL, FNAL, UW, Princeton), administrative support

6. Preview of tomorrow’s session. Presidio III/IV, 11 am
Releasing pre-survey LSST data is the Operations team’s primary activity that connects to the community
The Project will produce images and catalogs from the commissioning (ComCam and LSSTCam Science Validation [SV] survey) raw images
The Commissioning Team will perform verification studies with these data, to check that the LSST system and science requirements are met
The Operations Team will use them to develop and demonstrate their readiness to process and serve the LSST survey data
Successful data service involves providing documentation and user support
Community feedback will be vital both during the survey (to enable optimization of the system) and during commissioning (to help us make sure the system is set up well in the first place)
Preview of tomorrow’s session. Presidio III/IV, 11 am

7. New NSF and DOE Funding Model
In May of 2019, NSF and DOE announced the following regarding operations of LSST:
NSF and DOE have reached agreement on LSST Data Rights and Funding model.
NSF and DOE acknowledge the value of international partnerships for LSST.
NSF and DOE are working to revise the partnership model to focus on in-kind contributions instead of monetary contributions.
Original model sought 25% operations funds from International Contributors, but to date sufficient funding has not been identified.
To ensure operations planning moves ahead smoothly, a new model for Data Access Rights and Operations Funding is being developed by NSF and DOE to ensure full support of LSST Operations.

8. New NSF and DOE May 2019 Memo
Following careful consideration of potential approaches, NSF and DOE agree on the following points to move LSST operations planning forward:
LSST will maintain the proprietary period for LSST data release and the open LSST alert stream with no proprietary period as previously planned---i.e., no change.
The agencies have no plans to de-scope LSST operations and are working with their awardees (AURA and SLAC) on updated budget and operations planning.
Following agencies' approval, the LSST project team will soon publish data rights and data access policies for LSST.
International participants may enjoy the same data access rights as US scientists in exchange for in-kind contributions to the LSST construction project, facility operations, and/or related astrophysical resources as considered and agreed to jointly by the agencies (NSF and DOE).
A new LSST Resource Board, led by NSF and DOE, will oversee and coordinate in-kind contributions and provide a forum for project contributors to participate in the LSST resource planning. The details of that Resource Board will be developed over the next year.

9. NSF’s and DOE’s Solely Authorized Points of Contact for LSST for International Participants
NSF and DOE have directed their awardees, AURA and SLAC, to work directly with potential international participants. In their initial focus, AURA and SLAC will work directly with the potential international participants, who have previously engaged a clear interest in LSST data and a commitment to the success of the project through a planned monetary contribution, to develop an alternate approach through in-kind contributions to LSST. AURA and SLAC will work with the potential international participants to prepare in-kind contribution proposals for subsequent consideration and approval by NSF and DOE.
Blum and Marshall are Point of Contact for for planning in-kind contributions.

10. Implementing In-Kind Partnerships I
Final consideration and approval of in-kind agreements will be by NSF and DOE. The agreements will provide data rights and access.
Partnerships for In-kind offsets to LSST operations will not be sought broadly. LSST will work directly with certain potential large partners (with MOAs with LSSTC) to develop operations offset agreements. Such in-kind agreements will be agreed to by AURA and SLAC.
LSST will solicit further in-kind contributions from international participants that would enhance LSST operations or science. These could provide “other resources” like access to telescope time or data sets of interest to the U.S. community, or they could “add value” via contributions deemed to have scientific value to the U.S. beyond the basic operation of the LSST facility. Letters of Intent will be solicited this fall, with proposals for the contents of the new agreements to be developed in 2020.

11. Implementing In-Kind Partnerships II
In-kind contributions of added value or other resources will be assessed and recommended by LSST through a TBD process for scientific impact, support to US science, and will be agreed to by AURA and SLAC.
New agreements will be made with international partners for approved in-kinds. NSF and DOE will determine if agreements may be delegated to/signed by AURA and SLAC, or if agreements are to be made directly with NSF and/or DOE.
NSF and DOE prioritize in-kind contributions in the following order (highest first): Operations offsets, other resources, added value.
NSF and DOE have approved this basic implementation plan.

12. MOA Holders
For a duration of up to two years from May 2019, and while in-kind contributions are negotiated and codified in new agreements, LSST will provide the anticipated benefits to international contributors as identified in MOAs with LSSTC (as of May 2019). LSST does not consider extant MOAs with LSSTC to incur any financial obligations to LSST (LSST is not expecting or planning to take money from international partners).
Benefits principally include data rights and ability to be in or join LSST Science Collaborations
If you are an international partner with an MOA, LSST will solicit in-kind contributions from you even if you need to end your MOA with LSSTC before a new agreement is finished.
Unsolicited proposals for in-kind contributions from non-MOA holders will be a) welcome and b) in some cases targeted by LSST as appropriate or desired. All things being equal, LSST would prioritize MOA holders (as of May 2019) over non-MOA holder for the same or similar in-kind contribution.

13. Timeline Proposed timeline subject to modification
We’ve begun talking to some international partners about in-kind offsets to Operations
LOI solicitations to MOA holders October 2019
LOI’s accepted through March 2020
From now – Q1 2020, working on setting up process to include AURA, SLAC, NSF, DOE in offsets, other resources, and added value.
Other resources and added value vetting process to be run by LSST. We are discussing how to add SAC and Science Collaborations to process directly. Approval held at AURA/SLAC and NSF/DOE (ultimate)
Finish all new agreements by June 2021.

14. Data Rights The Data Rights Policy (DRP) is nearly complete.
Will be handing a version to NSF and DOE for approval very soon
Policy is evolved from LPM-261 that community provided broad input to last fall
Changes, combined with new Funding/In-kind Model, make policy generally more liberal with respect to LSST data rights holders collaborating on their science
The DRP will be a public document. Stay tuned.
The policy document will be put under Operations Change Control and can be modified in advance of the survey as appropriate.

15. Tuesday Session
Please join us on Tuesday at 11am in Presidio III/IV, for a session on “Data Rights & Pre-Operations Data Release Scenarios”
We will have BlueJeans Connection (shared risk); tell your friends.
Agenda:
Q&A about funding model and data rights (30 min)
Presentation on scenarios for data previews during commissioning (20 min)
Open discussion about your data needs and desires for data previews during commissioning/pre-ops. (40 min)

16. End of Presentation
Photo credit Kevin Reil