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OCR for page 302
Data Processing and
Computational Facilities
I. INTRODUCTION
The Astronomy Survey Committee charged the Panel on Data
Processing and Computational Facilities with an assess-
ment of the computational requirements of the astronomical
community in three areas: theoretical calculations,
observational data processing and analysis (especially
image processing), and data archiving and access. The
Panel was additionally asked to consider, within each of
these areas, the astronomical and astrophysical problems
to be addressed; the computational resources (hardware,
software, documentation, personnel) required for the solu-
tion of these problems; the present and future availabil-
ity of computational resources; choices among local,
regional, and national distribution of computational
resources; possible leadership roles for the National
Astronomy Centers; the existence or establishment of
coordinating or advisory groups to guide the orderly and
effective operation and growth of facilities; and, above
all, the means to ensure a high level of input from, and
responsiveness to, the astronomical community.
The Panel members heartily support the recognition of
the importance of computational facilities to astronomy
represented by the establishment of this Panel. Although
computers first began to be used by astronomers in the
1950's, and although the Greenstein committee (see
Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 1970's, National
302
OCR for page 303
303
Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., 1972) established
a panel to investigate astronomical computing, the present
document is the first formal report dealing with computa-
tional facilities to be included in the deliberations of
an Astronomy Survey Committee.
Indeed, computers are now so widely entrenched in
astronomy that one can scarcely conceive of returning to
the manner in which astronomy was performed just 10 years
ago, much less before the 1950's. Future technological
developments are sure to make the role of computers in
astronomy even more important.
Figure 5.1 is a schematic representation of the manner
in which progress is made in astronomy (indeed, in any
I~NSTRUME ~ OBSERVAT
S I MULAT I ON I _ CONTROL-FEEDBACK /
DES I ON / DATA COLLECT I ON /
\ TEST / - \ QUICK-LOOK /
INTERPRETAT I ON \ / PROCESS I NG
S I MULAT I ON \ / CORRECT I ON
MODEL I NG \ / CAL I BRAT I ON
W~
\ \ ~ / /
i\ ~ /
/ \~ \ / an/ \
/ a\ \ / /~ \
| CATALOGS \ \ / / ARCHIVES
STORAGE \ \ / / STORAGE
CROSS REFERENCE \ ~ / I ND I CES
\ ACCESS /` ye ye by\ ACCESS /
ANALYS I S
I NFO. EXTRACT I ON |
MODEL F I TT I NG /
FIGURE 5.1 Schematic representation of progress in
astronomy.
OCR for page 304
304
science). As one traverses the diagram in the direction
of the arrows, new knowledge of the Universe is obtained.
At the same time, additional questions are raised that
require further traversals of the diagram before they can
be answered. Observations are performed, processed,
analyzed, and interpreted, resulting in suggestions for
new instruments and new observations, which in turn lead
to another round of processing, analysis interpretaton,
and so on.
Because astronomy is an observational science and
because it deals with large numbers of diverse objects,
archives and catalogs have been especially important for
astronomy (perhaps more so than for many other sciences)
and will continue to be important in the future.
Included with each major task in Figure 5.1 are thos
e
functions in which computers play a prominent role. With-
out computers it would be impossible to design, build,
test, or operate the high-technology instruments and
detectors that are in use today and contemplated for the
future. Digital data from high-quantum-efficiency
detectors could not be collected, processed, analyzed,
archived, or reduced to catalogs. Extensive numerical
simulations required to evaluate simple physical laws in
complex astrophysical situations could not be performed.
In short, computational facilities are an integral part
of astronomy as we know it today. Progress in astronomy
depends not only on the development of more powerful
instruments and detectors but also on the development of
the capability to digest and interpret the large quantity
of high-quality data generated by these modern instruments
and detectors.
This Panel was primarily concerned with the computa-
tional facilities required for the processing, analysis,
interpretation, archiving, and cataloging functions shown
in Figure 5.1. Although we recognized the importance of
computers in the design, construction, test, and operation
of instruments and detectors, computers used for such pur-
poses are properly considered part of the instrument
rather than as separate computational facilities.
The costs of computational facilities are modest
compared with the costs of a major ground-based or earth-
orbiting telescope or a planetary mission. This fact is
both a curse and a blessing. A curse, because the re-
quirements for computational facilities to support a tele-
scope or space mission are often ignored or put on the
"back burners with the idea that "if we get the data,
we'll figure out some way to process and analyze them."
Representative terms from entire chapter:
computational resources