yourSkyG is the second generation of the software described in "yourSky: Custom Sky-Image Mosaics via the Internet" (NPO-30556), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 27, No. 6 (June 2003), page 45. Like its predecessor, yourSkyG supplies custom astronomical image mosaics of sky regions specified by requesters using client computers connected to the Internet. Whereas yourSky constructs mosaics on a local multiprocessor system, yourSkyG performs the computations on NASA's Information Power Grid (IPG), which is capable of performing much larger mosaicking tasks. (The IPG is high-performance computation and data grid that integrates geographically distributed computers, databases, and instruments.) A user of yourSkyG can specify parameters describing a mosaic to be constructed. yourSkyG then constructs the mosaic on the IPG and makes it available for downloading by the user. The complexities of determining which input images are required to construct a mosaic, retrieving the required input images from remote sky-survey archives, uploading the images to the computers on the IPG, performing the computations remotely on the Grid, and downloading the resulting mosaic from the Grid are all transparent to the user.
This program was written by Joseph Jacob, James Collier, Loring Craymer, and David Curkendall of Caltech for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For further information, access the Technical Support Package (TSP) free on-line at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Software category.
This software is available for commercial licensing. Please contact Karina Edmonds of the California Institute of Technology at (818) 393-2827.Refer to NPO-40761.
This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
Custom Sky-Image Mosaics From NASA’s Information Power Grid
(reference NPO-40761) is currently available for download from the TSP library.
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Overview
The document outlines the capabilities and features of yourSkyG, a sophisticated software application developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for creating custom sky-image mosaics. This web-based service leverages NASA's Information Power Grid (IPG) to perform compute-intensive image processing, enabling users to generate large-scale mosaics from various astronomical surveys.
Key features of yourSkyG include its fully automated, Grid-enabled architecture, which allows for seamless processing of image mosaics. Unlike its predecessor, yourSky, which operated on local multiprocessor systems, yourSkyG utilizes the extensive computational resources of the IPG. This transition enables the handling of larger mosaicking jobs and supports the processing of multiple mosaics simultaneously, referred to as "mosaic ensembles." The system intelligently schedules processing to optimize data retrieval and minimize communication overhead, utilizing local and remote data caches to enhance efficiency.
The software addresses significant challenges in astronomical data processing, particularly the diverse formats and storage methods used by various sky surveys. For instance, the 2MASS survey stores millions of small 2 MB images, while the DPOSS survey contains fewer but larger 1 GB images. yourSkyG abstracts these complexities, allowing users to request images of any part of the sky in a single, cohesive mosaic, regardless of the underlying data structure.
Additionally, yourSkyG aims to explore the potential of computational Grids for data-intensive tasks in astronomy, aligning with the goals of the National Virtual Observatory (NVO) community. The software not only serves scientific purposes but also has strong outreach potential due to the visually stunning mosaics it produces.
The document emphasizes the importance of yourSkyG in advancing astronomical research and its role in the broader context of NASA's efforts to enhance data processing capabilities in Earth and space sciences. By integrating cutting-edge technology with user-friendly interfaces, yourSkyG represents a significant step forward in the field of astronomical image processing, making it accessible to a wider audience while supporting the scientific community's needs for large-scale data analysis.
