alma science operations (user-facing aspects)

ALMA Science Operations(User-facing aspects)

John HibbardNorth American ARC Manager, NAASC/NRAO

ANASAC 13-14 Sept 2010

ALMAALMAWhy “User Facing Aspects”?• What’s covered in this talk:

– User Portal & Helpdesk– OT (phase 1, phase 2)– Project Tracker– Proposal Review– Scheduling– Staffing– Policies

• What’s covered in other talks– Pipeline, Offline data reduction, NA archive

• What’s not covered– Array operations (reconfiguration, Array Operators,

AoD)– Chile Archive operations


ALMAALMASteps to Early Science• Integrated tests (proposal generation to archive retrieval)

– May 10 – June 8, 2010: proposal preparation, submission, load test, panel review process, SB submission, project tracker, helpdesk

– Aug-Sept 2010 (currently in progress): all above elements, plus User Portal (incl. single sign-on)

– Oct/Nov 2010: “realistic” test of Technical Assessments, OT-Phase2 process

– Final test: Nov-Jan 2010 (serve as “train the trainer” for final systems)

• Documentation Development Plan– Construction team produces software user/reference manuals– Prior to each CfP, Operations will update end-user

documentation (cookbooks, guides, recipes)• Assigned across ARCs & DSO• First versions due by Sept 28, 2010 for “Operations

Readiness Review”

ALMA Operations Plan External Review

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SciOpsIPT Documentation Plan

https://safe.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/ALMA/ESdocs


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NAASC is on track to meet its responsibilities

ALMAALMASteps to Early Science – Current Milestones• Operations Readiness Review: Oct-Nov 2010

– Result from OpsRR is a punchlist of activities to be completed, and an assessment of when the Call for Proposals goes will be issued

• Assuming satisfactory “readiness”, CfP will be issued Dec 2010– NAASC starts OT-phase I training activities (Dec workshop?

Jan AAS, Jan workshop in Victoria)

• Proposals due 2 months later (Feb 2011)– NAASC starts working with successful P.I.’s on preparation of

OT-phase II materials

• SB’s prepared & submitted June-July 2011– NAASC concentrates more on CASA training activities

• Early Science observing queue invoked July 2011


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ALMAALMA“Preparing for Early Science” document by R. Hills


ALMAALMACall for Proposals:

• Current timeline has a date of Dec 1, 2010• Responsibility of Project Scientist; distributed by

DSO• Draft is expected to be submitted for Operations

Readiness Reviews• Will be broadcast by the ARCs

– NAASC: NRAO eNews list (currently 5,280 unique addresses), NRAO & NAASC website, AAS Newsletter

• Issues: How will call be crafted? How will it moderate community expectations? Will it contain enough information for users to judge the best types of proposals to submit?


ALMAALMAALMA User Portal & associated applications• Available at http://asa.alma.cl/asa• After logging in, users have access to ALMA

applications– Helpdesk– Project Tracker– Assessment tool– Proposal Review tools– ALMA Science Archive (under development)

• Apart from ASA, applications have been tested & performed well during last two Integrated tests– Some interface issues uncovered– No show stoppers


ALMAALMAALMA User Portal: Registering


ALMAALMAScreen shot of UP before and after logging in


ALMAALMAALMA Applications: Helpdesk


ALMAALMAALMA Observing Tool

• OT used to plan observations and submit proposals (Phase I) & create observing requests (Phase II)

• Uses / interacts with Exposure Time Calculator, Splatalogue, ALMA Science Archive

• OT design is based on similar existing tools at Gemini, JCMT, Spitzer and Herschel


ALMAALMAALMA Observing Tool – Phase 1 submission


ALMAALMAALMA Observing Tool – Phase 1 submission• Tested extensively during integrated tests

– Note: only involved “fake” proposal justifications

• Ended with “load test” of archive & server– Successfully submitted >700 proposals from

around the world in a 15min interval

• Issues:– Time estimator, “ease of use” of spectral

visualizer & picker– How to advise users on what to write– No show stoppers for proposal submission


ALMAALMAPanel Review process• Tool for assigning both Scientific and Technical Assessors

– Needs to be more automated (especially reassignment of conflicts), but no showstoppers

• Assessor tool for accepting/rejecting assignments (based on conflicts), and assessing and ranking proposals– Some interface issues, but no show stoppers– Draft guidelines for assessment need to be improved

• Issues:– PHT lead not yet hired (interviews Sept 21). Will need to get

on board and train up FAST– Need proper test of Technical Assessment process (i.e. using

real justifications). Planned for November 2010. May require changes in Technical Summary, but not a show-stopper

• Summary: DSO believes it has staff & tools to handle proposal review process


ALMAALMAALMA Applications: Assessor Tool


ALMAALMASchedule-block submission (OT-phase2)• In every day use at OSF• Oct/Nov test will provide a broader test

(specifically the construction of SBs from science goals)

• For Early Science, NAASC will work with all successful NA PI’s to generate SBs

• Issues:– The heart of the Phase1 to Phase2 process

involves calibration procedures, which are under development

– Expect to learn more at OpsRR


ALMAALMAALMA Applications: Project Tracker


ALMAALMA

NSF Review

ALMA Applications: Project Tracker

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ALMAALMAScheduling

• By-hand scheduling takes place at OSF already

• ARCs have not been involved in this; will learn more at SciOpsRR

• DSO backup plan, if required, is to do block scheduling by hand, so not a show stopper


ALMAALMAPipeline, Offline Data Reduction & Archive• Will be covered in talk by Mark Lacy• NAASC has recently convened a CSV Data

Reduction “Tiger Team”, lead by Al Wootten, to download useful CSV datasets and reduce them– Parallels and complements CSV “Imaging

Team” effort– NAASC Tiger Team will additionally produce

data reduction “guides” for SV data for public consumption


ALMAALMAOther Operations Issues: Staffing

• DSO Staffing– Currently being recruited: PHT lead– To be hired: 2 System Astronomers, 1-2 Ops

Astronomers, Lead and Deputy of Program Management Group

– Some will transfer from Construction (will come pre-trained)

– Head of DSO (L.-A. Nyman) says DSO staffing is sufficient for Proposal acceptance

• NAASC – To be hired: 2-3 Data Analysts, 1 scientific programmer,

2 postdocs– Sufficient staff in place for proposal submission,

helpdesk, visitor support


ALMAALMAOther Operations Issues: Policies & Guidelines

• Procedures & Policies– DSO-ARC issues – need to set up JIRA system &

policies– Proposal Process Implementation Plan – draft

due for OpsRR (Scientific & Technical Assessment policies drafted for 2nd Integrated test – still need work, and may need specific policies for Early Science)

– Phase1 to Phase2 policies – need written (will build off of ESO VLT guidelines)

– Helpdesk service policies – draft generated


ALMAALMAScience Operations Status: A personal perspective• No identified show stoppers at this time

(but await outcome of Readiness Reviews)• December call leaves little time for

training of Proposal Handling Team (but not believed to be a show stopper)

• Would always appreciate more time to test more, train more, spend more time on policies (current schedule is 1.5mo advanced compared to AOPvD offsets)

• Timing of software release R8.0 (December) vs. date of Call (Dec 1)?


alma science operations (user-facing aspects)

Documents

alma science operationsuser

early science document

nrao naasc website

user portal helpdeskot

panel review process

external reviewalmasteps

preparation of ot

almawhy user