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+# Binary Sparse Format Specification
+This is part of a new effort to create a binary storage format for storing sparse matrices and other sparse data to disk.
+
+[Minutes from our meetings](minutes) are available.
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+# Binary Sparse Format Working Group Meeting #1 - August 10, 2022
+
+## Attendees
+- [X] Ben Brock
+- [X] Tim Davis
+- [X] Jim Kitchen
+- [X] Tim Mattson
+- [ ] Scott McMillan
+- [X] Erik Welch
+- [X] Isaac Virshup
+
+## Agenda
+
+- Discuss the possibility of creating a binary storage format for sparse data.
+- Establish a general course of direction for creating a spec, enumerate desired features.
+
+## Summary of Discussion
+
+It was pointed out that there are two components that need to be created, based
+on the proposed approach in Erik Welch's HPEC keynote, which proposed JSON metadata
+segment describing the sparse matrix layout combined with a series of binary
+blobs.
+
+1. The specification for valid metadata.  This includes supported formats (CSR,
+   COO, Dense, etc.), as well as which types of data are supported (vectors, matrices,
+   n-dimensional tensors) and the specific syntax to be used.
+
+2. How this metadata maps on to the stored binary blobs, as well as how they are
+   actually stored.
+   This gets into implementation details (are we using HDF5, Zarr, or some other
+   storage format).
+
+We began by enumerating some of the storage options available.
+
+- HDF5
+- Zarr
+- ASDF
+- Possibly others
+
+As well as the features we would like to see supported by any future spec.
+We established that a version 1.0 of any spec would likely support storing:
+
+- Vectors, presumably with sparse and dense formats
+- Matrices with a variety of sparse storage formats
+- N-D Tensors, initially limited to COO, but likely CSF in future versions
+
+The following matrix formats were discussed:
+- COO
+- CSR
+- CSR
+- Hyper CSR (DCSR)
+- Hyper COO (DCSC)
+- ISO or single-value matrix
+- Dense mask (?)
+
+We discussed various implementation complexities of a dense mask format, which
+may leave it to be left out of an initial spec.
+
+We discussed the important of supporting blocked formats, which could potentially
+allow for very efficient loading and storing on distributed memory systems.
+
+We discussed the complexities of supporting user-defined (and even built-in) types.
+We concluded that we should depend on a binary storage library like HDF5 to handle
+this for us.  Some storage formats, like potentially Zarr, may allow the use of
+user-defined types.
+
+We discussed the need to support different varieties of index types, at least
+encompassing C integer types.
+
+We discussed TileDB's sparse storage format, acknowledging that we should perhaps
+take its design into consideration, but that certain aspects are not compatible
+with our vision for supporting multiple sparse matrix formats.
+
+Ben expressed interest in developing a prototype implementation for C++.  Jim Kitchen
+expressed interest in expanding on his prototype implementation in Python.  Tim Davis
+expressed interest in supporting a cross-platform binary spec in SuiteSparse and
+possibly providing the format in the SuiteSparse Collection once the spec becomes mature.
+
+## Outcomes
+- Ben to open new GitHub repo for developing and discussing binary sparse format specification.
+
+- We will begin by agreeing on a feature set on GitHub, then working on the spec
+  as prototype implementations develop.
+
+- The calendar invite will be updated to once monthly, with the possibility of
+  meeting sooner if there is progress on the GitHub.