IVOA Recommendation: Space-Time Coordinate Metadata for the Virtual Observatory Version 1.33

TL;DR

This paper details the design and serialization of Space-Time Coordinate metadata for the Virtual Observatory, including UML diagrams and implementation considerations, to standardize data description.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive design for STC metadata, including UML diagrams and two serialization formats, enhancing interoperability in the Virtual Observatory.

Findings

Complete design description of STC metadata

Implementation considerations and UML diagrams provided

XML Schema (STC-X) as an integral serialization

Abstract

This document provides a complete design description of the Space-Time Coordinate (STC) metadata for the Virtual Observatory. It explains the various components, highlights some implementation considerations, presents a complete set of UML diagrams, and discusses the relation between STC and certain other parts of the Data Model. Two serializations are discussed: XML Schema (STC-X) and String (STC-S); the former is an integral part of this Recommendation.