An XML Representation of FITS - Introducing FITSML

We describe a means by which FITS data may be encapsulated in XML using the eXtensible Data Format (XDF) - an XML based language for encapsulating n-dimensional scientific data. Our goal is to re-map (rather than to redefine) the FITS standards into an XML format. The advantages include: greater interoperability, parsing by XML aware browsers and applications, hierarchical structure for improved searchability, automatic validation, default values for header descriptions, extensibility for specialized usage and future development, and piggybacking on industry applications. We present our current work including a DTD and examples and discuss complexities, choices and future work.