A Possible TASS Prize

["Thomas Droege" <tdroege2@earthlink.net>]

I have been thinking about how to improve the tass data.  Both Michael
Richmond and Andrew Bennett have demonstrated that improvement is possible. 

I am thinking of a modest prize like $20,000.00 US.  

In tass style, there would be as few rules as possible.

Some thoughts:

1) Prize would be for a practical method to process the existing tass data
to reduce the scatter.  The goal would be a noise floor below 0.01 sigma.

2)  Starting point would be either the .cal files or the dark subtracted
and flat fielded image files.

3)  A definition of practical is 2 GHz years per 80,000 images.  

4) Individuals or teams could enter.

I would send out a data set of 50 CDs or so.  The result would be tested on
a different set of files.  

If anyone is interested, send me your name if I know you.  Otherwise send
me a 100 words or less as to why you would be qualified to take on this
project.  You can circulate this to other lists that might have interested
parties.  

I am thinking of sending out data sets at the end of this year with six
months to a year to work on the solution.  Anyone can enter, I will even
enter since I thought of this while thinking up a project.  But if you
can't beat me on a computation project, well...

If enough people express an interest, I will see the appropriate
accountants and lawyers to set this up and create an escrow for the prize. 
I can probably find someone from the Fermilab Sloan or DeCam projects to be
the judge. 

Tom Droege