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