HOW-TO Define a new instrument in the Astro-WISE System (to enable ingesting data from it)

Summary

Three steps are required:

  1. Check format of FITS data to be ingested.
  2. Put information about the new instrument into a template file.
  3. Send the file to Danny Boxhoorn (danny@astro.rug.nl) to discuss finishing steps.

Defining a New Instrument

  1. The data to be ingested (so-called “RawFitsData”) should be preferentially multi-extension FITS data. Furthermore, it is required that all data of an instrument have the same size (i.e., same NAXIS1 and NAXIS2). If the above is not the case please contact Danny Boxhoorn.
  2. Requires making a new file called HeaderTranslator<instrumentname>.py in $AWEPIPE/astro/instrument. This file gives a description of the instrument properties which Astro-WISE can read. This is mostly done by listing which FITS header keyword from the new instrument corresponds to which keyword used by Astro-WISE. The file HeaderTranslatorOCAM.py for the OmegaCAM instrument can serve as template. Additional information can be obtained as follows. For general information read the descriptive text in HeaderTranslator.py. For general information on chip specifications read the descriptive text in $AWEPIPE/astro/main/Chip.py. In the HeaderTranslator the obs_type_id_keys refer to the 5 frame categories- “Bias”, “Dome”, “Twilight”, “Dark” en “Science”- which are used during ingestion. Please see HOW-TO Ingest raw data into the database for further details. Please do not adjust the HeaderTranslator<instrument>.py file either for a new or existing instrument in the Git version of the code before contacting Danny Boxhoorn.
  3. Send the file HeaderTranslator<instrumentname>.py to Danny Boxhoorn (danny@astro.rug.nl)

Finally, see HOW-TO Ingest raw data into the database for information on how to ingest data into the Astro-WISE system for the now defined instrument.