Research And Prototype Realization Of FAST Observation Management System

In order to explore the information on the edge of the universe, China is developing the Fivehundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST). FAST will be the largest and most sensitive single dish radio telescope in the world. With the three self-independent innovations, FAST will create a new model to build a giant radio telescope. It is a movable parabolic radio telescope, which is located in Dawodang, Guizhou Province. The observation data of FAST will be serving to many scientific studies as about the origin and evolution of the universe, the exploration of the origin of life, etc.FAST is a large, 500-meters equipment, whose observation details are tedious. We need to provide observers an easy and upper observing interface, so they can look at the standard and visualization of the observation process. In the observation process, it allow users real-timely view the observation status and analysis the observation data, so users can timely adjust their observation. The number of objects that FAST can detect is up to a million. In order to improve observation efficiency and quality of data, FAST will develop a flexible observation schedule and optimize celestial observations sequence. In the future, FAST will be open to the world and It will manage the observation of all users. Therefore, FAST requires the Observation Management System(OMS) to manage users’ observation and to optimize observations sequence, to avoid observation time wasting from invalid data, which is resulted from the failure observation.Combining with the construction level of FAST, We come up with the systematic plan of OMS. Based on the management of users’ observation and optimization of observations sequence, we build the system function structure, including the observation-program subsystem, observation-schedule subsystem and observation-execute subsystem. And then we design the three subsystems’ functions. Finally we use a prototype of the OMS system to verify the correctness of the analysis and design.In China, there is lack of relevant experience in many aspects of developing large software systems for large radio telescope. The researching idea of OMS system, including versions of iterative development, layered architecture, Block-based design, etc., can provide a reference for other software and the development of a complete OMS system of FAST.