PHEP 4: PyHC Package Tiering

pheps/phep-9999.md

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+```
+PHEP: 9999
+Title: PyHC Package Tiering
+Author: Julie Barnum <julie.barnum@lasp.colorado.edu> <https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8755-0694>
+Discussions-To: https://github.com/heliophysicsPy/standards/pull/25
+Revision: 1
+Status: Draft
+Type: Process
+Content-Type: text/markdown; charset=UTF-8; variant=CommonMark
+Created: 
+Post-History: 09-July-2024 
+```
+
+# Abstract
+<a name="abstract"></a>
+This PHEP establishes a new tiering structure to PyHC projects, which will automatically affect PyHC packages once it goes into effect. Included herein is information on requirements for each of the new four tiers of PyHC projects (Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention), as well as benefits accrued at each tier. 
+
+# Motivation
+<a name="motivation"></a>
+Currently, PyHC is at a crossroads for how to push forward as a community. There are two main schools of thought—originating from bi-annual meeting discussions, telecon chats, and further sidebar converstaion—with regards to what PyHC is and should be: 1) a basic interpretation where PyHC is a collection, and listing, of open-soure Python packages with a relevance to Heliophysics and space physics, and 2) a standards-based interpretation where PyHC strives for compliance with our set standards, package interoperability, and standardization around one or more tools. There is utility and validity to both approaches. A new PyHC package tiering system is intended to find a "best of both worlds" with the two ideas. Older, out-of-date, unmaintained, or specific use-case code (e.g., associated with a publication) could still have a place for listing and findability, while also allowing nuance between other packages that are more robust, trustworthy, maintained, and work toward the standards-based interpretation of being a PyHC package. Further, this tiering system also allows users to get a clearer picture on what each PyHC package has to offer, and the state of the package's condition and development. Creation of a PyHC package tiering system also allows for justification for a myriad of benefits, for example, consideration for funding from a community travel fund, or extra help with improving a standards grouping grade.
+
+# Rationale
+<a name="rationale"></a>
+Decisions for tiering levels, requirements for each tier, and benefits accrued at each tier are based on conversations with the community (bi-annual meetings, telecons, etc.), and are listed here as a starting point for more discussion, likely to be refined in the future. Initially, ideas were presented to the community in a pyramid format. To make the differences between tiers more visible and understandable, it has been transformed into a spreadsheet format. 
+
+# PyHC Package Tiering Specifications
+<a name="specification"></a>
+There are four tiers proposed in this PHEP: Honorable Mention, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. See the table below for requirements associated with each tier:
+
+| Tier                  | Self Evaluation Status | PyHC Standard Grades              | pyOpenSci Review Status | PyHC Env Installation Conflicts | DOI          | Interoperability Status                         | pip Installable? | conda Installable? |
+| :--:                  | :--------------------: | :------------------:              | :---------------------: | :-----------------------------: | :-:          | :---------------------:                         | :--------------: | :----------------: |
+| **Gold**              | Completed              | Mostly green, some yellow allowed | Completed               | No conflicts allowed            | Required     | Interoperable with all other PyHC core packages | Yes              | Yes                |
+| **Silver**            | Completed              | Several yellow, no red            | In Progress             | A couple conflicts exist        | Required     | Interoperable with most PyHC core packages      | Yes              | No                 |
+| **Bronze**            | Completed              | Red grades allowed                | Not Completed           | Major conflicts exist           | Required     | Interoperable with 1-2 PyHC core packages       | Yes              | No                 |
+| **Copper** | Not Done               | N/A                               | N/A                     | Major conflicts exist           | Not required | Does not interoperate with core packages        | No               | No                 |
+
+Descriptions for each heading are as follows:
+   - Self Evaluation Status: indicates whether a package has completed a self evaluation against PyHC's standards
+   - PyHC Standard Grades: indicates status of each standards grouping within a package's self evaluation
+   - pyOpenSci Review Status: indicates status of a pyOpenSci review
+   - PyHC Env Installation Conflicts: indicates state of installation conflicts within the PyHC software environment
+   - DOI: indicates whether or not a package has a DOI (e.g., from Zenodo or a publication)
+   - Interoperability Status: indicates the level of interoperability a package has with PyHC core packages
+   - pip Installable: indicates whether a package is pip installable
+   - conda Installable: indicates whether a package is conda installable
+
+The following table shows the benefits that are associated with each tier:
+
+| Tier                  | Summer School Inclusion | PyHC Software Env Inclusion | PyHC-Chat Bot Inclusion | pyOpenSci Verified badge | Standards Compliance Assistance | Listing on Main PyHC Project Page | Listing on Secondary PyHC Project Page | Software Search Interface Inclusion | Consideration for Conference Travel Funding |
+| :--:                  | :---------------------: | :-------------------------: | :---------------------: | :----------------------: | :-----------------------------: | :-------------------------------: | :------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------------: |
+| **Gold**              | Yes                     | Yes                         | Yes                     | Yes                      | Yes                             | Yes                               | No                                     | Yes                                 | Yes                                         |
+| **Silver**            | No                      | No                          | No                      | No                       | Yes                             | Yes                               | No                                     | Yes                                 | Yes                                         |
+| **Bronze**            | No                      | No                          | No                      | No                       | No                              | Yes                               | No                                     | Yes                                 | No                                          |
+| **Honorable Mention** | No                      | No                          | No                      | No                       | No                              | No                                | Yes                                    | Yes                                 | No                                          |
+
+Descriptions for each heading are as follows:
+   - Summer School Inclusion: indicates whether a package will be included in summer school teaching materials
+   - PyHC Software Env Inclusion: indicates whether a package will be included within the PyHC software environment
+   - PyHC-Chat Bot Inclusion: indicates whether a packages will have up-to-date information included within the ChatGPT4-powered PyHC-Chat bot
+   - pyOpenSci Verified Badge: a badge that shows whether a package has completed the pyOpenSci review process
+   - Standards Compliance Assistance: indicates whether a package will receive extra help and/or advice from PyHC leadership in conforming to the PyHC standards
+   - Listing on Main PyHC Project Page: indictes whether a package's information will be displayed on a new, main PyHC Project page
+   - Listing on Secondary PyHC Project Page: indicates whetheer a package's information will be displayed on a new, secondary PyHC Project page 
+   - Software Search Interface Inclusion: indicates whether a package will be included within a Heliophysics software search interface
+   - Consideration for Conference Travel Funding: indicates whether developers from a package will be considered for travel funding assistance to relevant science conferences (e.g. SHINE, CEDAR, or GEM)
+
+Packages are evaluated against level of compliance with each requirement, as shown in the PyHC tiering chart. To be accepted for a tier, a package must meet **all** the requirements for said tier. Therefore, should a package fall into different tiers depending on the specific requirement, the package will be accepted at the lowest tier of requirements it meets. For example, if a package meets some requirements for the Silver tier, but other requirements only meet the Bronze tier, the package will be considered a Bronze tier package. 
+
+Once the tier specifications are set, the PyHC website will be updated to reflect the new tiers. Next, packages will self evaluate their PyHC package tier level. Similar to self evaluation of standards grading, packages will then submit a PR to [the PyHC website GitHub](https://github.com/heliophysicsPy/heliophysicsPy.github.io), modifying their package to fall under a certain tier. From there, the PyHC Leadership team-currently the PI (Julie Barnum) and the PyHC Tech Lead (Shawn Polson)-will give a final vote of approval and either merge the PR, or begin a discussion on the PR with reasons for a tier regrade. Note that a package is allowed to move between tiers. If a package upgrades their status to match that of Silver, instead of Bronze, tier, for example, they can submit a new PR to have their tier updated. The flip side is also true; should a package become defunct or drop in status, they may be downgraded to a lower tier. Packages will receive ample notification before this takes place (no less than three months' notice), with opportunity given to rectify any issues with their current tier level. 
+
+
+# Backwards Compatibility
+<a name="backwards-compatibility"></a>
+This PHEP does not propose a direct change to PyHC package code, simply the inclusion or not of packages within the various tiers, thus it introduces no compatibility concerns.
+
+# Security Implications
+<a name="security-implications"></a>
+This PHEP raises no security implications as it does not interact with any executing code.
+
+# How to Teach This
+<a name="how-to-teach-this"></a>
+This PHEP's contents and changes will be presented on, discussed, and hacked at various PyHC bi-weekly telecons and PyHC bi-annual meetings. Additionally, explanations for tiering, the process of obtaining a PyHC tier, etc. will be posted on the new main Projects page, as well as communicated within a blog post under the PyHC Blog page. 
+
+# Rejected Ideas
+<a name="rejected-ideas"></a>
+None yet to note.
+
+# Open Issues
+<a name="open-issues"></a>
+None yet to note.
+
+# Footnotes
+<a name="footnotes"></a>
+None yet to note.
+
+# Revisions
+<a name="revisions"></a>
+Revision 1 (pending): Initial draft.
+
+# Copyright
+<a name="copyright"></a>
+This document is placed in the public domain or under the CC0-1.0-Universal license, whichever is more permissive. It should be cited as:
+```
+@techreport(phep2,
+  author = {Julie I. Barnum},
+  title  = {PHEP Package Tiering},
+    year = {2024},
+    type = {PHEP},
+  number = {9999},
+     doi = {10.5281/zenodo.xxxxxxx}
+)
+```