First Annual Conference on

              Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems


                             November 6-8, 1991
                               Tucson, Arizona


The first annual conference on Astronomical Data Analysis Software and
Systems, sponsored jointly by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories,
the Space Telescope Science Institute, and the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory, will be held on November 6-8, 1991 in Tucson, Arizona.

This conference will provide a forum for scientists and programmers concerned
with algorithms, software and software systems employed in the reduction and
analysis of astronomical data.  An important element of the program is to
foster communication between developers and users with a range of expertise
in the production and use of software and systems.  The program will consist,
in approximately equal parts, of invited talks, contributed papers, and users
group meetings.  A number of poster sessions and special interest group
meetings will be held during the conference.

Contributions to the program are invited in the areas of algorithms, software,
systems, and related topics, with emphasis on practical solutions to the
problems of treating real data.  This conference will highlight the following 
special topics:

    Deconvolution and Image Restoration     All Sky Data
    High Energy Imaging                     Error Analysis and Statistics

In addition, papers on the following general topics are planned:

    Image and Spectral Analysis	            Software Systems

Talks in the image and spectral analysis session will present algorithms and
techniques for analyzing data in a range of wavelength domains.  Talks in the
software systems session will present specific programs, projects or systems
and the software developed for those systems, discussing such things as the
technology employed, the design philosophy of each program or system, and any
problems encountered or lessons learned.

The conference will extend over three days.  Two days will be devoted to
oral and poster sessions.  The following people have agreed to give invited 
talks.

            Ed Cheng (NASA/GSFC)	Tim Cornwell (NRAO)
            Eric Feigelson (Penn State)	Nick Gautier (IPAC)
            John Good (IPAC)	        Steve Murray (SAO)
            Fionn Murtagh (STECF)	Bill Press (CFA)
            Larry Smarr (NCSA)	        Peter Stetson (DAO)
            Frank Valdes (NOAO)	        Wolfgang Voges (MPI)
            Nick White (HEASARC/GSFC)	Rick White (STScI)

The third day will be reserved for user group sessions, and for special
interest discussions.  The user group sessions will include an IRAF panel 
discussion and user group meeting in which all the major groups developing 
software for IRAF will participate, fielding questions from the audience.
In addition, users group meetings for the following specific data analysis 
packages are planned for the third day:

    o The NOAO packages   o STSDAS (HST data)   o PROS (X-ray data)

The special interest discussions, or BOFs (Birds of a Feather) sessions,
have not yet been determined and will be based upon user interest. Anyone
interested in sponsoring a BOF should contact the conference organizers. 

The proceedings of the conference will be published as part of the
Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series.

   For more information send mail to softconf@noao.edu or 5355::softconf.