For instructions on installing the simulations code, go here.
The catalog simulations framework uses three principal structures to store data:
- CatalogDBObjects store database tables containing the actual data that is used to construct the catalog
- ObservationMetaData objects store information about a particular pointing or observation. This is used to determine what from the CatalogDBObject is actually visible. Often, the CatalogDBObject will contain objects over the whole sky, but you are only interested in outputting objects that are visible through a specific telescope; the ObservationMetaData contains the information necessary to pare down the DBObject.
- The catalog class combines the CatalogDBObject and the ObservationMetaData into a catalog of objects and the desired quantities (RA, Dec, magnitudes, etc.) associated with them.
The Framework Overview page explains how these three structures interact to create a simulated catalog.
The Code Overview page explains the contents of the different source code packages involved in CatSim.
The Database Schema page lists the tables and columns provided in the University of Washington simulation databases.
The Database Contents page explains the physical origins of the tables referenced in the Database Schema page above.
The Database Object page explains the functionality provided by the CatSim database interface classes.
The Provided Getters page list the calculated columns provided by the mixin classes distributed with CatSim.
The How to Write Your Own Getter page explains how to write your own getters to calculate new quantities from those provided by the database.
The OpSim Query page explains how to use CatSim to query OpSim runs.
The Variability Model page explains how variability models are implemented in CatSim.
The SED page explains the spectral energy density models distributed with CatSim.
The Throughputs page explains the throughput models (telescope response curves, atmospheric extinction, etc.) distributed with CatSim.