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.