virtual observatories, press release images, and web services dr. frank summers space telescope...

Virtual Observatories,Press Release Images,

and Web Services

Dr. Frank Summers

Space Telescope Science Institute

November 3, 2005

Collaborators

• Lisa Frattare, Zolt Levay

• Phil Hodge

• Kaushi Bandara

• Bob Hanisch, Carol Christian, Nahide Craig

Virtual Observatories

• Digital data, digital connections, digital processing

• Many telescopes, many repositories, many bandpasses

• Define standards, build infrastructure & tools

Press Release Images

• Pictures worth a thousand words

• VO Problems– Heavily processed– No coordinates– Different metadata

Web Services

• User to computer

• Computer to computer

• XML – self-describing– DTDs, Schema– VOTABLE

Simple Image Access

• SIA protocol defines a web service

• Input: cone search

• Output: list of images

• Several types of services: cutout, mosaic, atlas, pointed

• www.ivoa.net/Documents

PReSS Images

SIA Info Database

SIA Query Server

Public Interfaces

NVO Interfaces

Internet

Major Tasks

• Gather image data, esp WCS

• Assemble image database

• Create web service

• Register with NVO

PReSS Archive

• STScI NewsCenter database

• Images• Metadata

– Astro info: object, category, instrument

– News info: release, primary, composite

Get WCS Info

• Identify suitable images

• Retrieve FITS files

• Run WCS Transfer Tool

Non-astronomicalCompositePrint layout

Solar system

Non-VO Images

Astronomical Astronomical w/ notation

FITS & WCS

Process FITS

WCS Transfer Tool

• FITS reference image• Public release image• Mark corresponding points

– Automatic peak identification– Automatic solution refinement

• Python program– Python imaging lib (PIL)– Matplotlib– Tk interface

WCS Results

Create Database

• Loop through WCS processed images

• Scan through PReSS

• Calculate new quantities

• Output assembled data

• Perl program

HST PR SIA Web Service

• Perl programs within Apache web server• Based on SIA 1.0 spec• Process SIA query

– Uses modified CGI::Validate

• Search database• Create VOTABLE response

– Uses GSFC’s ASTRO::VO::VOTABLE– Custom EPO fields

• All code will be available

To Do List

• Multiple image versions

• Test to production server

• Document & distribute

• Pipeline

Other Things

• AAS Astronomy Visualization Session

• Webcasts & Audience

• Einstein Opera