Subject: Nightly Observer Feedback

From: elt@astro.Princeton.EDU

Submitted: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 16:24:09 -0500 (EST)

Message number: 220 (previous: 219, next: 221 up: Index)

From discussions at today's User Committee meeting, I understand that
the new system of asking observers to provide comments on the success
of the night's work for inclusion by the Observing Specialists in the
Night Log is proving unpopular in that 1) the observers find it a
nuisance to provide the feedback at the end of a busy/hard night's
work and 2) the Observing Specialists find the chore of nagging the
observers for the input an unpleasant one.

Nevertheless, after some discussion, the UC and I feel strongly  that this 
information makes an extremely valuable addition to the Nightly Logs
and fills a big hole in the previously available information on how
well the telescope is performing in the context that ultimately matters.
Therefore, we ask that this experiment be continued at least until
some better alternative is devised.

Let me comment in passing that the observer feedback systems I have
encountered at Palomar and KPNO, for example, are also considered a
significant hassle by most concerned but also provide very important
information to management and engineering.  It may well be
something we have to put up with, just as at other observatories.

We can, of course, think about other ways of getting the necessary
information, but at least I will be skeptical of any system which
just lets all concerned put it off into the indefinite future with
a high risk of forgetting about it entirely.  Linking observer comments
to other log information for the same night is also a highly desirable
feature of the present system.

Ed Turner
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