Task: 6.2.5 Distributed processing
Leading Institute: ASTRON
Local Leader: Ronald Nijboer (ASTRON)
Objective or Use Case: Imaging while correcting for Direction Dependent Effects (e.g. Primary Beam, Ionosphere) in a distributed environment.
Major milestone: Evaluate algorithms for image plane calibration in a distributed environment; month 30.
Deliverable: Final report on the implementation of algorithms for image plane calibration in a distributed environment; month 30.
Note: replace “image plane calibration” by “imaging”.
Minor milestones:
milestone month due man-months
CASA Imager in distribution
framework using MWImager
script 8 ASTRON: 1
Implement a correction per
facet 14 ASTRON: 3
Make AProjection algorithm
available in CASA 20 ASTRON: 3
Investigate optimizations
on a multi-core cluster 26 ASTRON: 3
Write final report 30 ASTRON: 1
Platform/strategic choices: Using CASA software in combination with the MWImager script for distributed processing. To be applied to LOFAR data. However, the framework will be not be restricted to LOFAR, which makes it immediately available for other instruments like ALMA, APERTIF, …
Identified manpower: Ger van Diepen (ASTRON)
Any other issues: Ger van Diepen will collaborate with Sanjay Bhatnagar (NRAO, Socorro).
Start: month 6
Finish: month 30
Total man months ASTRON: 11
Note: start date to be changed from month 18 to month 6. Work will be performed on an approximately half time basis.
Task: 6.3.2 Data inspection
Leading Institute: UOXF
Local Leader: Michael Wise (ASTRON)
Objective or Use Case: To define a set of standard metrics that may be applied to datasets in either pipeline or interactive environments to assess the quality of output data products.
Major milestone: Evaluation of data quality characterization algorithms and excision; month 36
ASTRON deliverable: Final report, consisting of user documentation for the routines, and prototype source code; month 36
Minor milestones:
milestone month due man-months
RFI flagger statistics ? ASTRON: 1
Calibration solution flag
Statistics ? ASTRON: 1
LSM quality ? ASTRON: 2
Image quality ? ASTRON: 2
Platform/strategic choices: All data quality metrics will be developed as stand-alone Python modules and therefore capable of being used within the LOFAR pipelines as well Python-based analysis packages such as CASA and AIPS (using ParselTongue).
Identified manpower: TBD, e.g. Arno Schoenmakers (ASTRON), Adriaan Renting (ASTRON)
Any other issues: ASTRON personnel will collaborate with personnel from the LOFAR astronomy development project.
Start: month 8 (?)
Finish: month 36
Total man months ASTRON: 6
Task: 6.3.3 Source Parameterization
Leading Institute: ASTRON
Local Leader: Tom Oosterloo (ASTRON)
Objective or Use Case: Investigate a Global Sky Model GSM) based on improved models for extended sources, like e.g. shapelets.
Major milestone: Present models for extended sources; month 28
Deliverable: Final report on models for extended sources; month 28
Minor milestones:
milestone month due man-months
Implement a GSM based on
shapelet source
parameterization 20 ASTRON: 4
Apply to test fields to
investigate the usability
of shapelet parameterization 26 ASTRON: 4
Write final report 28 ASTRON: 1
Platform/strategic choices: The GSM will be a stand-alone Python module. It will be connected to the MeqTrees package for application on LOFAR and WSRT / APERTIF test fields.
Identified manpower: Oleg Smirnov, George Heald.
Any other issues: -
Start: month 13
Finish: month 28
Total man months ASTRON: 9
Note: start date to be changed from month 18 to month 13. Work will be performed on an approximately half time basis.
ASTRON attended the kick-off meeting in Dwingeloo. Present were: Ronald Nijboer, Ger van Diepen (partly), and Hanno Holties (partly). (I assume that Andre van Es and Corina Vogt report separately in the RadioNet management task.)
No other activities or travels yet.
