IVOA VOTable

VOTable is an XML format defined for the exchange of tabular data in the context of the Virtual Observatory.

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VOTable future release: Version 1.2 (in preparation)
Definition	XML Schema (VOTable 1.2-beta)	proposed new version of the XML-Schema for VOTable (feedback welcome, to be discussed in Baltimore 2008)

VOTable latest release: Version 1.1 - August 11, 2004
Definition	XML Schema (standard reference)	DTD (approximation derived from schema)
Documentation	HTML	PDF

VOTable previous release: Version 1.0 - April 15, 2002
Definition	DTD (standard reference)	XML Schema (derived from DTD)	XSL (basic stylesheet)</ td>
Documentation	HTML	PDF	LaTex</ td>

Working Documents

• Referencing STC in VOTable (V0.8, 10-Sep-2008): (PDF) (draft version of V1.0)
• Proposal for VOTable 1.2: votable-1.2 (PDF) Draft version of VOTable1.2 Proposed Standard
• Proposed XML-Schema XML Schema (VOTable 1.2-beta)
• Referencing STC in VOTable (V0.5, 14-Sep-2007): (HTML) (PDF) (obsolete)

XML-Schemas

• VOTable 1.2-beta is the proposed new version of the XML-Schema for VOTable. It includes the modifications proposed for VOTable1.2 (essentially about INFO). It was tested on several code generators.

Votable Sessions at Interop meetings

• Cambridge (UK), September 2007: InterOpSep2007VOTable
• Beijing (China), May 2007: InterOpMay2007VOTable
• Moscow (Russia), September 2006: InterOpSep2006VOTable
• Victoria (Canada), May 2006: InterOpMay2006VOTable
• Madrid (Spain), October 2005: InterOpOct2005VOTable
• Kyoto (Japan), May 2005: InterOpMay2005VOTable
• Cambridge (Mass., USA), May 24/27 2004: InterOpMay2004VOTable
• Strasbourg, Oct. 2003: InterOpOct2003VOTable
• Cambridge (UK), May 2003: InterOpMay2003VOTable

VOTable Software

VOTable available I/O libraries and tools

Mailing-list

• General working-group discussion archive.

Model-based Alternative

A spin-off effort has begun to develop a data model-based alternative data exchange mechanism. This new standard is (tentatively) titled the VODaX (Virtual Observatory Data eXchange) format. Since VODaX will be reliant upon an xml schema-based representation of the developing data model, a parallel effort has begun to develop this: see VODMX.