Abstract

"Automatic image detection and analysis for wide field surveys"

Mike Irwin (Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge)

Optical and near-infrared wide field cameras on 2- to 4m-class telescopes are now routinely used to conduct large scale imaging surveys. With total data-rates approaching 1 Tbyte per night automated pipeline processing and data management facilities are crucial. Although processing near-infrared data is in some ways technically more challenging than optical, the majority of the processing requirements and the adopted solutions are common to both. In this presentation I will review some of the lessons learned and the general principles required for an end-to-end system capable of delivering science-grade, quality-controlled calibrated images and catalogues. This will be illustrated with some practical examples from current optical and near-infrared surveys covering a diverse range of survey science.

Mode of presentation: oral