Annual report 2022

[Brian McMahon]

Hi James

Looks good to me.

Carol Brock is briefly in Chester, so I shall have a short meeting with
her this morning to provide an update on Volume G matters. I'll pass on
to her your regards.

Cheers
Brian

On 14/04/2023 02:06, James H via comcifs wrote:
> Dear COMCIFS,
> 
> Please see below a draft annual report for COMCIFS for 2022. If there 
> are mistakes or important information has been left out, please let me 
> know immediately, as this report is due on Monday.
> 
> best wishes,
> James.
> 
> ===================
> COMCIFS report 2022
> ===================
> 
> COMCIFS is responsible for maintaining and developing the suite of
> standards known as the Crystallographic Information Framework (CIF) on
> behalf of the IUCr. These standards include a data format (CIF), a
> multitude of discipline-specific dictionaries describing the contents
> of data files, and the language in which these dictionaries are
> written (DDLm). The Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) is separately
> responsible for a large and rapidly expanding collection of CIF
> definitions that encompass concepts and techniques used in the
> macromolecular community.
> 
> COMCIFS currently has 4 voting members and a broad collection of
> advisers and observers. The voting members are James Hester (Chair),
> John Bollinger (Co-Secretary), Brian McMahon (Co-Secretary), and
> Herbert Bernstein. Ongoing COMCIFS business is conducted via the
> associated IUCr mailing lists.
> 
> Brian McMahon has now retired from the IUCr office in Chester, and
> has indicated that he will also be stepping down as secretary.
> 
> Dictionary development
> 
> New categories and data names for more detailed descriptions of
> elemental composition analysis were added to the core dictionary.
> The powder dictionary also saw significant work related to
> detailed calibration specifications for intensities and angles,
> as well as ongoing work on preferred orientation data names.
> 
> International Tables Volume G
> 
> COMCIFS members are closely involved with the preparation of the
> second edition of International Tables Volume G ("Production and
> exchange of crystallographic data"). This year saw several more
> chapters become ready for technical editing, and the remainder of the
> applications chapters commissioned. Further information is available
> in the report of the Commission for International Tables.
> 
> Interactions with other groups
> 
> COMCIFS is represented on the NeXus International Advisory Committee
> (NIAC), which primarily develops the NeXus raw data standards for
> large facilities. J Hester continues to participate in the
> Crystallography domain of the European Materials and Modelling
> Ontology (EMMO) consortium who are developing a semantic description
> of crystallographic knowledge and practice.
> 
> COMCIFS is also closely involved with the IUCr Committee on Data (CommDat).
> 
> S. Grazulis represented COMCIFS at the IUCr 2023 program committee.
> 
> Looking forward
> 
> As flagged in previous years, a small group of people is drawn upon to
> support CIF maintenance and development. This situation is not
> sustainable, particularly as the first generation of CIF experts move
> into retirement.
> 
> The original six voting members of COMCIFS have now shrunk to three. A
> slate of replacement candidates from stakeholder communities will be
> prepared for the 2023 IUCr general assembly.
> 
> -- 
> T +61 (02) 9717 9907
> F +61 (02) 9717 3145
> M +61 (04) 0249 4148
> 
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