SPACE
TELESCOPE
SCIENCE
INSTITUTE
Operated for NASA by AURA
APT, The Phase I tool for HST Cycle 12
Brett Blacker
Abstract
In the our continuing effort to streamline our systems and improve service to the science community,
the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is developing and releasing, APT - The Astronomer's
Proposal Tool as the new interface for Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Phase I and Phase II proposal
submissions for HST Cycle 12. APT, was formerly called the Scientist's Expert Assitant (SEA), which
started as a prototype effort to try and bring state of the art technology, more visual tools and power
into the hands of proposers so that they can optimize the scientific return of their programs as well
as HST.
Proposing for HST and other missions, consists of requesting observing time and/or archival research
funding. This step is called Phase I, where the scientific merit of a proposal is considered by a
community based peer-review process. Accepted proposals then proceed thru Phase II, where the
observations are specified in sufficient detail to enable scheduling on the telescope.
In this paper we will present our concept and implementation plans for our Phase I development and
submission tool, APT. More importantly, we will go behind the scenes and discuss why it's important
for the Science Policies Division (SPD) and other groups at the STScI to have a new submission tool
and submission output products.
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Tech Talk
Presentation Overview
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History of HST Phase I
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What is APT
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Benefits
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The tool
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Future directions
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Phase I Demo
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Phase II
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Tech Talk
The Early days
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Cycles 1 - 4: Paper and electronic submissions
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Electronic submissions required redundant as well as
unneeded data
No Standardization of formats
Errors required intensive manual effort
Lack of acknowledgement process
Tech Talk
Recent Past
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Cycles 5 - 11: LaTex and PostScript submissions
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Designed around freeware tools
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LaTeX templates
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Procmail to handle message forwarding
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Perl to handle message processing
Implemented on UNIX platform
Relied on all HST proposers having access to email
Provided standard format for TAC to review
Provided minimal syntax checking
Provided acknowledgement process
Provided parsing for database loading as well as statistics
Tech Talk
Cycles 5 - 11 Phase I Process Flow
Proposer
Site
Incoming Mail to
[email protected]
Request
Templates
Submit
LaTex
Submit
PostScript
Processing Software
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E-mail templates to requestor
Analyze, send mail to internal staff,
send acknowledgement to submitter
Store and Respond to submitter
Store, forward to staff, respond to
Submitter that there is a problem
Other
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Tech Talk
However, or why another new Tool
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Minimal syntax checking leads to lots of internal manual effort to load
database and generate statistics
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Garbage in, Garbage out!
“It it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality has caused lots of manual effort/time
by staff
Early Phase I S/W support resources diverted to Phase II APT Project and
other projects
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Want to eliminate the use of procmail
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Want to move from Unix to Desktop processing
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APT was coming for Cycle 12 Phase II so why not include Phase I
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Most implementation techniques already developed for Phase II
Single tool look and feel for Phase I and II
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Tech Talk
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Tech Talk
What is APT?
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Based on Scientist’s Expert Assistant (SEA) Prototype
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Integrated work environment
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Java based
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High level goals
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Make proposal preparation more intuitive
Make observatory operations less cumbersome
Provide documentation/help that is
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Friendly
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Up to date
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Easily accessible
Define framework which is responsive to changes in technology and
observatory operations
Tech Talk
User Benefits
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Platform/tool Commonality (Phase I & II)
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Automatic Syntax checking
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Elimination of multiple specification/submission forms
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Removal of Documentation layers
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Easier Preplanning by User
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Ease of Use
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Can use any text editor for generating Science Justification
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Can easily modify Cycle 11 LaTex file for new Template
Tech Talk
STScI Benefits
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Uniform data specifications
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Current System does minimal syntax or semantics checking
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Seamless database ingestion
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Increased Phase I Search capabilities
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Eliminates multiple submission processes (DD Web, GO LaTeX, and GTO)
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Bottom line: Cleaner data input
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Reduces Manual effort by SPD technical staff and others
Saves time in the process
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Tech Talk
APT Toolset
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Visual Target Tuner (VTT)
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Exposure Time Calculators
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Context sensitive help tied to Call for Proposals
Pull down menus of only legal values and combinations
Attach “Science Justification” from any word processor as PDF attachment
Phase II Specifications, Orbit and Visit Planners
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Same functionality as existing web-based versions
Phase I Submission
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Built from SEA prototype
Visualize & manipulate observatory field of view
Enable “easier” orbit packing via click and drag
Link to TRANS and SPIKE scheduling system
Tech Talk
User Site
Observer
APT Tool Suite
User Develops
&
Inputs Proposal,
APT supplies
unique
Proposal Id
Visual Target Tuner
Exp Time Calculator
Phase 1 Editting Tools
Obs Constraint Mgr
Submission Tool
Starview2/Duplication
Resource Estimator
User accesses Phase 1 web page for Phase 1 info,
Downloads APT tool suite,
APT looks up Address Information,
APT submits XML proposal file
STScI Site
Phase 1 Web Page
Address Information
Phase 1 Submission Sys
FTP
Server
ID Server
Phase I Features
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Investigator Name/Address lookup from our Address database
at STScI (when online)
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Context-sensitive help to Call for Proposals Documentation
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Only legal values can be entered
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Automatic Phase I to II conversion
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Stores output as XML
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APT Replaces procmail and FTP submission systems
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Automatic check to see if you have latest version (when online)
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Tech Talk
Features
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Tool is used only for Coverpage Information
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Science Justification and Supporting questions are a single PDF
attachment.
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Investigator information (PI and CoIs)
Instrument usage
Science Category (ie Cosmology, Galaxies, Solar System…)
Resources required (orbits, targets or dollars)
Special flags
Abstract
Observation Summary
Will provide an example template in Word, LaTeX, Text and others.
In-house tools remain the same for Cycle 12
Tech Talk
TAC Output
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Tech Talk
Cleaner Phase I Database
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Tech Talk
Platforms
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The APT tools are highly graphical and interactive applications and
therefore run best on a robust machine. The APT is supported on the
following systems:
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PC: Windows (98 or higher)
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Sun: Solaris 6, 7 and 8
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Minimum requirements: Ultra 1 (but we recommend a faster machine), 128 Mb
RAM: Tested on the CDE Window manager, TWM known to be a problem
PC: Linux (Redhat 7.2 or higher)
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Minimum requirements: 266 Mhz Pentium II or equivalent, 64 Mb RAM
Minimum requirements: 266 Mhz Pentium II or equivalent, 64 Mb RAM: The
APT package may run fine on other versions of linux, but we only tested on
Redhat 7.2.
Mac: OS X 10.1 or higher
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The VTT does not work under OS X 10.2
Tech Talk
Implementation Plans
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Director’s Discretionary Release
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July 2002
Allows community to help us with beta testing
Also provides advanced training prior to Phase I Deadline
Most Phase I capabilities in place with some liens
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PDF previewing
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Copy/Cut/Paste
Cycle 12 Phase I Operational Release
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Mid October 2002 w/ Phase I Deadline now on January 24, 2003
Mid November 2002 release to include Context Sensitive Help
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Tech Talk
Training/Assistance
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Demos at as many meetings/conferences as we can attend and support
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STScI booth one on ones at past June and upcoming January AAS
Setting up a special demo session at January AAS
Calibration Workshop
Treasury Workshop
Others available upon request
Help Desk (Multiple layers of help)- Remedy system
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SPD staff
Test Team members
Developers
Computer Support Staff (for installation/configuration problems)
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Tech Talk
Future for APT Phase I
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Fully integrated toolset
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Convert existing in-house phase I tools to use XML output
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Increased searching capabilities using PDF “science justification”
attachment
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Distribute fully electronic output products to reviewers
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Create reviewer tool from XML output to database
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Obtain APT at
http://apt.stsci.edu
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Obtain Help from
[email protected]
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Tech Talk