The WFCAM Science Archive

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Abstract

The WFCAM Science Archive (WSA) will contain the complete set of data created by the WFCAM camera on UKIRT, including the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Surveys (UKIDSS). Developed and hosted by the Wide Field Astronomy Unit (WFAU) within the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Astronomy, the WSA is designed as an SQL database with user access through a public web interface. The UKIDSS surveys have now begun and the first data release will become available, after an initial phase of science verification, to all members of the ESO community. Observations will continue over the next seven years, typically producing 100 GBytes of data per night, resulting in an archive of the order of tens of terabytes in size. Consequently, scalability is one of the most important aspects in the design of the database. Here we provide an overview of our hardware and software design to store and access such vast quantities of data efficiently. Development of the archive continues as we prepare to host data from the VISTA surveys and enhance the end-user's experience, including incorporation of Virtual Observatory functionality delivered through AstroGrid.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XV
PublisherASTRONOMICAL SOC PACIFIC
Pages743
Volume351
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2006

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