To: US ATLAS Physics and Computing Advisory Panel

From: Jim Shank, Executive Project Manager for Physics and Computing,
U.S. ATLAS.

Re: Charge to the Panel for Nov. 25-26 Meeting

21 November, 2003

We will be soliciting your comments and recommendations on a number of
items that have changed since our last review.

1. Project Organization/Management.
  Since last November, both US ATLAS and ATLAS have changed the
organization of the computing project. We have a completely new WBS
structure that reflects our new management. We want to make sure our
deliverables are clear and our priorities are clear. We are now entering
the Research Operations phase of US ATLAS and must share our computing 
funding with M&O for the construction project. We assign priorities to 
tasks (that include M&O and computing items). Do we have the
right priorities/strategy for this allocation?

2. Data Management.
   --Are we adjusting our deliverables appropriately in response to
recent changes to our effort profile?
   --are our interactions with LCG (POOL, SEAL) proper/working/at the
right level?

3. Other software areas.
   We recently proposed to put effort in these areas:
    --Detector description
    --Distributed analysis
   This reduces our DB effort. Is this the correct priority?

4. Grids.
   --interactions with other grid projects, GriPhyN/iVDGL/PPDG/LCG/...
are these coordinated properly?
   --Are we effectively managing/exploiting all the resources from
outside the US ATLAS computing program?
    -- Are we using project funds effectively to harness the grid
middleware?


5. Data Challenges and our T1/T2 facilities.
     --Is our T1 facility funded at the right level?
     --Is our T2 plan viable?
     --will we contribute to DC2 at the right level?
     --Will we converge on a common software framework for DC2 production?

6. Next generation funding initiatives.
   We have submitted a number of NSF ITR proposals recently, including
the large DAWN, which have been unsuccessful. What strategy do we pursue
now?

This will be less of a "dress rehearsal" for the agency review and
more of a use of the PCAP to obtain advice on these important issues.


Jim Shank                     shank@bu.edu