Конференции ИВТ СО РАН

Abstracts

This paper discusses a project aimed at creating an information system for examining the fine structure of the Sun's microwave radiation and images in radio and ultraviolet radiation.

The project aims to enhance the applied effectiveness of solar activity physics data obtained with such unique instruments as the Siberian Solar Radio Telescope (SSRT) and the X-ray and ultraviolet SPIRIT telescope complex onboard the Coronas-F spacecraft. The project's database (DB) is presumed to initially store concurrent information obtained from both the foreign and Russian Sun-observing observatories' various instruments.

A specific feature of this DB lies in its data being oriented towards events, in particular the unique data archive for subsecond microwave bursts. Investigation of such events requires a wide set of various radiation-range data to be involved, from both ground-based and space observatories. It is for regularising these data, enhancing the search speed, reducing the time needed for processing and selecting information that this project is proposed.

It has so developed historically that various Sun-observing instruments offer their data in different formats. Added to which, one instrument may output several types of data. Scientist teams accustomed to dealing with one type of data find it, therefore, very difficult to include other data. They have to yet again examine the internal data representation format and to re-write already-optimised software so it could handle these data as well, or else to resort to diverse software.

The complex we are now developing features a unified interface for accessing different information. This interface is understood to mean that an IDL language software package will be created for data handling, as well as access to data will be warranted to those interested via the HTTP InterNet protocol.

The Project represents a DB, a file archive, a web interface for data selection as per individual events, a set of IDL programmes for data selection, display and mathematical processing and a bunch of software utilities to fill, modify, clear, inspect the base.

The DB's structure represents the familiar structure of a relational database. Each data type is allotted its own table in the base. Additionally, a file exists describing this Table's fields in XML format. Field description includes an attribute indicating whether this field should be covered by the search. The base also stores info on the instruments the data were obtained from. The useful data themselves are kept as files on various physical carriers, with the DB storing references to these data and information on the characteristics of the event recorded by the instrument.

Data-dealing applications are written in IDL (Interactive Data Language), they communicate with the DB through a special module, the DataMiner. The DataMiner is capable of working with Database management Systems (DBMS) via the ODBC interface. Such coupling allows independence of a particular DBMS. One could use, for example, Oracle, PostgreSQL, DB2, Informix, Sybase, MSSQL. The choice of IDL was not random, this language having proved itself a good tool for handling arrays, images, scientific calculations, and being currently the most popular in astronomical research.

Data selection capacity through a web interface is provided for. This interface will allow users to choose data as per type and attributes. After which they will have an opportunity to download the ready-made files to the researcher's work station.

By the end of this year the DB is suggested to undergo a test run at the ISTP for data from the SSRT and at the FIAN for Coronas-F data. One of the functions of the utilities will be synchronising these bases' contents. A series of applications are also planned to be written and the Web-interface to be demonstrated.

This project is supported by RFBR grants 04-02-39003a, 03_02_16229a, 05-07-90147a, 03-07-90054a, and by RAS Praesidium Programme N30.

Note. Abstracts are published in author's edition

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