Features and Capabilities Currently Available

The list available features and capabilities will continuously grow with each iterative deployment. Here we describe the features and capabilities as of September 2013.

Core QAP Infrastructure

Recipe System
This is the core of the automation.
Calibration Service
This is served by FitsStorage. The Recipe System makes calibration requests to FitsStorage.
Automatic Polling
The system can poll the DHS directory for new dataset and automatically launch a reduction.
Nighttime QA Metrics Reporting
QA Metrics are being reported in a GUI. The GUI also provides plots of metrics through the night.
QA Metrics Database
QA Metrics are stored in FitsStorage for permanent records. Staff are able to access the database at any time.

Supported Instrument and Mode

GMOS Imaging

  • Processing of acquisition images

  • Processing of science observations

  • Processing of biases, to create processed biases

  • Processing of imaging flats, to create processed flats

  • Processing of science observations, to create processed fringe frames

  • Variance and DQ planes propagation

  • Display of current image and stacked image, if available (ds9)

  • Calibration request supported:
    • Retrieval of processed bias matching overscan and trim status
    • Retrieval of processed imaging flats
    • Retrieval of processed fringe frame
  • Data reduction steps supported:
    • Overscan correction
    • Trim overscan section
    • Bias correction
    • Flat correction
    • Fringe correction
    • Detection of point sources
    • Registration and alignment of images from same observation
    • Stacking of images from same observation
  • CCDs support
    • Current (Aug 2012) EEV CCDs and E2V CCDs
  • Note that stacking has been removed from the standard recipe for the time being. The CL task used to stack is too slow. Stacking will be re-enable once a more performant Python or C/C++ version is available. (No plans yet.)

Supported Metrics Measurements

Automatic measurement of image quality metrics to determine IQ band

This includes seeing and PSF ellipticity.

Available for:

  • GMOS Imaging
Automatic astrometry

This is available for:

  • GMOS Imaging
Automatic measurement of cloud cover conditions to determine the CC band

This includes zero-points and extinction

This is available for:

  • GMOS Imaging
Automatic measurement of sky background to determine the BG band

This is available for:

  • GMOS Imaging
Automatic storage of QA Metrics to database

This is available for:

  • GMOS Imaging

Notable features NOT INCLUDED yet

  • GMOS Hamamatsu CCDs