# Presentation: 532734

## SEA: The Scientist’s Expert Assistant

- May 26, 1998
- Anuradha Koratkar

## Agenda

- What is the SEA?
- What is the current HST proposal development process?
- How can we improve it?
- How will we accomplish this?
- Demonstration
- Development strategy
- Challenges
- Project plan

## What is the SEA?

- NGST vs HST:  operationally less complex, not scientifically less complex
- User support resources expected to be reduced
- SEA is an ***experiment*** to determine if new user tools can:
- replace need for CS/PC level support for ***routine*** observations
- be intuitive and easy to use
- make it easier for GOs to create accurate, feasible observations

## What is the current HST proposal development process? 

- In evaluating HST’s current process and tools, we’ve learned that:
- Most Phase II proposals need modification after submission
- Well over half of the modifications are not related to “science issues” but are technical or syntactical issues
- Manual and redundant data entry required by proposer
- Responding to repetitive questions drains ST ScI staff time
- Many problems are due to HST’s complexity, but not all

## How can we improve it?

- Provide easy access to technical and reference materials
- Put user focus on science rather than  technical parameters
- Provide better tools to visualize and structure the observing program
- Eliminate continual manual re-entry of information

## How will we accomplish this?

- Utilize rule-base technology
- Science-based questions to recommend technical parameters.
- Accommodate a range of user types: ”rookie" to "expert”
- Utilize new dynamic, interactive, and visual user interfaces
- Rapid prototyping techniques, visual tools
- Integrate the tools and modules
- Eliminate continual manual re-entry of information
- Context-sensitive links to reference materials and sources
- Common interface styles for better efficiency, faster learning curve

## How will we accomplish this?

- Prototyping HST’s ACS
- Good balance of complexity, operational style
- Nature of science objectives partially overlap with NGST
- Will allow evaluation of SEA’s effectiveness by comparison with operational ST ScI tools for ACS
- Small three year effort to investigate new ways of supporting observing proposal development
- Currently team of five: 2 GSFC contractor, 2 GSFC civil servant, 1 ST ScI. Two are full-time on SEA

## Today’s Demonstration

- Initial SEA proposal browser framework
- Prototype Exposure Time Calculator (ETC)
- supports imaging for ACS and STIS
- uses ST ScI's "synphot" package for source and background counts
- First generation Visual Target Tuner (VTT):
- pans, zooms, selects inclusion/exclusion zones
- supports whole HST field-of-view
- preliminary “data mining”

## Demonstration

## Development Strategy

- Initial RAD prototype: Exposure Time Calculator
- Strawman for tool selections, initial system design
- Proposal Browser “shell”
- Integrates individual modules / tools into a single system
- "Expert" mode: form-based interface to select parameters
- "Interview" mode: Rule-based questions guide observer
- Individual Modules run on their own or in browser
- Share common object base.
- Easily share information between modules
- Start simple, then expand
- Early focus on initial architecture and integration of modules
- Module features start simple, expand in scope and complexity
- Initial focus is single exposure, later will expand into multiple exposures and multiple targets

## Challenges

- Developing scientists' acceptance and trust of a rule-based system
- Balance between existing HST issues while looking ahead to NGST
- Adaptability to other observing platforms
- Extensive use of object orientation to allow easy changes for different instruments, targets, and observatories
- Potential integration and collaboration with other groups
- Keeping phase with rapidly evolving technology
- Currently using Java 1.1 and Web-based distribution
- Developing a scientifically and technically useful help system
- Potential “spin-off” of operational products

## Project Plan

- Phase I (FY 97):  analysis & initial research
- Research current process, establish/prioritize prototype plans
**Phase II (FY 98): prototype “proof-of-concept” tools**
- Design and implement covering architecture and objects
- Implement and evaluate different interface options
- 1st and 2nd generation of tool features
- Phase III (FY 99): expand into a live test-bed
- Develop full prototype to support HST’s ACS.
- Evaluate effectiveness with existing HST production tools
- Phase IV (FY 00): final wrap up and analysis
- Metrics and evaluation to see if desired gains achieved

## Project Plan - ST ScI Resources

- FY 98 and FY 99: Total 0.8 FTE
- 0.5 FTE Presto S/W Developer
- 0.2 FTE Presto Project Scientist
- 0.1 FTE SSD/SMO Contact/Instrument Scientist
- FY 00
- redistribute FTE’s as appropriate to ensure increased SSD participation in evaluation phase

## What are the “hopes” for HST use?

- “Spin-off” successful components
- Resource planning should ***not*** assume operational use of SEA components

## Development Priorities: Target Tuner

-  Model diffraction spikes, CCD bleeding
-  Integrate with various catalogs to automatically retrieve information and images
-  Support import and export of user-supplied images
-  Integrate/merge with ETC to simulate images
-  Data mining on images

## Development Priorities: Exposure Calculator

-  Add support for additional spectral energy distributions and surface brightness distributions
-  Support spectroscopy
-  Simulated images
-  Support for user-supplied spectra
-  “Offline” operations

## Development Priorities: Expert Systems

- Develop and test interfaces for best question/answer format
- Expand feedback from rule base to user
- Expand rule base
- full range of ACS configurations
- integrate target / exposure information
- expand use of rule base into other modules
- Visit planning
- multiple targets and exposures

## Contacts and Additional Information

- Lead Goddard contact: Jeremy Jones:
- Jeremy.E.Jones@gsfc.nasa.gov
- 301 / 286 - 3192
- Lead ST ScI contact: Anuradha Koratkar:
- koratkar@stsci.edu
- 410 / 338 - 4470
- SEA Development Web Page:
- http://aaaprod.gsfc.nasa.gov/NGSTProtos
- working page, prototype links, team presentations and papers
- used for internal team communications