Notes on the Schedule for Science Tools Checkout 3

S. Digel, 8 August 2005

Schedule for Checkout 3

The checkout itself will run from September 6 (day after Labor Day) to September 27.  'Checkout' means that people will be encouraged to install the science tools, access the simulated data, analyze it, compare the results with the 'MC truth', and report problems.  As for checkouts 1 & 2, we'll also recruit designated reviewers for the different groups of the science tools.  For checkouts 1 & 2, the emphasis was on finding problems with, or at least commenting on, the user interfaces.  For checkout 3, the scope will be broader, including installing the tools and understanding how to use them from the documentation.

What remains to be done before Checkout 3?

  1. Update the sky model from checkout 2.  NB:  This model will be made available from the start of the checkout.  We don't need to take pains to make the sky model exceptionally realistic, e.g., to match every 3EG source or likely LAT source.
  2. Finalize (really, or at least mostly) the FITS definitions of the high-level data products.
  3. Generate the simulated gamma rays.  This will be via gtobssim [using the DC2 pointing history file and I think a constant livetime fraction], and will take less than 1 CPU day even for a precession period's worth of gamma rays. Additional work will be required, of course, if we want to go through with providing simulated GBM data for the checkout.  I don't feel particularly strongly about doing this, but probably other people care more about giving joint analyses more of a workout sooner rather than later.
  4. Write, sift through, and edit user-level documentation.  Chuck has been leading the sifting and editing, with current versions posted here.
  5. For distribution of the science tools, the Windows installer needs to be [or at least should be] completed and tested.  Clean up the bin/ area to include just the tools that do something useful and that we document.
  6. Finish up the current development work on the tools - mostly I think in the ephemeris computer, but possibly also in GRB temporal analysis.
  7. Prepare a 2 hour+ tutorial session during the collaboration meeting, to give an overview of installing the tools, learning about them, and accessing the data.  Zeroth-order agenda is here (see Wed., August 31).

When?

Julie sensibly suggests that the sky model and installer should be ready for testing by August 22.