GLAST Standard Analysis Environment (SAE) Evaluation Questionnaire
Checkup 1
October 12, 2004 - October 29, 2004

Reviewer:D Davis
Software Component:rspgen
Summary of Tests Performed:

User Interface

1. What, if anything, about the choice and meaning of parameters
could be improved? Are there new parameters which need to be
added? Are the current parameters sensible?

2. Are there any prompts you would suggest rewording?

3. Are there any hidden parameters which you think should be
prompted for or vice versa?

4. Would you like the prompts to appear in a different order?

5. Would you suggest changes to the default values of any
parameters? Changes to min, max fields?


Tool Behavior

6. In what way, if any, did the tool perform unexpectedly?

7. Were there any aspects of the tool's output which seem
scientifically suspicious to you? (e.g. fluxes too large,
number of events selected too small, etc.)

8. Was there information (i.e. output) the tool did not provide
which you think it should?

9. Was there information (i.e. output) the tool provided which
you think it should not?


Future Development

10. List new features you would like to see implemented, in
descending order of importance. Please flag any which you
think are critical for DC2.

11. Are there any aspects of this tool you would change in order
for it to work more smoothly with other parts of the SAE?


JIRA Summary

Please list the identifiers of any/all JIRA issues which were filed
in connection with this evaluation.


General Notes

Please include here any comments about this tool which do not
fit into one of the categories above.

Parameters


specfile = test Name of the input spectrum file
Indicate the type of file here PHA file PHA-II file...

outfile = test.rsp Name of the output file
Indicate the type of output file (rsp)

emin = 15 Start value for first energy bin
emax = 5000 Stop value for last energy bin

Need units in the comments e.g. Start value for first energy bin [MeV]

ra = 0 True RA of point source (degrees)
dec = 1.2 True DEC of point source (degrees)
I don't see why these are not in the pha file header. Even so the fact that
this is the "True" RA or DEC is odd.

resptype = DC1F Name of the type of response function to use (enumlist=[DC1F|DC1B|G25F|G25B]
I don't understand what this is for the events file (and thus the pha file) should
have enough information in the header to determine this.

In general the parameters here need to be reworked. My impression is that there many
parameters should be gotten from the keywords. These then need to be hidden parameters
so that the user only sees them if they need to generate a response without an input
pha file.

a simple check of the output rsp file with fverify shows that


FVERIFY V4.0.0 (CFITSIO V2.500)
-------------------------------

HEASARC conventions are being checked.

File: test_response1.rsp

3 Header-Data Units in this file.

=================== HDU 1: Primary Array ===================

*** Error: Keyword #7, DATE: "" is not a string.
*** Error: Keyword #7, DATE: CFITSIO error stack
input date string has illegal format:

*** Error: Keyword #12, DATE-END: "" is not a string.
*** Error: Keyword #12, DATE-END: CFITSIO error stack
input date string has illegal format:

*** Error: Keyword #11, DATE-OBS: "" is not a string.
*** Error: Keyword #11, DATE-OBS: CFITSIO error stack
input date string has illegal format:

*** Error: Keyword #14, CREATOR: "" is not a string.

17 header keywords

Null data array; NAXIS = 0

=================== HDU 2: BINARY Table ====================

*** Error: Keyword #34, DATE-END: "" is not a string.
*** Error: Keyword #34, DATE-END: CFITSIO error stack
input date string has illegal format:

*** Error: Keyword #33, DATE-OBS: "" is not a string.
*** Error: Keyword #33, DATE-OBS: CFITSIO error stack
input date string has illegal format:

*** Error: Keyword #35, CREATOR: "" is not a string.

44 header keywords

MATRIX(1) (6 columns x 100 rows)

Col# Name (Units) Format
1 ENERG_LO (keV) E
2 ENERG_HI (keV) E
3 N_GRP I
4 F_CHAN PI(1)
5 N_CHAN PI(1)
6 MATRIX PE(100)

=================== HDU 3: BINARY Table ====================

*** Error: Keyword #26, DATE-END: "" is not a string.
*** Error: Keyword #26, DATE-END: CFITSIO error stack
input date string has illegal format:

*** Error: Keyword #25, DATE-OBS: "" is not a string.
*** Error: Keyword #25, DATE-OBS: CFITSIO error stack
input date string has illegal format:

*** Error: Keyword #27, CREATOR: "" is not a string.

37 header keywords

EBOUNDS(1) (3 columns x 100 rows)

Col# Name (Units) Format
1 CHANNEL I
2 E_MIN (keV) 1E
3 E_MAX (keV) 1E

++++++++++++++++++++++ Error Summary ++++++++++++++++++++++

HDU# Name (version) Type Warnings Errors
1 Primary Array 0 7
2 MATRIX (1) Binary Table 0 5
3 EBOUNDS (1) Binary Table 0 5

**** Verification found 0 warning(s) and 17 error(s). ****

so these minor errors need to be addressed. The date format is illegal because
its blank

TLMIN4 = / First channel in the response
TLMIN4 is not set
TLMAX4 is not set

In short I don't see how xspec can use this file but I have no trouble setting
up a model spectrum. Kudos for Xspec!