Daryl A. Swade and James F. Rose (CSC/STScI)
Reference URL: http://www.stsci.edu/software/OPUS/
The Space Telescope Science Institute has developed OPUS as a data processing software system for converting raw telemetry into standard FITS format data files. OPUS is a dynamic, event-driven, distributed processing system that provides an environment designed to handle a large number of observations processed through many steps across a network of computers. OPUS is also an automated system that monitors processing and provides facilities for error identification and repair.
The OPUS process control and monitoring components are currently distributed on CD-ROM to help other institutions with their own pipeline management. The OPUS environment was designed to be extensible, and this means that it can be easily modified to work on a variety of projects. The OPUS CD-ROM comes complete with the Process Manager, the Observation Manager, a set of sample applications, and all the resource files required to get it running.
The OPUS CD-ROM and the sample pipeline are fully documented in the OPUS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (www.stsci.edu/software/OPUS/opusfaq.html). That document explains how to install the system on your computers, how to run the sample pipeline, how each of the managers work, and what the different resource files are about. As more projects get experience with the OPUS environment, this document expands with further clarifications, and is revised with each new release of the OPUS CD-ROM.
While the OPUS system was developed at the STScI, the blackboard system and the OPUS API are independent of the HST mission. Although HST mission specific applications are not portable, the experience of the OPUS team in developing complete pipelines for the HST, FUSE, and other potential missions is available. Other projects like INTEGRAL, AXAF, SIRTF, and MSSSO/Mosaic are independently tailoring OPUS to their own needs. Still more groups are considering the OPUS platform for their data processing projects.
In this paper, we highlight changes made to the OPUS system to support the developing user community, and explain how these changes have benefited the processing of HST science data at STScI.
Packages such as OPUS provide a true resource for NASA and ESA projects in a cost-conscious era where the software development cycle can and should be better controlled. The OPUS platform and the OPUS software libraries can be reused, forming the basis for the rapid development of robust data processing applications.