THE UNITED KINGDOM INFRARED TELESCOPE
ANNUAL REPORT
1995 AND 1996

4. Report on Operations

4.6. Other Developments

4.6.1. Reactive Scheduling

Reactive Scheduling (the rapid re-scheduling of high priority PATT programmes badly affected by poor weather) was endorsed by the UKIRT Programme Committee and PATT in 1995 for a trial period. In Semester 96A sufficient discretionary time became available, as a result of postponements of Upgrades engineering, that a reasonable test of Reactive Scheduling was possible. During 96A the AIC time was used both to reactively schedule runs lost to weather and to schedule projects which had narrowly failed to be awarded time at the PATT meeting.

The results of this test were positive. Thus, it seems feasible to operate such a scheme provided there is sufficient AIC time set aside to deliver the required schedule flexibility. Observers are willing to make or re-arrange travel plans at short notice and to call upon co-investigators to come to Hawaii. Local staff also are available for ``mop-up'' work, i.e. completion of high priority programmes for whichonly one night or a fraction of a night is needed.

In the face of the very high demand for PATT time coupled with the large amounts of MPIA time claimed and engineering time required by the Upgrades Programme, PATT did not award Reactive Scheduling its own discretionary time in semester 96B, but relied on unused engineering time for a very few highly rated programmes. It is expected that separate awards of reactive time will be made after about one year, once the above claims and requirements decrease.